Butler argues that gender is not something we are, but something we do—a set of repeated performances based on social expectations. Rather than being fixed or natural, gender is constructed through actions, behaviours, and representations that are repeated until they seem “normal.” Media plays a powerful role in reinforcing or disrupting these performances. By analysing how gender is shown in news texts, we can explore how norms are maintained—or challenged.
1. Begin with How Gender Is Performed in the Text
Ask: What kinds of gendered behaviour or identity are being shown?
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Are individuals performing in ways that align with traditional masculinity or femininity?
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Are roles rigid and stereotypical—or flexible and subversive?
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Is the performance being celebrated, criticised, or shown as natural?
Butler link: Gender is a performance—a role enacted over and over again. The media often presents these performances as natural truths, reinforcing social norms and power structures.
2. Examine the Image: Visual Performances of Gender
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How does the subject look, pose, move, or present themselves?
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Are men shown as active, confident, physically dominant?
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Are women shown as passive, emotional, fragile, or sexualised?
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Do non-binary or unconventional gender expressions appear?
Butler link: Repetitive visual cues (e.g. women in makeup and heels, men in suits and stances of control) reinforce the illusion that gender is binary and biologically rooted. Media images perform these gender roles in ways that appear “natural.”
Example: A male politician standing with open arms, or a woman cradling a child, are performances of gendered expectation that feel familiar because we’ve seen them so often.
3. Analyse the Headline and Language Choices
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How does the text describe individuals and their actions?
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Are behaviours coded as masculine (strong, assertive) or feminine (nurturing, emotional)?
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Are gendered identities made visible through descriptors like “female pilot,” “working dad,” “single mother”?
Butler link: Language plays a key role in constructing gender. By labelling and describing people in gendered terms, media reaffirms the idea that identity is biologically rooted, rather than socially constructed.
4. Look at Captions, Subheadings, and Pull Quotes
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How do these elements reinforce or disrupt gender roles?
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Are women reduced to personal/emotional narratives?
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Are men celebrated for public or rational achievements?
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Are alternative gender performances ignored or exoticised?
Butler link: These textual elements often “lock in” dominant gender performances. Butler would argue that the media rewards performances that conform to gender norms and marginalises those that do not.
Example: A pull quote that focuses on a woman’s resilience as a mother may seem positive, but it also repeats a narrow script about female identity.
5. Consider Conformity and Subversion
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Does the subject conform to gender expectations—or challenge them?
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Are alternative identities (e.g. non-binary, trans, gender non-conforming) visible or erased?
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Is gender treated as fluid or fixed?
Butler link: Butler’s theory is particularly powerful for identifying when the media disrupts normative gender scripts. Representations that challenge expectations (e.g. men showing vulnerability, women in positions of power without being sexualised) can reveal the constructed nature of gender.
Example: An article showing a man crying in a caregiving role disrupts traditional masculinity, exposing its performative basis.
6. Audience Positioning and Gender Norms
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How is the audience encouraged to read or judge these performances?
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Are some gender behaviours rewarded (e.g. admiration, authority)?
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Are others punished or ridiculed (e.g. shown as strange, deviant, weak)?
Butler link: The audience is positioned to either accept or challenge gender norms. By repeating familiar performances, media helps enforce what society sees as “normal,” and marginalises identities that don’t conform.
Essay Sentence Starters
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“According to Judith Butler, gender is performative, and in this article…”
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“The image constructs a repeated performance of femininity/masculinity by…”
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“The headline reinforces traditional gender norms by…”
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“This representation disrupts normative gender scripts by showing…”
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“Through Butler’s lens, this text presents gender not as a fact, but as a social role that is being enacted.”
CONTEXTUAL LINKS
Butler’s theory is particularly effective when linking to contexts that shape and reflect gender norms—social, cultural, political, and historical. Be precise when connecting the media text to its environment.
SOCIAL CONTEXT
What to look for: Social expectations of men and women in family, work, emotion, appearance.
Butler link: Social norms shape how people perform gender—and media plays a part in normalising those performances. Gendered behaviour is not natural but learned through repetition.
Example: A story showing a woman balancing motherhood and work may look empowering but also reinforces the “supermum” script that women are expected to perform.
CULTURAL CONTEXT
What to look for: Ideas of “normal” gender behaviour within specific communities.
Butler link: Cultural expectations define which gender performances are acceptable. The media both reflects and enforces these cultural scripts.
Example: An article criticising gender-neutral clothing for children reflects a cultural discomfort with breaking traditional gender codes.
POLITICAL CONTEXT
What to look for: Debates about gender rights, equality, or representation.
Butler link: Politics and media intersect when it comes to defining gender norms. Butler’s theory helps explore how certain gender identities are recognised or denied legitimacy.
Example: A news story about trans athletes may frame gender as controversial or fluid—revealing the performative and contested nature of identity.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
What to look for: Shifts in how gender roles have been portrayed over time.
Butler link: Gender roles have changed across eras because they are not fixed—they are socially produced and policed through repetition. Media helps maintain or resist these roles depending on the period.
Example: Comparing a 1950s advert of a housewife to a modern-day woman in combat uniform highlights the shifting nature of gender performances and what society rewards.
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