ENG 143 Final Paper Gender

8/18/2019 ENG 143 Final Paper Gender

1/6

Caleb Taylor

ENG 143

Professor Nunez

April 24, 2016

The Construt of Gen!er in Paris is "urnin#

The !ou$entary fil$, Paris is Burning, !irete! by %ennie &i'in#ston, shines a li#ht into

the li'es of #roups of #ay an! trans#en!er people li'in# in Ne( )or*+ Centere! aroun! "alls,

o$petitions (here in!i'i!uals fro$ !ifferent houses o$pete in ate#ories (here they !ress

an! at in speifi (ays, this fil$ pro'i!es a series of inter'ie(s (ith those (ho o$pete an!

en#a#e in these e'ents+ Not only is this an entertainin# $o'ie, it also pro'i!es an insi#ht into the

onstrut of #en!er in soiety+ ore speifially, the soial haraters in the fil$ sho( that

#en!er annot be ontaine! into a neat binary !efinition, but is atually a flui! spetru$+ These

soial haraters also sho( that #en!er is a soially onstrute! onept+ -o(e'er, these

haraters. ai! in the soial onstrut of #en!er throu#h their ations+ A!!itionally, it an be

onlu!e! fro$ their inter'ie(s that the soial haraters also reinfore the i!ea of there bein# a

/nor$al (hen it o$es to #en!er an! an /other, an! that they belie'e that the /nor$al is

better+

ne of the $ain thin#s that Paris is Burning sho(s is e'i!ene that #en!er is soially

onstrute!+ %u!ith &orber, referrin# to #en!er, ar#ues that /it is not the result of se, proreation,

physiolo#y, anato$y, hor$ones, or #eneti pre!ispositions+ t is pro!ue! an! $aintaine! by

i!entifiable soial proesses an! built into the #eneral soial struture an! in!i'i!ual i!entities

!eliberately an! purposefully+ n other (or!s, #en!er is not a result of anythin# else other than

speifi soial proesses+ o$e of these soial proess that &orber refers to an be seen in Paris


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Taylor 2

Is Burning. ne of the $ain ate#ories in the "alls is /5ealness, (here partiipants try to pass

the$sel'es off as aurately as possible as thin#s li*e CEs, strai#ht (hite (o$en, an! sol!iers+

"y aurately passin# off as these thin#s, the soial haraters in this $o'ie sho( that their

#en!er !oesn.t atually $atter+ They $ay be #ay bla* $en, but $y aurately loo*in# li*e a

speifi type of (o$en, these $en sho( that soiety has onstrute! 'ery speifi #en!ers base!

on the (ay people !ress, at, an! loo*+

n a!!ition to the balls, the soial haraters. rein'ention of fa$ily struture also

illu$inate ho( #en!er is soially onstrute!+ Aor!in# to &orber, hil!ren are fore! into a

#en!er binary fro$ a 'ery youn# a#e, an! the patriarhal fa$ily struture is a soial struture

that supports a #en!er binary+ en are seen as pro'i!ers an! (o$en are seen as are#i'ers in the

patriarhal fa$ily struture+ The hil!ren #ro( up thin*in# that fittin# into their #en!er !efine!

roles is not an option, but rather an obli#ation+ The haraters in Paris is Burning shatter this

i!ea, sho(in# ust ho( soially onstrute! #en!er is+ The fa$ilies in Paris is Burning are

onstrute! aroun! the i!ea that the $ost !eser'in# an! talente! $e$bers of their soiety shoul!

$a*e up the hea!s of the househol!, an! that it shoul! not be base! on #en!er or ho( (ell

in!i'i!uals fit into the soially onstrute! $o!el of (hat a $an is+ "y sho(in# that the fa$ily

an be suessful an! happy (ithout a is#en!er $ale as the hea! of the househol!, Paris is

Burning learly presents ho( arbitrary seletin# a hea! of a househol! base! on #en!er is+ This

to#ether (ith the $i$iry in the /5ealness ate#ories re'eal ho( #en!er is not so$ethin# a

person is born (ith, but so$ethin# that is soially pro#ra$$e! into the$+

ore so, this fil$ also fratures the i!ea that #en!er is a binary an! presents e'i!ene

that #en!er is in fat a spetru$+ Paris is Burning first !oes this throu#h the o$petiti'e "alls

that the soial haraters o$pete in+ The haraters !esribe! the "alls as a safe spae,


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Taylor 3

so$e(here that they oul! at li*e the$sel'es+ utsi!e of the "alls, the haraters are harasse!,

an! one is e'en $ur!ere!, beause they !on.t belon# to the #en!er binary+ 7or this reason, the

haraters often at an! !ress in a (ay that they belie'e to fit into this #en!er binary+ "ut insi!e

the "alls, the haraters are not li$ite! an! an fully epress the$sel'es+ n this safe spae, the

haraters ross the lines of #en!er (hen they !ress up in o$petiti'e ate#ories+ Neither the

soially onstrute! !efinition of $asuline or fe$inine applies to the$ (hen they are

o$petin# in "alls8 their #en!er falls so$e(here in the $i!!le of these t(o !istint points+

A!!itionally, the soial haraters sho( ho( flui! #en!er an be+ The haraters an pass as

$anly $an in one ontest an! then pass as a super$o!el in the net+ "y rossin# fro$ si!e of the

binary to the other, the soial haraters sho( the spetru$ on (hih #en!er eists+

n top of that, the haraters are able to a!ust (hat #en!er the (orl! 'ie(s (hen they

see the$ throu#h alterin# their appearane an! ations+ hane iller, referrin# to his stu!y on

#irls. ability to a!apt (hih #en!er they present the (orl!, (rites that /so$e(here9 lies an

ability for #irls an! (o$en to !e'elop intentionally an! $eanin#fully a self:i!entity that is

fleible, pratial, an! useful enou#h to $eet their in!i'i!ual nee!s+ peifially, he is sayin#

that #en!er an be !e'elope! to be a!ustable an! responsi'e to surroun!in#s+ Paris is Burning

supports this ar#u$ent, as (e see (ith the haraters (ho !ress an! at one (ay at the "alls, an!

then han#e their appearane (hen they are in publi an! other soial situations+ The haraters

sho( not only that #en!er eists on a spetru$, but that it is also flui!+

;hile the e'i!ene in Paris is Burning $ay support the ar#u$ent of a flui! #en!er

spetru$ an! sho( that #en!er is soially onstrute!, $any of the soial haraters. ations in

the fil$ reinfore the soially onstrute! #en!er binary+ The first (ay in (hih they !o this is

throu#h the i!olization of both the (hite (o$en an! the super$o!el lifestyle+ n the fil$, se'eral


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Taylor 4

of the haraters ha'e pitures of super$o!els that they i!olize hun# on their (alls+ They (ant to

loo*, at, an! li'e li*e these $o!els !o+ These (o$en that they i!olize fit neatly into a soially

onstrute! #en!er binary, an! !esirin# to beo$e li*e these $o!els, is !esirin# to fit neatly into

the #en!er binary+ n !oin# so, the soial haraters are sayin# that the #en!er binary is better,

an! #i'in# po(er to their i!ols o'er the$sel'es+

This ar#u$ent is further !e'elope! an! e'i!ent in "ell -oo*s. boo* /"la* &oo*s+ he

ar#ues that /(hat 'ie(ers (itness is not bla* $en lon#in# to i$personate or e'en to beo$e

li*e


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Taylor ?

that there is one orret (ay to !o thin#s an! that all other (ays are inorret reates a !uality in

#en!er that there is a /nor$al an! an /other #en!er+

The /nor$al=other !uality (oul!n.t be as lar#e of a proble$ if it (ere not for the

/nor$al as bein# seen as better than the /other+ The soial haraters in Paris is Burning !o

eatly this8 they 'ie( the /nor$al as better+ "ell ritiizes that /for in $any (ays the fil$ (as

a #raphi !ou$entary portrait of the (ay in (hih olonize! bla* people (orship at the throne

of (hiteness, e'en (hen suh (orship !e$an!s that (e li'e in perpetual self:hate, steal, lie, #o

hun#ry, an! e'en !ie in its pursuit+ ;hile "ell is ar#uin# a#ainst a !uality of (hite an! /other,

the (hiteness she refers to al$ost elusi'ely fits neatly onto the #en!er binary+ The soial

haraters !o thin#s li*e ha'e se han#es in or!er to better fit into the /nor$al, (hih is fittin#

into one of the t(o roles on the #en!er binary+ Not fittin# into the #en!er binary is seen as the

/other, an! therefore also seen as less !esirable an! (orse+ The soial haraters (orship a

lifestyle that they !efine as /nor$al, spen!in# their li'es tryin# to be li*e their i!ols+ They 'ie(

this lifestyle as better than their o(n, an! in !oin# so, they label the$sel'es as the /other+

Paris is Burning pro'i!es a uni@ue loo* into the li'es of #ay an! transseual $en.s li'es,

an! in !oin# so pro'i!es se'eral insi#hts into the onstrut of #en!er in our soiety+ Gen!er is a

o$ple issue an! that an be seen fro$ this fil$+ This fil$ pro'i!es both e'i!ene that #en!er

is soially onstrute! an! that #en!er eists on a flui! spetru$+ The soial haraters. fa$ily

struture an! their onsu$ption of $ass $e!ia sho( speifi (ays in (hih #en!er is

onstrute! in soiety+ -o(e'er, the soial haraters. onsu$ption of $e!ia alon# (ith their

"alls support the eistin# onstrut of a #en!er binary+ They also !efine fittin# into the #en!er

binary as /nor$al, an! anythin# outsi!e of that binary as /other+ 7urther$ore, the soial

haraters support the i!ea that their !efine! /nor$al is better than /other throu#h their leisure


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Taylor 6

ati'ities+ 'erall, Paris is Burning both raises a lot of issues (ith the urrent soial onstrut of

#en!er, an! sho(s that brea*in# out of the urrent onstrut is a o$ple an! !iffiult tas*+

"iblio#raphy

"eau'oir, i$one e+ The eon! e+ Ne( )or*> Bnopf, 1?3+ Print+

-oo*s, "ell+ "la* &oo*s> 5ae an! 5epresentation+ 7lorene> Taylor an! 7ranis, 2014+ E"oo*

&ibrary+ ;eb+ 2? Apr+ 2016+

&orber, %u!ith, an! usan A+ 7arrell, e!s+ The soial onstrution of #en!er+ Ne(bury Par*, CA>

a#e, 11+

hane Aaron iller D2010 a*in# the "oys Cry> The Perfor$ati'e i$ensions of 7lui!

Gen!er, Tet an! Perfor$ane Fuarterly, 30>2, 163:12, > 10+100=10462310036?

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ENG 143 Final Paper Gender