Simone de Beauvoir says “one is not born, but,
rather, becomes a woman” and Judith Butler claims
“gender is in no way a stable identity or locus of
agency from which various acts proceeded; rather, it is
an identity tenuously constituted in time–an identity
instituted through a stylized repetition of acts. Further,
gender is instituted through the stylization of the body
and, hence, must be understood as the mundane way
in which bodily gestures, movements, and enactments
of various kinds constitute the illusion of an abiding
gendered self.”
Do you agree that gender is something one
“performs”? To what degree do you believe one has
agency in the construction of your gender? What, if
any, are some of the constraints on it. Discuss in 300-
500 words
Thurman, Judith. 2010. “Introduction to Simone de Beauvoir’s ‘The Second Sex.’ New York
Times. May 27. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/books/excerpt-introduction-second-
sex.html
Butler, Judith (1988). Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in
Phenomenology and Feminist Theory . Theatre journal: Vol. 40, Issue 4, pp. 519-531
Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble Feminist Media Studies Theory Explained!