The Construct of Gender

Our cisnormative society generally operates on the premise that the majority of individuals align to a gender binary — they are women or men — and these identities produce natural behaviors intrinsic to ourselves. Butler challenges any notion of “naturalness” in the world of gender. As something she claims can only be defined relationally, the idea that gender and our “feminine” or “masculine” traits are inherent to us is flawed. Butler wants to rid of this idea, especially because of the constraints it poses on feminist theory. Insisting on a true “female” character detracts from the ambiguity of gender and the discussions this ambiguity can generate.