PERFORMATIVITY

Performativity is a concept from gender studies originally developed by Judith Butler. In their book Gender Trouble, Butler argues that gender is not something that we are born with, but is something that we perform. Butler defines performativity as "the reiterative and citational practice by which discourse produces the effects that it names" (2014: 2). In other words, gender is not something that we are, but is something that we do. We perform gender through our everyday actions, words, and gestures. For example, when we put on makeup, we are performing femininity. When we wear a suit, we are performing masculinity. When we speak in a certain way, we are performing our gender. Butler argues that gender is not a fixed or stable identity, but is something that is constantly shifting and changing. We perform gender differently in different contexts, and we can even perform multiple genders at the same time.

Butler's theory of performativity has been influential in a number of fields, including gender studies, queer theory, and media studies. It has helped us to understand the way that gender is constructed and the way that it can be challenged and transgressed.

Here are some of the key concepts in Butler's theory of performativity:

• Gender performativity: This is the idea that gender is not something that we are, but is something that we do. We perform gender through our everyday actions, words, and gestures. This is different from performance, which is more deliberate. Rather, performativity functions below the level of conscious intention.

• Reiteration: This term suggests that gender is constantly being reiterated or repeated. We repeat the gender norms that we have been taught, and in doing so, we help to reproduce them.

• Citationality: gender is always cited or referenced from other sources. We learn how to perform gender from the people around us, and we in turn cite or reference these performances in our own performances.

• Subversion: This is the idea that gender can be subverted or challenged. We can perform gender in ways that do not conform to the norms, and in doing so, we can disrupt the way that gender is constructed.

Butler's theory, which draws from the work of Michel Foucault, is a complex and nuanced theory that has helped us to understand the way that gender is constructed and the way that it can be challenged and transgressed. It is a valuable tool for understanding the way that power, discourse, and the body intersect.

Butler, J (2014). Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of "Sex". London: Routledge.

In recent years, in higher education here in the UK, I have experienced an increasing desire among students to understand gender identity and how gender affects visual communication, design, and consumption. I have also experienced an increase in the number of students who are experiencing their own personal challenges in regard to their gender identity and their sense of belonging. For me, this is signaling significant shifts in our culture and social formation. As such, Butler's theory is a must for anyone who wishes to explore this aspect of society, culture, and themselves.

Graphic design projects that would benefit from adopting Butler's theory of performativity might look at these themes:

• What role does (and has) graphic design played in reinforcing binary gender identities? How does this relate to the ideas of performativity and citationality according to Butler?

• How can commercial graphic design (for example, branding and packaging) be developed to embrace gender fluidity and challenge binary gender ideology?

• How can graphic design be used to help educate people about gender identity and the on-going social and cultural changes that are happening in the UK and other countries?

• How is gender interconnected with type design and typographic styles? Can our understanding and uses of type within specific contexts be better developed to be more inclusive of emerging gender identities?