gender project--fall '03

Theorizing Gender
English 5454 (crn 92223)/ WS 5914 (crn 96092)
(Fall 2003)

Bernice L. Hausman

Gender Project: Gender in Everyday Life (10 points)

This assignment concerns the personal practices we engage every day in representing and “doing” gender, especially in relation to our clothes choices, mannerisms, and other aspects of self-presentation. There is a performance aspect of the assignment and a writing aspect. The writing part of the assignment is less formal than a paper or exam, but slightly more formal than a gender diary entry.

The performance:

Come to school or work for the day dressed in a manner that is more masculine or more feminine than your ordinary or typical manner. This means you will have to scrutinize clothing, hygiene, make-up, hairstyle, jewelry, piercings, cologne or perfume, and accessories for their gendered significations. Try to comport yourself in a manner that is commensurate with your more “butch” or “femme” persona/representation on this day. Remember, you don't have to try to pass as the other sex (or gender) and you can be as subtle as you would like. An interesting experiment would be to determine how little is necessary to change your own sense of gender identity and presentation.

If you can, do this on a Tuesday or a Thursday so that the rest of the class can see you. Please make sure to take a picture of yourself, or let Bernice Hausman know to bring her digital camera in to school, in order to get a photo.

The writing assignment:

Take 3-4 pages and discuss your experience on this day. Consider the following questions, as well as others concerning your experience: How did you feel? What was it like to be more “butch” or “femme” than you normally represent yourself to be? What were the responses of others? How did you present yourself bodily in the context of this representation? What was the most difficult part of the experience for you? What was the easiest?

Make sure to incorporate some of the concepts from class discussion into your written account of your experience, but don’t feel compelled to write about theory primarily. The focus should be on what you learn about gender in everyday life performances from this experience.

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