While our group was developing the first draft of the overall plot, we spent a while thinking about what media theory to include in our opener. Before diving deeper into that however, lets talk about this theory for bit!
WHAT IS GENDER PERFORMATIVITY THEORY?
As stated on Wikipedia.org (2024), gender performativity theory is a "term first used by the feminist philosopher Judith Butler in their 1990 book Gender Trouble." This theory basically suggests that gender is socially constructed and the way we fit into gender is through act and performance, not because we want to act that way, but to satisfy societal expectations, as stated by Jocelyn (2021), "An example of this would be a man wearing a dress. The act of wearing a dress has been assigned to women through repetition of women wearing dresses and men not wearing dresses. This occurs from individual to individual and society to society." Through the lens of this theory, gender is seen as socially constructed while sex is seen as a biological concept that only includes 3 categories; male, female, and intersex.
IN A WESTERN? WHY?Typically in an average Western film, the main character is shown to be an individualistic, tough, and rugged male. According to Fiveable.me (2016),
"Westerns have tended to focus on male heroes and male-dominated spaces, celebrating a narrow vision of masculinity based on violence, stoicism, and individualism." Because of this, women in the Western genre (more so in the traditional films) were hardly acknowledged, and when they were they would play the role of the "saloon girl" or "damsel in distress." Fiveable.me (2016) states that
"these limited and stereotypical representations of women in Westerns reflect and reinforce patriarchal norms and the subordination of women in American culture, denying them agency and complexity."
IN A WESTERN? HOW?
Considering this information, my group and I decided to switch things up a bit and make the main character a woman! Instead of her being a damsel in distress or any other common stereotype in Western film, she's going to take on the predominantly male cowboy role (cowgirl in this case). Our opener will portray this lead as a capable, independent, and tough individual which will challenge the gender barrier that most Westerns have. I think it would be refreshing to see a woman taking on a typical masculine role, and allowing for this to happen will therefore have the chance to normalize these roles for women and will further influence societal expectations to be more accepting of them!
I've also found that a few Western films have already done something similar with the gender performativity theory! Morrison (2024) states that films like
Johnny Guitar, Calamity Jane, and
Hannie Caulder,
"highlight the essential role that female performers have played in Western cinema over the years." Johnny Guitar, for example, features a strong female protagonist that is skilled with guns and as well has a main female antagonist.
"Johnny Guitar stands out as one of the only films of its era to feature not only a female hero, but a female antagonist as well," Morrison (2024) states.
Johnny Guitar (1954)
REFERENCES:
Jocelyn, E. (2021). Gender Performativity. Shorthandstories.com. https://otago.shorthandstories.com/gender-performativity/index.html
to, C. (2015, March 26). Gender performativity. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_performativity#cite_note-1
Morrison, E. (2024, November). 10 Great Westerns With Women In Leading Roles. ScreenRant. https://screenrant.com/great-westerns-women-in-leading-roles/
Fiveable. (2016b). The Western’s Reflection of American Identity and Values. Fiveable.me. https://library.fiveable.me/american-cinema-to-1960/unit-5/westerns-reflection-american-identity-values/study-guide/kjpnl4XjZJQ5POmB
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