The Self Cloud
Cynthia Breheny (@PTElephant) and I (@zaelefty) present the Self Cloud for kids, a return to simple yet profound truths about the self in three categories: Expression, Sex, and Interests. In the Self Cloud, there is no mention of concepts like gender or identity. Here, we emphasize things about the self that are real and tangible, simple things that all of us, including kids, can understand:
Expression: You express yourself through things you wear. Colors and clothing and how you do your hair.
Sex: The sex you are, female or male, can’t ever change and that’s alright. There are only two sexes, but lots of differences in shape, features, and height.
Interests: Things that you like and do. Reading, music, art, and exercise, too
© 2021 Cynthia Breheny and Zachary Elliott, All Rights Reserved.
The Self Cloud is a “simple way to teach kids about identity fundamentals,” writes Cynthia. “No complicated labels. Just facts, presented in a friendly, approachable way. No gender mentioned, no arrows pointing to genitals, no ‘less or more male or female’ graphs, or stereotypes like ‘girly’ or ‘boyish.'”
“As a kid with gender dysphoria and sex dysmorphia,” she writes, “those [graphics] would’ve made me feel like I had to choose and put more pressure on me. By boiling identity down to the [basics], it gives kids the room to express themselves freely. This graphic allows for people with DSDs to be incorporated without being othered, without getting overly detailed or singling them out. And likewise for trans and detrans people.”
Because our design rejects ideological labels and emphasizes the free and variable nature of self-expression while anchoring it to real and tangible concepts, we wanted to create templates for kids to fill out their own expression and interests boxes. These templates will allow them to write about and draw the ways they enjoy expressing themselves and the things that hold their interest. In addition, we have plans for an interactive system for crafting your own Self Clouds.
For now, we encourage kids and others to draw their own Self Clouds and freely explore their interests without having to be boxed up and constrained by society’s stereotypes. If you’re on Twitter, post your own Self Cloud with #SelfCloud. Thank you!
Download a full resolution 8.5×11 PDF of the Self Cloud here.
For any questions, comments, or suggestions, or if you’d like to use the Self Cloud at your school, contact Cynthia Breheny on Twitter (@PTElephant).
Example Self Clouds
Example Self Clouds by Cynthia.
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