Think Piece #3

 Judith Butler is an American philosopher and gender theorist. Judith Butler explains gender performativity as performing based on what is expected of your gender. This topic can be more complex than what is described. Gender is basically a set of expectations that society has given you based on your assigned gender at birth. For as long as humans can remember men and women are supposed to act, think, and look a certain way, and the two are also supposed to be different. There is an assumption that if you are biologically born female or male you will conform to the expectations of those genders. If you are a female you will be feminine and if you are a male you will be masculine. Her main argument is that the role of each gender is constructed by society. This goes along with women being homemakers, emotional, sensitive, graceful, flirtatious, and on the other hand, men being breadwinners, aggressive, strong, and independent. Masculinity and feminity should not be inherent. From the moment we are born we are expected to conform to society's expectations of us. Being a girl, I was expected to be feminine. My brother, being a boy, is supposed to masculine. Personally, I do fit society's expectations of being a girl. I do enjoy wearing makeup, dressing in pink, and I consider myself very feminine. This is not the case for everyone, and it is quite unfair. Stereotypes about your biological gender should be able to be pushed and fought against. There is a great deal of evidence to support that some men do like makeup and some females do like sports. I do become frustrated with being expected to act a certain way because I am a girl. I feel pressure to wear makeup, eat lightly, and dress a certain way but am mostly always breaking these "rules." I will go out in sweatpants, sit like a boy, and eat what I please, but the pressure is still there and I think many females can relate to this. Letting go of what others think of you helps to not have to conform to stereotypes. I am not the type of girl that has to look perfect every time I go in public because I simply am not all that worried about it. I think there is a difference between letting these pressures take over your life, and enjoying doing specific things. I do like to put makeup on, do my hair, and wear a feminine outfit, but I do not let my appearance consume me. Females are expected to sit back and let males make decisions and be hard workers, and I strongly disagree with letting this happen. There is also a lot of discrimination against women in the workforce and they are not looked at as being as capable as men. I think men and women have all the same capabilities. Gender is only real to the extent that it is performed and I think Butler does a great job explaining this.