Identities: Feminist theory

Feminist theory: key notes

Judith Butler: gender roles
Butler believes traditional feminists are wrong to divide society into ‘men’ and ‘women’ and says gender is not biologically fixed.
By dividing men and women, feminists accidently reinforced the idea of differences between the two genders
Butler believes gender roles are ‘a performance’ and that male and female behaviour is socially constructed rather than the result of biology.

Butler and the media
If gender is a ‘performance’ rather than biological, we then need to think about what is influencing that ‘performance’.
And that’s where the media comes in. How might the media influence our behaviour in terms of gender roles?

Angela McRobbie: empowering women
McRobbie is a British cultural theorist known for her work analysing magazines aimed at women and teenage girls in the 80s and 90s.
McRobbie highlights the empowering nature of magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Glamour, taking a different perspective to traditional feminists.
This idea of ‘popular feminism’ fits into the idea of post-feminism and challenges the radical feminism of the 1970s.

1) How might this video contribute to Butler’s idea that gender roles are a ‘performance’?

The video contributes to Butler's idea roles that genders are a performance as at the beginning, Beyonce is seen fixing a car. This is a male based job and the fact that she is fixing it does suggest that genders are a performance.

2) Would McRobbie view Beyonce as an empowering role model for women?

No, McRobbie would not see this an an empowering role model for women. This is due to the fact that Beyonce is still portraying herself as a sex object that a respectful individual. She is seen wearing clothing of a housewife, however these have been altered to show her figure and body parts, showing that Beyonce is not an empowering role model. However, as she is seen fixing a car, we can imply that gender roles are not fixed; females and males can do the same jobs.

3) What are your OWN views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ (Mulvey)?

In my opinion, I think that Beyonce reinforces the traditional 'male gaze'. This is due to the fact that she is wearing a tight, figure-hugging, 'sexy' outfit, which males gaze upon and stare at her body. Its telling the audience, that its right for women to have these roles in society and to show off her feminine features, which in my opinion she shouldn't be doing so.