Judith Butler: Your Behavior Creates Your Gender | Big Think

Summary

This script explores the concept of gender as performative, suggesting that gender is not an inherent trait but a role we play and perform, which produces societal effects. It challenges the idea of gender as a fixed identity, emphasizing its fluidity and the need to resist oppressive gender norms. The speaker recounts a personal experience to illustrate the performative nature of gender and discusses the societal pressures and institutional forces that enforce traditional gender roles, advocating for the freedom to express one's gender without violence or judgment.

Takeaways

• 🎭 'Gender is performed' implies that individuals adopt roles and behaviors that are associated with their gender identity.
• 🌐 'Gender is performative' suggests that gender is not just an act, but also a set of actions that have real effects on how we perceive and categorize people as male or female.
• 🚹🚺 The script challenges the idea that being a man or a woman is an inherent, internal reality, instead arguing that it is a social construct that is constantly being performed and reinforced.
• 🗣️ The speaker recounts a personal experience to illustrate how societal expectations of gender can be both limiting and challenging, and how one's response can disrupt those expectations.
• 🏗️ Gender norms are established and maintained through both formal institutions, like psychiatry, and informal practices, such as bullying and social stigmatization.
• 🤔 The speaker questions the origins and enforcement of gender norms, highlighting the need for a critical examination of these societal constructs.
• 🛡️ There is a call to resist the violence and harm caused by rigid gender norms, especially towards those who do not conform to traditional gender presentations.
• 🏋️‍♀️ The script emphasizes the importance of agency and freedom in gender expression, suggesting that individuals have the power to challenge and redefine gender norms.
• 🌈 The speaker advocates for understanding and supporting gender nonconforming individuals, recognizing the unique challenges they face in a society that often enforces strict gender roles.
• 🔄 The concept of gender as performative implies a dynamic process where gender is not a fixed identity but something that is continually created and recreated through social interaction.

Q & A

What is the difference between saying 'gender is performed' and 'gender is performative'?

Saying 'gender is performed' implies that one is taking on a role or acting in ways that are crucial to the gender they present. In contrast, 'gender is performative' suggests that these actions produce a series of effects, consolidating an impression of being a man or a woman.

How does the speaker describe the act of walking down the street in Berkeley?

The speaker recounts an incident where a young woman asked if they were a lesbian, which led to a moment of reflection on how gender is perceived and the societal reactions to non-conforming gender presentations.

What was the speaker's response to the young woman's question, and why was it significant?

The speaker responded by affirming that they were a lesbian, which shocked the young woman. This response was significant as it disrupted the expectation of harassment or stigmatization and instead took control of the narrative.

Why does the speaker argue that gender is not an internal reality?

The speaker argues that gender is not an internal reality because it is a phenomenon that is constantly being produced and reproduced through our actions and societal norms, rather than being a fixed attribute.

What challenges do 'sissy boys' and 'tomboys' face according to the script?

The script mentions that 'sissy boys' and 'tomboys' face social challenges such as bullying, teasing, threats of violence, and parental intervention, highlighting the difficulties of nonconforming gender presentations.

What role do institutional powers and informal practices play in maintaining gender norms?

Institutional powers like psychiatric normalization and informal practices like bullying work to enforce gender norms and keep individuals within their expected gender roles.

How does the speaker view the establishment and policing of gender norms?

The speaker views the establishment and policing of gender norms as problematic, questioning how these norms are set and maintained, and advocating for the disruption and overcoming of their policing function.

What does the speaker believe is the importance of resisting violence imposed by ideal gender norms?

The speaker emphasizes the importance of resisting the violence imposed by ideal gender norms, especially against those who are gender nonconforming, to challenge and change societal expectations.

How does the speaker describe the relationship between gender and agency or freedom?

The speaker describes gender as culturally formed but also a domain of agency or freedom, suggesting that individuals have the capacity to resist and redefine gender norms.

What is the speaker's claim about the nature of gender?

The speaker claims that gender is not something one is from the start, but rather a performative act that is constantly produced and reproduced through actions and societal expectations.

Outlines

00:00

🎭 Gender as Performance and Performativity

The paragraph discusses the distinction between 'gender as performed' and 'gender as performative.' It explains that while performing gender suggests taking on a role, being performative implies that actions produce effects. The speaker recounts an incident where a young woman questioned their sexuality, and they chose to affirm their identity, which disrupted the harasser's expectations. The paragraph emphasizes that gender is not an inherent truth but a social construct that is continuously produced and reproduced. It also touches on societal pressures and the challenges faced by those who do not conform to traditional gender norms, such as sissy boys and tomboys. The speaker advocates for the disruption of gender norms and the resistance against violence imposed by ideal gender standards, particularly for those who are gender nonconforming.

Keywords

💡Gender Performance

Gender performance refers to the way individuals act or present themselves in accordance with societal expectations of gender. In the script, it is mentioned that when we say gender is performed, we are acknowledging that our behaviors, such as how we walk, speak, and act, are crucial to the gender identity we project. The example of the speaker being questioned about their sexuality illustrates how external perceptions are often tied to gender performances.

💡Performative

The term 'performative' is used to describe actions that produce effects or outcomes. In the context of the video, it suggests that gender is not just an act but a series of behaviors that have the power to consolidate an impression of being male or female. The speaker emphasizes that gender performativity is about the continuous production and reinforcement of gendered identities through everyday actions.

💡Internal Reality

Internal reality, in this context, refers to the belief that gender identity is an inherent, fixed aspect of an individual. The script challenges this notion by suggesting that what we perceive as an internal sense of being male or female is actually a phenomenon that is constantly being performed and reproduced through our actions and societal expectations.

💡Agency

Agency is the capacity of individuals to act independently and make their own free choices. The speaker argues that while gender is culturally formed, it is also a domain of agency, meaning that individuals have the power to resist and redefine the norms that dictate how they should perform their gender.

💡Gender Norms

Gender norms are the societal standards and expectations that define how individuals of different genders should behave. The script discusses how these norms are established and policed, often leading to the marginalization and bullying of those who do not conform, such as sissy boys or tomboys.

💡Nonconforming

Nonconforming refers to individuals who do not adhere to traditional gender roles or expressions. The speaker highlights the challenges faced by nonconforming individuals, such as social bullying and the pressure to conform to gender norms, and emphasizes the importance of resisting these pressures.

💡Institutional Powers

Institutional powers are the formal structures and systems, such as psychiatry, that enforce societal norms and values. The script mentions how these powers can contribute to the policing of gender norms, potentially pathologizing those who do not fit within conventional gender roles.

💡Bullying

Bullying is the use of force, threat, or coercion to abuse, intimidate, or aggressively dominate others. In the context of the video, bullying is cited as an informal practice that attempts to enforce gender norms and can be particularly harmful to those who are gender nonconforming.

💡Stigmatization

Stigmatization is the process of marking someone as disgraced or discredited based on their perceived differences. The speaker recounts an incident where they were stigmatized based on their appearance, which was assumed to be indicative of their gender identity or sexual orientation.

💡Culturally Formed

The term 'culturally formed' suggests that gender is shaped by the cultural context in which one lives. The speaker argues that gender is not a natural or inherent quality but is instead a social construct that varies across different cultures and historical periods.

💡Disruption

Disruption, in this context, refers to the act of challenging or breaking established patterns, particularly those related to gender norms. The speaker expresses a desire to disrupt the enforcement of traditional gender roles and to resist the violence and harm they can cause.

Highlights

Gender performance is distinct from gender being performative.

Performing gender involves acting in ways that align with societal expectations.

Gender performativity suggests that actions produce gendered effects.

Anecdote of being mistaken for a lesbian and the societal reaction.

The assumption that gender identity is an internal, fixed reality is challenged.

Gender is described as a phenomenon constantly being produced and reproduced.

Claim that no one is inherently a gender from birth.

Difficulties faced by gender nonconforming individuals in social settings.

Institutional and informal practices that enforce gender norms.

Questioning the establishment and policing of gender norms.

The importance of disrupting and overcoming the enforcement of gender norms.

Gender is both culturally formed and a domain of personal agency.

The necessity to resist the violence imposed by ideal gender norms.

Particular concern for those who are gender nonconforming and face societal pressures.

Transcripts

It's one thing to say that gender is performed and that is a little different from saying

gender is performative. 

When we say gender is performed we usually mean that we've taken on a role or we're acting

in some way and that our acting or our role playing is crucial to the gender that we are

and the gender that we present to the world. 

To say that gender is performative is a little different because for something to be performative

means that it produces a series of effects.

We act and walk and speak and talk in ways that consolidate an impression of being a

man or being a woman.

I was walking down the street in Berkeley when I first arrived several years ago and

a young woman who was I think in high school leaned out of her window and she yelled, "Are

you a lesbian?", and she was looking to harass me or maybe she was just freaked out or she

thought I looked like I probably was one or wanted to know and I thought to myself well

I could feel harassed or stigmatized, but instead I just turned around and I said yes

I am and that really shocked her.

We act as if that being of a man or that being of a women is actually an internal reality

or something that is simply true about us, a fact about us, but actually it's a phenomenon

that is being produced all the time and reproduced all the time, so to say gender is performative

is to say that nobody really is a gender from the start. 

I know it's controversial, but that's my claim.

Think about how difficult it is for sissy boys or how difficult it is for tomboys to

function socially without being bullied or without being teased or without sometimes

suffering threats of violence or without their parents intervening to say maybe you need

a psychiatrist or why can't you be normal.

So there are institutional powers like psychiatric normalization and there are informal kinds

of practices like bullying which try to keep us in our gendered place.

I think there is a real question for me about how such gender norms get established and

policed and what the best way is to disrupt them and to overcome the police function.

It's my view that gender is culturally formed, but it's also a domain of agency or freedom

and that it is most important to resist the violence that is imposed by ideal gender norms,

especially against those who are gender different, who are nonconforming in their gender presentation.