Acts of Gender

For this discussion post I don't have a certain prompt concerning the work of Judith Butler in Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory. For myself, this was one of the tougher reads so far. What I believe Judith Baker to be explaining is that gender isn't something that one is born with, but is an identity that later comes upon us throughout the actions we take in life. So, what I would like to focus on is digging deeper into understanding these acts that she describes and how they could possibly lead to a gender construction for someone. I would also love to understand her to a greater degree.

Judith Baker states in her writing, "If the ground of gender identity is the stylized repetition of acts through time, and not a seemingly seamless identity, then the possibilities of gender transformation are to be found in the arbitrary relation between such acts, in the possibility of a different sort of repeating, in the breaking or subversive repetition of that style"(520). I feel as this quote sums up the gist of what Judith Baker is trying to get across. It is definitely a different way to think about gender in the sense that it is an ongoing series of acts. This brings me upon a couple of questions however. First, if gender is comprised through the repetition of acts, would everyone's gender be fundamentally different? And when does one realize or formulate the decision of their gender? I just feel like Judith Baker's representation of what gender is leaves a lot of room for question and uncertainty. It is a very broad way to look at gender and I feel as though it can be interpreted in several different ways. I believe that if gender is made through performative acts then everyone's gender should be ever so slightly different just like a person's DNA. For example, if the male gender was seen on a spectrum, then a person's actions in there life would put them somewhere on this spectrum. It is a different way to think about gender, but this is how I interpreted Judith Baker's thoughts more deeply.

The more I think about Judith Baker's thoughts, I feel as though I would have to disagree with her claim that gender is created through performative acts. These acts that she talks about ultimately contribute towards a person's gender identity, but I don't think it is fair to think of it as this ongoing process that defines your gender. Although these acts may define you as a person, I don't think that they should define your gender. Sometimes, the acts that happen in a person's life do not ultimately define who you are and I believe that this should be the same for determining a person's gender. I am left somewhat confused with the idea of performative acts and definitely have more questions on the topic. All in all, I appreciate this different view on gender; a different and complex view of the matter.