Throughout Alison Bechdel’s tragicomic Fun Home, the author demonstrates her and her father Bruce’s opposing views on the concept of sexuality. Their different definitions of the significance of gender roles cause tension in their formation of sexual orientations in the presence of each other. The distinct ways in which they handle their attraction to the same gender highlight their generational differences in how sexuality is regarded. In Fun Home, Alison views the expression and establishment of gender identity by illustrating their different view of the sexuality concept between her and her father and how gender roles play a role in a person’s exploration of their sexual orientation.
The author’s view on gender and sexuality concepts in the tragicomic show how she utilizes the book’s creation to contend with her friendship with her father and the initiation of their sexual orientations. When Alison looks at old photographs of them, she notices how comparable the two of them look. She contends that the two photographs are “about as close as a transcription can get” when considering the lighting, shadows, and body language (Bechdel 120). Bechdel decides to draw re-enactments of the photographs onto the page rather than simply inspecting them into the narrative. This shows that she has something to prove to herself about the relationship between her and her biological father.
Both Bechdel and her father have different perceptions concerning the concept of gender and sexuality. For instance, Alison and her father’s attitudes towards what Bechdel refers to as the “bulldyke” exemplify how they view the initiation of gender identity and sexual orientation in very different ways (Bechdel 120). For instance, when the father saw a woman dressed in a male gender style and with a men’s haircut, he asked her satirically, “Is that what you want to look like? (Bechdel 120)” However, Alison denies wanting to look like this, but she proceeds to stare at the woman, claiming that “the vision of the truck-driving bulldyke sustained [her] throughout the years” (Bechdel 118-119). Alison’s identification with the first masculine-looking woman she sees is an example of her view on the concept of gender roles. It changes her understanding of gender from her father’s perspective.
The book also has a different understanding on the concept of gender and sexuality. For instance, Michael suggests that the panel with this woman includes Alison in the background to compare their expressions when she realizes that the sight of this brings her joy, in contrast to her father’s disapproving look (Michael 187). She also observes that, while the bulldyke and Alison’s faces reflect each other to express solidarity, the only two male faces on the page were in the form of disgust (Michael 187).
This is another way Bechdel copes with her and her father’s opposing views on gender identity and how it manifests in themselves and others through the memoir’s meticulous use of cartoons (Lydenberg 133). Their different reactions to the masculine woman demonstrate that their attitudes toward gender expression are shaped by how accepted they were for their sexual identity in their own lives.
Furthermore, Alison’s father’s strict enforcement of gender roles on his daughter reflects how he is uncomfortable with her wishes to appear more masculine. This is due to the judgment he felt for wanting to present himself as more feminine. When he notices her refusal to wear her barrette in her hair, he becomes enraged and threatens her with physical violence. He also gives Alison a disapproving look when she suggests that a crew cut would keep her hair out of her face just as well as the barrette (Bechdel 196). In this case, Alison accepts different gender expressions much more openly than her father, who grew up during a much less accepting period in history.
Alison also attempts to persuade her parents that she should be able to dress more masculinely. When her parents see girls wearing hiking boots in Switzerland, Alison says to them, “See? “Girls also wear them” (Bechdel 73). Alison’s use of the boots as acceptable for females demonstrates that she does not believe her parents would accept the formation of her own gender identity as more masculine. Bechdel claims that her father’s “insistence on gender regulation” stems from his desire “to avoid any kind of gender panic or irregularity in Bechdel” (Bechdel 73). This gender panic stems from his belief that society will only accept a woman who presents herself in a feminine manner and is attracted to males and a man who presents himself in a masculine manner and is attracted to females.
Alison also experiences a form of internalized homophobia that has a different stance on the concept of gender and sexuality. The internalized homophobia he is experiencing stems from his fear of being accepted for his attraction to the same sex and his desire to present himself femininely (Bechdel 120). Her father believes that he must look feminine to justify his attraction to males and that his daughter must look feminine and be attracted to males. Her father stresses the need for society to accept him, which represents his internalized homophobia and need to be accepted by society (Hereth et al. 35). In addition, he is so concerned about what others think of him and that he is in accordance with societal norms. The societal norms dictate that he marries a woman and tries to force his daughter to adhere to specific societal standards he has always known.
Additionally, Alison and her father both believe that they must present themselves as the other gender identity at some point in their lives to be accepted in society’s cultural norms. Lydenberg writes that both Bechdel and her father believe that their sexual identities are “culturally disallowed,” which creates a sense of “melancholy” about how they identify themselves (137). Both Alison and Bruce Bechdel are influenced by what they perceive to be the standard way for males and females to present themselves concerning who they are attracted to.
Even though Alison is raised in a more accepting environment that eventually allows her to embrace her homosexuality, she still struggles with forming her own gender identity. When Bechdel describes how she and her father’s relationship has progressed to the point where they can share their own experiences with the formation of their own gender identities with each other near the end of the memoir, they realize that when they were both young, they wanted to be the other gender and dress up in clothes that reflected the gender identity opposite of them (Bechdel 221). Although Alison’s expression is more surprised and intrigued by the fact that they share this shared experience, it is clear that her father is also thinking about the striking similarities in how their gender identities developed.
Both Alison and her father have different perceptions of the concept of postmemory. The concept of “postmemory,” as proposed by both Michael and Lydenberg in their respective articles, explains why Alison’s father’s insisted on gender roles. Michael defines postmemory as “how the memory of trauma belonging to one generation can shape the memory of the next” (187). This concept of generational trauma and using one’s memories to shape how one treats their children and attempts to force them to think is evident throughout the memoir of Alison and her father’s relationship. The trauma is passed down when Bruce tries to make his daughter dress feminine to reflect how he felt he had to dress masculine to cover his homosexuality. As she grows older, the effects of the postmemory become apparent. When Alison is fourteen years old and decides to dress up with her friend Beth in her father’s old clothing, she steps into her father’s world of confused gender identity and the proper way to express oneself.
In conclusion, Alison and Bruce Bechdel’s gender identities are shaped and expressed by their relationship and views on gender roles. The parallels Bechdel draws between them in her illustrations demonstrate how they share similar desires to express themselves as the opposite gender, contrasted by how they deal with their homosexuality in very different ways. Alison’s father’s insistence on strict feminine gender roles for her and his disapproval of masculine women influence how she views herself and her own gender identity. Internalized homophobia caused by culture’s rejection of homosexuality leads Alison and Bruce to dress as the opposite gender because they believe same-sex relationships are frowned upon by the general public. The ways Alison and her father depict and modify their gender identity are influenced by their relationship with one another and societal gender standards.
Works Cited
Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. Houghton Mifflin, 2007.
Hereth, Jane, et al. “Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Development Among Young Adult Transgender Men Sexually Active with Cisgender Men: ‘I Had Completely Ignored My Sexuality… That’s for a Different Time to Figure Out’.” Culture, Health & Sexuality, vol. 22, no. sup1, Taylor & Francis, 2020, pp. 31–47. Web.
Lydenberg, Robin. “Reading lessons in Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic.” College Literature 44.2 (2017): 133-165.
Michael, Olga. “Queer Trauma, Paternal Loss, and Graphic Healing in Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic.” Arts of Healing: Cultural Narratives of Trauma (2020): 187.