LFTVD - QUESTION 4 PRACTICE (GENDER PERFORMATIVITY)

EVALUATE THE USEFULNESS OF BUTLER'S THEORIES ABOUT GENDER PERFORMATIVITY IN UNDERSTANDING LONG FORM TELEVISION DRAMA. (10 MARKS)

Butler's theory of gender performativity argues that gender identity is not something we are born with, but something we express through performance; Butler challenges the notion of fixed binary identities of sexuality and gender in order to take into account people who don't fit the perceived heterosexual norms of modern society.

Within Stranger Things, it seems that gender identities become more fixed as the characters get older, having a better understanding of the ideological archetypes idolised by the world around them. Where adults have a clear grasp of the dominance prejudices have over society in the 1980s, Children don't yet and hence we see a fluidity in their gender performance through the show. Eleven is a clear example of Butler's theory at play. With a shaved head, she is mistaken for boy by Benny, but not only that, she extends this typically masculine persona by a lack of manners and prominent wildness about her. To further this, as a child isolated in a laboratory her entire life, she hasn't been taught to 'perform' as a decent human, let alone like a girl rather than a boy. She has no grasp over the concept of gender as it isn't a biological fact, it's a mere concept created by society to put labels on the key traits seemingly defined by sexual opposition. At this point in the story she is by all means 'gender-neutral'. But this isn't just prominent in Eleven's performance, but through the boys also. Will is a good representation of how boys can be weak and vulnerable; the whole concept of the show revolving around him being 'taken', spending the whole season lost and in a powerless situation. In comparison to Eleven, they are binary opposites contradicting the stereotypes of how gender should perform when faced with confrontation, Will giving in to the monsters and Eleven fighting back. This again goes back to how they were raised, Eleven with no understanding of gender and Will with no father figure in the home pressuring him to be 'tough', and because they aren't old enough to understand the depths of prejudice in society beyond a few middle-school bullies for Will. Him, along with the rest of the gang, immerse themselves with people like them and so feel like they aren't outsiders as of yet, because board games and roleplaying are still the norm for kids their age. Nancy and Jonathan however, are a few years older, understanding that suppressing the qualities that deem them less 'gender-appropriate' and keeping their heads down is the easiest way to get through life (intelligence often being deemed unattractive in women and photography likewise being too feminine for men). As we get to the parents, it's clear that their gender performance is now embedded in how they live their lives, not wanting to be labelled as 'outsiders' or stand out in any way.

The Killing, however has less obvious applications of Butler's theory, as it's world is very much centralised around adults who have a clear understanding of who they are as people and so can not be applied in the same way as we would to Stranger Things. Every character in the show has grown up in a very metropolitan, conventional city, more notably, in present day. This is not a historical drama, and so is laid out in a way that makes sure people don't assess it like it is plainly sexist or derogatory towards certain groups. Where, in Stranger Things, they are reflecting the population of 1980s America, when heterosexual couples and gender stereotypes were the norm, The Killing is reflecting a society that the audience are living in, so casting needs to be be diverse in all aspects in order to reflect that same diverse world we are living in. Though, there are still clear aspects of sexual stereotypes being performed throughout the text, because in real life, many people do still perform to the notions of fixed binary identities that were expected throughout history, because they are now rooted into social politics over years of living in a patriarchal society, placing men in power. We can see these imbedded stereotypes emerging through the character of Sarah Lund, clearly a woman who knows her worth but still performs to her feminine, heterosexual gender roles. She is in a successful, high-paying job where she has a good amount of power and stability, yet she is moving to Sweden (a country to which she has no allegiance to) for a man. In her workplace, she is surrounded by men, including her boss and is often the outsider of the group, being perceived as stern and a workaholic, furthermore, when we first meet her, she is very much sexualised by her wardrobe, performing to meet female standards of beauty. Further representations of this patriarchal system are rooted in politics, where there are two men running for office, one having an affair with his female assistant, furthermore establishing women as objects of beauty and sex, as though perceived through a male gaze at all times. This all links back to as Butler says, the need to perform our gender, everyone in the show is performing to who they need to be in modern society, if sometimes portraying a very heterosexual and patriarchal community. Yet, many representations in The Killing blur the gender line, such as Sarah Lund's protagonistic position on the show, along with her power and intelligence in the workforce. Even Nanna, though victimised as a woman, is set out to be an intelligent and bright young girl, but still not portrayed as 'nerdy' and without friends, she is both popular and smart, an archetype emerging in the 21st century as we begin to understand the complexity and capability of young girls in modern society.

To conclude, I think Butler's gender performativity theory is very useful in the evaluation of meanings behind long form television dramas, being key to understanding the politics behind the construction of gender both in historical and modern day texts, and finding the balance that is acceptable for audiences to not deem them 'sexist' whilst creating a believable and interesting world for audiences to grow attached to, but it is particularly applicable to dramas with coming-of-age theming as well-established stereotypes are less prominent in children, teens and twixters, making for more interesting storytelling and well-rounded character development.

10/10