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Judith Butler's Theory Of Gender Identity

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Judith Butler is an American philosopher, gender theorist, and feminist who has significantly impacted political, feminist, and queer theory, as well as an array of other disciplines with her research and writings on gender. It is specifically her concept of gender performativity that has largely shaped modern feminism and gender theory and contributed largely to our current understanding of gender (Duignan). This theory originates from her book Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity, published in 1990.
Although undoubtedly influential in gender theory, I believe that Butler’s theory of gender performativity is false and I reject it as an accurate explanation of gender. In this paper, I will dispute Butler’s theory of gender …show more content…

Butler states that gender identity, the inner sense and personal experience of one’s own gender, is not an innate component of humans. Gender is not an internal identity that a person is, but rather something that one does or performs. She declares that “there is no gender identity behind the expressions of gender; that identity is performatively constituted by the very ‘expressions’ that are said to be its results”. This demonstrates her argument that gender identity is produced by gender performance or expression, one’s gendered appearances and behaviors in society. Lastly, she explains that gender performance and the consequential gender identity is not decided by the individual (Butler).
My first argument against Butler’s theory my belief that gender identity is a being or an internal reality. I believe that in all humans, gender identity is inborn and we have no choice in this identity nor do we have the ability to change it. It is simply a matter of time until humans discover this identity that resides within them. I disagree with Butler’s stance that gender identity is formed by how humans express their gender because I believe that if gender identity is inborn, it is therefore impossible for gender expression to influence this identity, leading me to my second …show more content…

My gender identity is non-binary; I do not identify within the binary categories of man or woman, rather I am somewhere in between. I never made the conscious decision to be non-binary and therefore I believe that gender identity is inborn. I feel that being non-binary has influenced my gender expression, which has elements of both femininity and masculinity. My gender expression allows me to express my internal sense of my gender outwardly to society. In conclusion, while recognizing the significant impact of Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity of gender theory, I do not believe that it is an accurate explanation of gender. Judging from my own personal experiences surrounding gender identity and gender expression, I believe that Butler’s theory fails to realistically explain these two concepts and their relationship and that this is better explained in my three arguments against Butler’s

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The two articles can be connected because in Butler’s article he talks about a kid who does not comply with the norm. Not school norms but gender norms. Butler’s article is about a boy who lived in Maine his whole life and he walked a certain way which a feminine would

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Butler did not prove her thesis because she lost the reader in what she was to argue about. Butler did not meet he purpose because her thesis was off. Butler’s argument was logical and could be held for a debate. Butler shown good evidence towards her argument and gave a good source to prove her evidence. Butler’s strengths are that she presents a good argument and give good evidence in her article.

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The main thesis of Dorothy Sayers' article is "a woman must be accepted as a human being, a real human being of the feminine sex. " Male and female are terms used by people in order to describe man and woman in today's society. These terms, however, not only describe opposite sex but it also demands these opposite sex to fit into its categories. The society expects that a man is to act as a male and a woman is to act as a female.

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There are grey and in-between areas. Sex characteristics do not always define a person’s gender identity. Many people are nonbinary and that’s perfectly okay, just as many people are cisgender and that is fine as well. The best thing about this paper is that it explains that, and that many cultures accept this

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Octavia Butler is an Afrofuturist, science fiction author who writes many dystopian stories that allude to questions about gender, social structures, and an individual’s ability to control her body and sexuality. When people think of speculative and science fiction they tend to think of nerdy white men writing stories about space and light sabers, but Octavia Butler challenges this stereotype herself by being one of the few African American women in this genre. In Octavia Butler’s speculative fiction short story “Speech Sounds” there is a reversal of gender roles and a strong idea of feminism that is portrayed through the main character Rye. There is also the use of simile and metaphor to help point out flaws in the social structure of the story and the world of the reader.

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For centuries, men and women have abided by the strict gender roles set forth by society. In her piece Bloodchild, Octavia Butler goes against gender norms set forth by society in an inverse way. Butler wanted to experiment with the notion of a man bearing children. The impregnation of a man shows the reversal of male and female roles. The process of implantation involving an alien female and human male leads to the switch in power dynamics between the two genders.

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In "Learning to Be Gendered", Penelope Eckert and Sally McConnell-Ginet argues that the gender identification does not begin at birth. The dichotomy between a male and a female in biology is what sets them apart. The authors address the false assumptions with gender identification for people who think they figured out the pattern for boys and girls. The article gives examples of instances where parents and adults have unconsciously made judgments for males and females based on their expectations and roles. As a result, boys have learned to perform as a male and girls have learned to perform as a female.

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Consequently, as illustrated in chapter one, Butler proposes in “Imitation and Gender Insubordination” (1998), that “gender is a kind of imitation for which there is no original” (722). Therefore, Elaine demonstrates how playing with girls was not a natural for her instead it is something she had to learn to do. Elaine states that: “Playing with girls is different and at first I feel strange as I do it, self-conscious, as if I’m doing an imitation of a girl. But soon I get more used to it.” (CE 57).

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In today's society, certain genders are given different roles to play from day to day. Unfortunately, the traits associated with both males and females are a distortion of reality in which we are told to conform to either unrealistic or rigid expectations. For example, as we saw the documentary The Mask I Live In, in which, social standards for my gender (male) were revealed to me, I underwent a realization of the unrealistic standards and rigid roles we are set to play. In more specific detail, alike to excerpt, we read from Guyland by Michael Kimmel we learn that starting at a young age, during our formative years we are taught how to “Be a Man” and what society expects from us, which conceal our true masculinity; examples include: “Boys Don’t Cry, It’s Better to Be Mad than Sad, and I Don’t Stop to Ask for Directions.”

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Thus, the sociology of gender focuses on how society and culture shape our understanding and perceptions of being masculine or feminine (Holmes,

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“Doing Gender” by West and Zimmerman is similar to Butler’s “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution.” However, West and Zimmerman build upon the ideas that Butler puts forth. Butler focuses on gender as performance and how gender is made up by specific actions. While West and Zimmerman take the concept of performance and constitution and applies it to a new concept, the sex category and how sex categories and gender are intertwined in society. Sex categories and gender, according to West and Zimmerman, are different and interconnected.

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There is much speculation on gender identity and the gender roles that surround them society views that men should be manly and brave while girls must be scared and timid while other people view that this notion is not right. Just because people are born into these genders does not mean that they must conform to how society views them they should them be able to be who they want to without the

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Relating this further, cultural identities are marked by a number of factors including gender, with a very locus of sustaining and projecting a difference (Clarke, 2011). Hence, taking note of the dramaturgy, Clarke (2011) further explained that “identity is…projected at the target audience in a theatrical performance that conveys self to others.” This shows that gender is also a projection to the public based on the disposition they want other people to see from the person. Gender is seen as a situated performance (Anderson et al., 2009), and gender is connected to performativity (Butler, 1990; Langellier, 1999). Performativity as explained by Langellier (1999 in Krolokke & Sorensen, 2006) “articulates a display of differences that challenges

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If you’re a female and you do a lot of boyish things then you are a tomboy, and if you are a boy and you like female clothing, then you are a fag. From the reading, “The Social Construction of Gender”, it breaks down gender. Before you are even born you are portrayed to be a certain gender already. You will be told you must wear this because you are a boy, or girl. According to the author, “Gendered patterners of interaction acquired additional layers of gendered sexuality, parenting and work behavior in childhood, adolescents and adulthood” (Lorber, 142).

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Introduction (300) Judith Butler, in her Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990), has portrayed gender and sex as social constructs, subjected to change and transmutable. Her feminist theories have added to theoretical trends of the late twentieth century, re-evaluating basic scholarly assumptions about the nature of reality and individuals within it. Thus, all major categories have undergone revision, with the idea of womanhood at its centre. Angela Carter 's Nights at the Circus 1990 [1984]) and Barbara Wilson 's Gaudi Afternoon (1990) are two contemporary novels that react on these trends, and depict gender identities in innovative ways, attempting to capture contemporary and past discourses within the feminist movement. This text is going to address the novels ' own assessment of gender, and their views on womanhood as a single category.

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