Is Judith Butler saying gender is just acting?
No, that's a common simplification. Performativity is not the same as theatrical performance, which implies an actor and a pre-written script. Gender performativity is about the compulsory repetition of norms. It's the stylized iteration of behavior that produces the illusion of a stable gender core. These repetitions are often unconscious and are enforced by social expectations. While there is a potential for subversion within these repeated acts, it's not simply a matter of choosing to 'act' differently. It's about the very constitution of what it means to be a gendered subject.
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