Social Constructs
What makes something what it is—and who gets to decide? That’s the question Abigail Thorn explores in this 12-minute video, using gender as a case study. Many say gender is a “social construct,” but Thorn unpacks what that means in clear, everyday terms. When we call something a chair, a car, or a woman, what are we really pointing to? Physical traits, how it’s used, how others respond, or something deeper? Through examples and thought experiments, she shows that categories aren’t natural facts, rather shared agreements shaped by repetition, recognition, and power. So if gender isn’t rooted in nature, what is it rooted in, and what happens when people don't agree?
Social constructs are built into our environment, and the way we think about our environment facilitates different kinds of engagement with it. [...]. There is an inherent possibility of changing society here, which is therefore inherently political.