Marked/unmarked catagories

A number of short posts around the intarweb about marked/unmarked categories. Basically, unmarked categories refer to what is the default or presumed to be "universal" within a certain category. For example, men, Christians, and white people are common unmarked categories because you usually do not have to specify when you are referring to people or things fitting into these categories, and they are universalized. Example: "he" is considered 'gender-neutral' or 'universal.' Marked categories are when you must specify the category. For example, people generally specify people's race or ethnicity when talking about someone who is not white, but make no reference to it when they are white. Marked and unmarked correspond somewhat with specific/exclusive and general (marked=specific/exclusive, general=unmarked). These posts all give examples.

On men's/"unisex" shirts and (men's) "T-shirts" and "Women's T-shirts." Bad because it assumes the universality of males (have you ever seen a a women's/unisex shirt anywhere and do you think it would be acceptable?) he "Men Can't Wear Skirts" article points out that this is bad for men as well because it gives them only one option instead of two.

http://contexts.org/socimages/2009/12/14/women-can-wear-mens-shirts-but-men-cannot-wear-womens/

Other examples of male as an unmarked category.

http://contexts.org/socimages/2008/02/10/your-body-men-are-people-and-women-are-women/

http://contexts.org/socimages/2009/05/18/stick-figures-and-stick-figures-who-parent/

http://contexts.org/socimages/2009/05/04/default-avatars-a-collection/

On "flesh-colored" (read: white) items.

http://contexts.org/socimages/2009/11/27/stunning-example-of-the-neutrality-of-whiteness/

http://sociologicalimages.blogspot.com/2008/03/from-pale-to-pumped-with-racial.html

http://contexts.org/socimages/2008/08/06/for-normal-to-darker-skin/

http://contexts.org/socimages/2008/08/03/white-privilege/

http://contexts.org/socimages/2008/04/01/the-neutral-and-the-marked-a-primer-for-your-kids/


****Also note that many of the categories commonly employed are binaries--what about people who don't fit either? Think female/male, black/white, etc.