Enacting Gender: A Reflection on Gender as a Performance

Every day, I make small, unconscious, and seemingly mundane choices about how I perform gender. What I wear, how I style my hair, how I speak and move, these decisions are not just personal preferences but are acts of “doing gender.” According to West and Zimmerman (1987), gender is not an innate trait, but an ongoing performance embedded in and reproduced in social interactions. In this paper, I will reflect on specific moments of my gender performance to illustrate how social expectations shape everyday behaviours.

As a White, cisgender, and heterosexual woman, I am very aware of the innate privilege that my identity, particularly my gender identity, holds. I am comfortable with the societal prescription and expectation to present femininely; however, I occasionally dress or present myself slightly less feminine, such as wearing oversized clothes marketed for men or choosing not to wear makeup or style my hair. West and Zimmerman’s (1987) concept of accountability in “doing gender” suggests that social observers constantly observe and evaluate my choices, which is why slight deviations from femininity are often reinterpreted within traditional feminine norms. That said, my deviations from femininity feel minimal compared to individuals who consistently challenge gender norms. Regardless of my occasional experiment, my peers perceive me as a woman, and this immediate social categorization saves me from many potential criticisms.

Conversely, individuals whose appearance diverges more significantly from traditional femininity often face misgendering, scrutiny, or discrimination. This simplicity of social acceptance is something that I have previously taken for granted. For those who do not fit neatly into the gender binary, their gender presentation often invites unwanted attention, misgendering, or discrimination. I often wonder how my experience in society might differ if I deliberately presented myself in a more masculine way. Would I feel more secure or face pushback from my friends and family that would make me uncomfortable? How would it affect the way I navigate social spaces? Although I have never had the urge to attempt to present more masculinely, my sociology education leaves me doubtful about how to approach this. I have learned that clothing is simply clothing, and individuals are the ones who give meaning to clothes through social interactions. This realization deepens my commitment to understanding and challenging rigid gender norms that police our everyday interactions. It allows me to question not only how gender is performed but also how these performances contribute to maintaining or questioning power structures in society.

As previously mentioned, I am aware of the inherent privilege that comes with my gender identity. I recognize that my comfort with my assigned gender and how others perceive me is a privilege that not all individuals share. I am consciously aware of my fortunate position in being comfortable and unbothered in the gender prescription assigned to me, conforming to this prescription with ease, and the perception that I am a woman to strangers; I do not share the same experiences as gender-diverse individuals, especially individuals who are gender diverse while also being a person of colour and/or disabled. For those who do not conform to traditional gender norms, these everyday choices are often met with resistance, discrimination, or even violence (whether it be systemic violence or physical violence). The ease with which I can choose to deviate from femininity without consequences is a privilege that many do not share. My motivation for registering for this course and learning about the relationship between gender and power structures is crucial for me to be an ally for those who do not share my experiences.

As West and Zimmerman (1987) demonstrate, gender is not something we inherently are, but rather something we do, a routine accomplishment embedded in everyday interactions. This ongoing performance of gender begins long before we are even aware of it. When a pregnant person announces they are having a baby, and the baby is a boy or girl, there are inherent implications and expectations placed on the baby, even before they are born. The gendered differences in clothing for children have consistently perplexed me when shopping for baby shower gifts. I often find myself standing in the children’s section of a store asking myself, “Why does this onesie made for a 3-to-6-month-old baby have firetrucks on it, and this one has ballerinas?” After all, the onesies are made for babies. A 3-to 6-month-old baby does not know what a firetruck or ballerina is. Would it make a difference if the baby girl wore a onesie with firetrucks on it? These gendered divisions asserted from birth consistently have me questioning if the person I am buying the gift for will be offended if I buy their baby boy a shirt with a unicorn on it.

Reflecting on my childhood, I can recall an early encounter with gender policing when I expressed a desire to play hockey. My older brother played hockey, yet when I mentioned my desire to play to my parents, I was told, “No, hockey is for boys.” Instead, I was told I could play ringette, which was presented as “the girl version of hockey.” My parents, acting as social agents, reinforced the idea that even in childhood, certain activities were gendered. This early enforcement of gender norms, while subtle at the time, shaped my understanding of acceptable behaviours and contributed to my broader understanding of gender as a social construct. My parents’ reaction to my desire to play hockey was not just about the sport but about how they expected me to look and behave as a girl. While my brother’s hockey gear fit a socially accepted image of masculinity, I was instead directed toward ringette, a sport almost identical in play style but still considered “appropriately” feminine. These reinforcements of gender norms shaped how I saw myself and my place in social spaces, reminding me that appearance and gender expression are closely policed. Looking back, my desire to play hockey was perhaps my earliest recognition of, and resistance to, gender norms. West and Zimmerman (1987) emphasize that gender is not just an individual identity, but a performance policed by social structures. My parents’ response, telling me that hockey was for boys, reflects how gender norms are actively maintained through social expectations. At the time, I did not have the language to articulate why this felt unfair, but on a fundamental level, I knew that forces beyond my control were shaping my interests. This incident was one of many that subtly reinforced what it meant to be a girl, experiences that I internalized. Reflecting on this experience now, I see how this moment contributed to a lifelong awareness of gender as a social construct, which shapes my understanding of identity and privilege.

Reflecting on West and Zimmerman’s (1987) concept of “doing gender” has helped me to understand that gender is not merely a personal identity, but a continual performance shaped by larger societal forces and expectations. My past experiences now seem less like individual moments and more like stark examples of how gender norms are continuously enforced and reproduced. Recognizing the processes through which gender is enforced and enacted is essential to my academic and personal growth; while I have the privilege of feeling comfortable with my assigned gender, many do not have this same degree of comfort. My ability to move freely through the world without scrutiny or resistance is a reminder of the systemic barriers that exist for those who do not conform to rigid gender norms. This realization pushes me to continue questioning the structures and institutions that shape our identities and to advocate for a more inclusive understanding of gender beyond binary expectations that are rooted in cisnormativity, heteronormativity, and white supremacy.

References

West, C., & Zimmerman, D. H. (1987). Doing Gender. Gender & Society, 1(2), 125-151. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243287001002002