Gendered "Otherness" Experiences in the Body

Many writers have chosen to explore gender roles and the impact of gender on characters' lives and experiences by having their characters live as the other (or another) gender. In SF, this is often sex changes, or alien sexes; in historical or fantasy fiction, there can be "body swaps" between characters, magical transformations, or characters -- often female -- who live and pass as male. Characters may also have "souls" or "spirits" that multiply inhabit the same body, in both science fiction and fantasy.

Some examples:

"Passing women" and girls

Marion Zimmer Bradley, Hawkmistress! (1982) (girl disguises herself as boy and passes for male)

Maureen McHugh, Mission Child (woman lives and passes as man)

Sex changes & body swaps

A common theme in movies following the "Freaky Friday" body swap concept.

Geoff Ryman, The Warrior Who Carried Life (magical transformation of female to male body)

Lynn Flewelling, The Bone Doll's Twin and Hidden Warrior

Thorne Smith, Turnabout (1931)

Virginia Woolf, Orlando

"Switch", by Blake Edwards (a man is "punished" for his sexist ways when he dies by coming back as a woman; he redeems his evil ways by dying in childbirth)

Someone carries another person's soul or psyche in them

Lynn Flewelling, The Bone Doll's Twin and Hidden Warrior