Debunking

When you see a man or woman do you

question their gender? Would you identify
them as male or female or as something
else? What led you to identify
them as such? There isn't anything wrong with identifying them, but have you
ever thought about what preconceived notions have led not only you but us a
society here in the United States to create what we know about being male,
female, transsexual, etc.?
Judith Butler, an American philosopher, explores this concept as a whole,
trying to figure out what exactly makes us as a society have this thing called
gender, and why we cling so dearly to the idea of it. In her essay Performative Acts and
Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory, Butler isn't
arguing her opinion, but rather she is explaining why gender is something that is not set
at birth, only sex is. Gender is something we as a society have created years and years
ago, and have carried out the idea of it as time has gone on. She isnt casting this idea
in a negative light, nor is she trying to say that we as a society have messed up, rather,

she is only explaining the fact when we are born we have no choice but to sign a
contract with society to perform and act a particular way for the rest of our lives and
whether we are conscious of it or not, we all fall into this category. Alongside these
claims, Butler then moves on to talk about the performance of femininity and why it is
performed under duress. Now dont be confused and believe that when she says this
that she means femininity is harder to perform than masculinity, she is only pointing out
the fact that women for most of history have always been expected to act a certain way
around men and until recently this idea has finally been challenged and has changed in
some ways. What she is going for here is a statement that grabs your attention, and also
is informative. Women, for a fact, have been oppressed and forced into acting a
particular way with men being their oppressors for centuries and that is all Butler is
trying to say. Some might see this as a little harsh towards men, some might see it as
stating it as it is and having no harm. Either way there is truth behind what Butler is
getting at here.
Gender is created by us and we cannot deny this. Culture is one of the biggest, if
not the biggest, influences on gender and societys conception of it goes right along with
it. Around the world gender roles, how each gender dresses and how they act, differ. An
example being, here in the United States, females are more likely to have long hair than
males, but in some Islamic cultures it is more acceptable for men to have longer hair.

We dont really know why this is, we just know thats how it is. We all at some point are
influenced by the culture we live in, and we accept this as normal. This isnt a bad thing,
its just how we as humans are. We consciously and subconsciously absorb the
environment we are in and act accordingly. A quote from Butlers essay sums this up
quite nicely, because gender is not a fact, the various acts of gender creates the idea of
gender, and without those acts, there would be no gender at all. Can you see where
Butler is coming from with this statement? There is not right or wrong way to act like a
man or play like a girl, there is only being born biologically a man or woman and
nothing else, we create everything else that goes along with being a man or a woman.
Sadly, stepping out of this role sometimes leads to nasty reactions. There are countless
examples of gender roles and examples of how others may respond. This shows how
deeply rooted gender is in our society. One key example being how one dresses. If
either a man or women dresses out of accordance of their gender, people notice, and
not always in a positive way.
In an English 110 class, two male students and one female student wanted to
test exactly how people here on campus would respond if they dressed like a gender
other than the one they currently identify as. The two male students dressed as females
received a lot of verbal support from females who saw them, one female even saying,
youre beautiful to one of the male students. Interestingly enough, other males who say

the two men dressed as females didnt voice nearly as much support for them, and
avoided saying anything altogether. The woman who dressed as a male didnt have
anything said to her, probably because we as a society see this as a more acceptable
sort of occurrence. What do you think about this?
The human body is only a carrier of a humans soul, and that in itself can never
be fully understood by a human. In that sense, we cannot confine ourselves to just
follow the roles of being a man or being a woman, we can be who we want to be. It is
much harder said than done, but it is possible. One should not feel scared to dress how
they want when they want for fear of being ridiculed and harassed. We as a society
need to open our minds to the different opinions and desires of others, and not make
them conform to the status quo. This will of course take time and will not be an overnight
transformation, but it can be a start. There are people not only here on campus, but
around the world who feel as if they dont quite fit in with a particular constructed gender,
and we cant make them feel excluded for how they feel. Whatever the case may be we
must accept them, not because it is our duty, but because it is everyones right to feel
like they belong here and that they have a place among the rest of us. We all have
differences but that is what makes us powerful. Diversity is a beautiful thing that cannot
be lost. Alongside that, gender is something that will never cease to exist, but we must
the firm grip of gender loosen its hold on us. It will take time and effort for this to happen

but it is achievable. Hate and shame is not the answer for a time when so many things
are changing, we all must be informed and know about current events in order to make
the progress we need. We as people are here for a short period of time on earth, only
knowing the bounds of our own bodies, so why make that short amount of time a sad
time when we can make it the best we can for all. All of us here on campus have the
ability to carry out the small favor of complimenting those who are daring enough to step
outside the confines of gender and support them.