Butler’s article was of interest and also familiarity to me having taken many-a-gender and sexuality courses in college. One of the points in the article mentions masculinity in terms of hertosexuality, and how anything straying from the “norm” (possibly heteronormativity) makes us uncomfortable, and points to men being the directed target: “…to be a woman within the terms of a masculinist culture is to be a source of mystery and unknowability for men…presumed as heterosexual and masculine, was defined as trouble” (1). Our society is very much into the gender binary (male and female; the idea that there are only two genders), but I want to say as more research and awareness has been output into society from psychologists and more, we are slowly moving to a more concise understanding of not only gender but also sexuality, expression, and its fluidity. These binaries often always accompany gender roles and stereotypes that more often than not do more harm than good, and place those who identify within those genders into tiny boxes, never to stray from what is expected (again, the “norm”).
“Gender is a Social Construct”
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There is so much awareness around the matter now and I find it intriguing to read about how the matter started to be brought up in previous decades. I think Butler is bold for telling her theory on gender and we see now that there are a lot more people discussing it, making it more comfortable to talk about. I like the quote you chose as it says women are supposed to be a source of mystery to men. Is that not a little aggravating?! If they expected to have only heterosexual relationships while the men have no intentions of understanding women then how do they expect those relationships to be healthy? Females are not some alien species and it’s refreshing to hear a woman in the 1990’s so bold to speak out.