When I read the prompt for this blog post I remembered an article I recently read from the Huffington Post (link below) that dealt with the idea of gender performativity. Last March at a South Carolina DMV, 16 year-old Chase Culpepper was told to remove his makeup before taking his driver’s license picture. By choosing to wear non-gender conforming make up and clothing, the DMV argued that Culpepper may have been attempting to “purposely alter his appearance so that the photo would misrepresent his identity.” Culpepper and his family filed charges against the DMV earlier this month claiming they violated his first amendment right of free speech while also committing sex discrimination.
I felt that this story tied in very well to our discussion in class about the behavior we associate with gender. Like Dr. Fletcher pointed out in the blog prompt, certain phrases such as “sit like a lady” or “be a man,” are very much apart of our society. They outline the invisible “rules of being a man/woman” Even though Chris Culpepper identifies as being male, his decision to wear makeup and clothing that would be considered feminine goes in opposition to the gender norms associated with being a male. By going against these previously established norms, Culpepper has himself created a sort of performance. The question then becomes what are the implications of this performance?
On a broader scale I find it interesting that usually when I hear discussion of gender norms and the performativity of gender, it is viewed as a bad thing. So then my question becomes, what good can come out of our established gender norms? Do they aid as a model in the development of children, or are they societal rules that are meant to be tested and at times broken?
Link to article:
Yes! Love this post! Actually, I have a funny story related to this topic. When I got my license the guy that was punching in my information put 'M' next to my gender description. It was a simple mistake because we had been talking and he was not paying attention, but for a whole hour, I was a male! I thought it was hilarious and of course took a picture of it and sent it to all my friends. On the other hand, I was flying the next day and so I did need to change it back as soon as possible because of the fact that there would have been a problem if I would have used my license.
ReplyDeleteIn my case, I wasn't purposefully wearing anything to look masculine, it was a simple mistake. But I cannot imagine if I was wearing non-gender conforming make up or clothing and be told to take it off to "look" more like my gender.
As for your first question, I see this performance as taking a stand on one's own gender identity. The young man clearly made a conscious decision to wear make up to the DMV. He could have easily not worn anything non-gender conforming and simply taken the picture. It would have been obvious to everyone that he was his gender identity and we most likely would not have had this article. By choosing to display such a strong statement he participated/led a performative act.