Judith Butler discusses the presence of gender and their roles in society and how we essentially locked door on what gender is and who it belongs too.
Judith expresses that our gender identity is like acting, at birth we are assigned a role and from that moment on we act how we should according to our gender, for example boys acting dominant in comparison to women who are supposed to act innocent and delicate to guarantee a males approval. She argues that we have a fluidity of gender, it isn’t one set thing. She quotes ‘There was no gender from the start’, we have just took it upon ourselves to assign characteristics to the two. That gender is pro-formative meaning the ideology of gender and the way we express that has been produced and passed on for generations therefore that is all we have ever known.
- Butler states that gender is ‘performative’ and a ‘social construct.’
- Best known for her book “Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. ”
- Butler says that historically we have viewed gender in a binary fashion- dividing gender into categories based on stereotypes or characteristics which cannot be changed. She believes this limits us.
- “gender should be seen as a human attribute that shifts and changes”
score and Maybelline notes-
This advert communicates a negative view and opinion of sexuality, the tag line ”let what you’ve always wanted”, translates that the product only attracts women, this is demonstrated when the women are overjoyed when the mans hair is perfect as a result of using the product. The advert informs the gay community that this product only attracts women and it would be pointless to use it. The main aim of this product is not to look good to yourself but to the opposite sex, which for the LGBTQ community is useless.
The diversity of gender and race furthermore shines a lights and ticks a box if you will on this advert and product not being directed at one specific group or type of person. As in the previous advert we focused on ‘score’ it was focused on middle class, straight white men. In comparison with this product which is for everyone.
In comparison score generally focuses in on the ideology of men being dominant and women should worship them as a result of the product and conclusively his gender, linking back to Judith Butlers notes on the representation of gender in society and the result of the pro formative characteristics of gender it confirms concretely that the assignment of the male gender it has built a sense of dominance and power and is being clearly represented in this advert. The women on the other hand wearing few items of clothing also links with Judith butters notes and highlights that characterises of women that are in place to attract and please men such as skin showing and their standing positions justifies her case that these characteristics we produce in result of our gender and made by us and our minds and not our bodies.
With Maybelline it flips this representation of gender and goes against the stereotypes of makeup being for women. In the past decade the ideology of gender has been breaking down due to the ongoing convocation on social media and it is slowly being normalised. The dispelling the myth of a binary existence is furthermore being accepted through this advert of a man, ‘Manny Mua’, wearing, using and advertising the product of mascara. His tone and physical movements also connote a females, celebrating the fluidity of gender not being one single thing.