Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

Spring 5-6-2026

Faculty Advisor(s)

Ian Barnard

Abstract

This project examines how Lucía Puenzo’s film titled XXY critiques societal responses to unique identities (specifically intersex as an example), asking how xenophobia and normative gender expectations shape the marginalization of bodies that exist outside the binary. Situating the film within scholarship on queer adolescence and intersex representation, the analysis of this poster will argue that XXY exposes how institutions such as medicine and family reinforce harmful notions of “normalization.”

Drawing on close textual analysis of key scenes and engagement with critical sources, including Guillermo Olivera’s work on space and visibility and testimonies from intersex individuals, this study investigates how language, character dynamics, and narrative structure reveal underlying cultural anxieties about difference. In presentation, particular attention is given to interactions between Alex and Álvaro, as well as discourse surrounding surgical intervention, to demonstrate how seemingly compassionate perspectives often perpetuate the belief that intersex bodies require correction.

The project finds that the film ultimately reframes the perceived “problem” of intersex identity, shifting the focus away from the body itself and toward a society unwilling to expand its understanding of gender. In doing so, XXY challenges viewers to confront their own complicity in systems of exclusion and to reconsider the ethical implications of normalization practices. This analysis concludes that Puenzo’s film contributes to broader conversations in gender and sexuality studies by emphasizing autonomy, visibility, and the necessity of dismantling xenophobic frameworks that define difference as deficiency.

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Presented at the Spring 2026 Student Scholar Symposium at Chapman University.

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