The series Altered Carbon and gender dysphoria

[Lucas Monteiro]

Hello everyone, I'm sorry if I'm being an intruder here, but there is something that is in my head for some days and I wanted to hear the opinion about people who are non-binary, trans-gendered or simply who do not care for gender. There is a new show on Netflix called Altered Carbon, and in the world of this series the human being can change of bodies, basically going from a man body to a woman body, what it truly matters it's that the consciousness remains and humans aren't anymore identified because of their bodies, but their brain itself. Your memories and feelings stay the same, the only true difference is that you change your whole body to a new one, and from what it seems people on this world doesn't care for gender. The main character from the show was born a man, but he had other bodies and in one them he was a woman, and nobody seems to think it was a big thing. It seems too that people on this world are mostly pansexual or at least bisexual. It's truly interesting. 

 

But where I'm trying to get is, if there would be such a thing as changing bodies, could gender dysphoria be somehow resolved ? A person who would feel they wanted to be more feminine could change to a woman body, and wouldn't need to do surgeries to change themselves, or a person who would want to feel more masculine could change to a man body.  Or I'm completely wrong ? Sorry if I said something that could offend someone, it's just that I wanted to ask, cause this question was bugging me.

 

The series has really lots of nude, sex and violence so I wouldn't recommend for people who don't like to see those things, or are too sensitive about those topics. But I believe the theory behind the series and the series itself are really interesting, so if you got curious and don't care for watching scenes with those things, I would recommend.

 

[Andiamo]

I've never heard of the series, I'll have to check it out!

 

It would certainly help with dysphoria if people could simply change bodies. That would make a lot of things a lot easier. However, I don't think it would get rid of dysphoria entirely. I don't want to speak for anyone else's experience, but I'm pretty sure that I personally would have some body dysphoria whether in a "male" or "female" body. I am nonbinary, and I am far more comfortable in the middle ground between entirely masculine and entirely feminine than I would be at either extreme. That said, the ability to change my appearance like that would be so cool, especially with more control over exact changes.

[Dean.]

Like Andiamo said, I would have some dysphoria with either or, but it would help a lot of people and I would think it would even help me a little.

Also, I think I will check out that series, sounded good from what I have heard on it.

[ReyGraves]

If we put this into our current time (like, people are more blasé about changing appearances) wouldn’t people miss their old look? Maybe not specifically their gendered bodies but, like, maybe they loved their original bodies eyes or hair color or something. Maybe there’d be a different type of dysphoria, but maybe just for the beginning while the person adjusted to their new look? 

(Or is it a different process where they get to choose what their new body will look like? Because if so I think that would help reduce dysphoria for some people.)

 

Personally, I’d love to move to a male body, but only if it was...like, a masculine version of the one I have now. The body I’d get on T (barring surgeries). 

 

(But that’s me other people might think differently)

[Lucas Monteiro]

1 hour ago, ReyGraves said:

If we put this into our current time (like, people are more blasé about changing appearances) wouldn’t people miss their old look? Maybe not specifically their gendered bodies but, like, maybe they loved their original bodies eyes or hair color or something. Maybe there’d be a different type of dysphoria, but maybe just for the beginning while the person adjusted to their new look? 

(Or is it a different process where they get to choose what their new body will look like? Because if so I think that would help reduce dysphoria for some people.)

 

Personally, I’d love to move to a male body, but only if it was...like, a masculine version of the one I have now. The body I’d get on T (barring surgeries). 

 

(But that’s me other people might think differently)

I forgot to say, but in the world from the series you can clone your original body in case you love your old look. Besides that, you can too give specific details about what you want in your new body or even your old body, you basically can create/change whatever you want in your body. So, maybe it would help reduce dysphoria for some people. 

 

[ReyGraves]

2 minutes ago, Lucas Monteiro said:

I forgot to say, but in the world from the series you can clone your original body in case you love your old look. Besides that, you can too give specific details about what you want in your new body or even your old body, you basically can create/change whatever you want in your body. So, maybe it would help reduce dysphoria for some people. 

 

Huh, then yeah, that’d probably help dysphoria. 

 

Now I’m curious. I saw a trailer for the series and was like “I should lookinto that” but, of course, forgot about it.

[TheLastOfSheila]

Re Altered Carbon, I did not watch the whole series, but the premise is certainly interesting, especially as it pertains to the class struggle.  Acquiring a new host or "sleeve" that is aesthetically pleasing is generally only available to the very wealthy.  For those who are say upper middle class, if a family wants a deceased relative to be re-spun into a new host, they have to take what they can get, and sometimes the choices are slim and grim.  Still, I would have kept watching, except I was really taken aback by the amount of gratuitous female nudity, and graphic sex scenes.  If the story is good, all that should not be necessary to hold viewers attention.  If the nudity was presented equally, I dunno, maybe I could have tolerated it, but there was much less male nudity, and it was never full frontal.  In the 21st century, writers shouldn't still feel the need to objectify women in order to draw viewers to their shows.  So, the idea of Altered Carbon was good, the presentation was not, imo.