MEDIA STUDIES Theoretical Concepts Gender performativity JUDITH BUTLER

Gender performativity WJEC: SPEC the idea that identity is performatively constructed by the very ‘expressions’ that are said to be its results (it is manufactured through a set of acts). the idea that there is no gender identity behind the expressions of gender. the idea that performativity is not a singular act, but a repetition and a ritual. THEORIST Judith Butler Judith Butler is a U.S philosopher and gender theorist who sets to challenge conventional notions of feminism and the concept of gender as a performativity.

Gender performativity Butler’s theory indicates that “Masculine and feminine roles are not biologically fixed but socially constructed”. Identity, specifically gender, is constructed through performance. 1.Construction (Social): Butler believes that gender is not biological but in fact social. It is engrained in us (the public) by society and the media and then self performed until it seems ‘natural’. 2.Performance (Repetition): Performativity is not a single performance but a repetition and a ritual. Thus, a girl is not feminine due to playing with a doll and a boy is not masculine for playing football. In fact they subconsciously performed gender over and over until it seems to be a part of them. 3.Expectations (The Media): Gender expectations are intrinsic in everything from religion to the family and are engrained in us either deliberately or subliminally from a young age. The media however reinforces these gender expectations and plays a vital role in perpetuating gender performativity in society.