Judith Butler Imitation

One of the most important quotes Judith Butler uses in her writing is seen in, Imitation and Gender Subordination. Judith Butler explores the ideas that gender is about a performance one must do and how gender has become an imitation of what others deem as acceptable behavior. She also explores that idea of why gender is important for a society and states, “Drag constitutes the mundane way in which genders are appropriated, theatricalized, worn, and done; it implies that all gendering is a kind of impersonation and approximation. If this is true, it seems, there is no original or primary gender that drag imitates, but gender is a kind of imitation for which there is no original; in fact, it is a kind of imitation that produces the very notion
One of the ways that her writing is able to challenge my thinking is through the performance of gender I was taught to be when growing up. Within my family, of all children female identifying, we were always taught the idea of “being a lady” and how identifying your gender is important to be being included within the society. This was seen from the moment that we were born when my parent checked the box female on my birth certificate and put me in a pink blanket. This continued throughout my childhood for multiple outlets. As a child, I was also taught to play with dolls and Barbie’s and imitate the house play. This was the start to reinforce the maternal instinct that females are suppose to have families and become more nurturing. This also continues throughout my schooling and the activities that I was involved in as a child and still to this day. I was also taught that girls did not play rough sports because we were not allowing to have aggression. So, my parents enrolled me into dance classes, cheerleading, gymnastics, and even girl scouts. These activities were to enforce that ideas of performing a female gender. It was also seen through my clothing choices. As a child, I was also given dresses, light color clothing, and girly hair accessories to wear. This was done on purpose to express the gender that I identify with and show the society the group that I have associated myself with. As one of the measure of expressing the groups that one associates with, clothing is one of the most easily recognized markers to show. This was also seen through my hair styles. As a child, I never had very short hair with the exception of my hair growing as a baby. The long hair was a way to express to everyone that I was a female without having to say I identify as a female. Another example that I see through my childhood is through many forms