To me, the performative nature of gender and language clicked solidly together. We all speak a little differently with different people, although most people probably aren't conscious of that. Over the last few years I've become very conscious of the differences between how I speak with a man vs. a woman. When I'm speaking with a man, it feels put-on, like I'm trying to be masculine, both the tone of my voice and the words I use. With a woman, it feels like I'm communicating naturally, on more of a common level.
What you're describing, it sounds like, is mirroring. I'm suggesting that alllll of that, what you're describing, is different, because that's all a deliberate, designed construction for the benefit of others around you. Producing gender authentically isn't like that. It's spontaneous, creative, and rises from within (or, in the case of agender people, doesn't!). It's you using clothes or mannerisms or hairstyles or whatever other irrelevant *things* that feel right to expose that inner light of your gender to the world in an intelligible way. It is, ultimately, intuitive.
Ooh, mixing some linguistics theory into our gender studies! Nice!
Rhetoric more than linguistics, but regardless, it's theory that they drew upon.
This was excellent, thank you.
And my gender is Beard 😁
I'm glad!
Also, THAT'S A NOUN!!! 🤣🤣🤣
And yes, I know I conjugated "celebrate" into a noun for the article. The sentence was clunky otherwise.
Hey language is fluid, I'm just ahead of the curve! 😆
!Beardgender!
🤣🤣🤣
Love it!
To me, the performative nature of gender and language clicked solidly together. We all speak a little differently with different people, although most people probably aren't conscious of that. Over the last few years I've become very conscious of the differences between how I speak with a man vs. a woman. When I'm speaking with a man, it feels put-on, like I'm trying to be masculine, both the tone of my voice and the words I use. With a woman, it feels like I'm communicating naturally, on more of a common level.
It's an expression of identity, a core facet of self. It, as such, helps us see and understand these facets in those around us.
You're bad at it because you've never done this consciously before, hun. That's normal.
And identity is the you in the electric fire in the darkness behind the eyelids. It's the pure, unfiltered self, yearning to be seen.
What you're describing, it sounds like, is mirroring. I'm suggesting that alllll of that, what you're describing, is different, because that's all a deliberate, designed construction for the benefit of others around you. Producing gender authentically isn't like that. It's spontaneous, creative, and rises from within (or, in the case of agender people, doesn't!). It's you using clothes or mannerisms or hairstyles or whatever other irrelevant *things* that feel right to expose that inner light of your gender to the world in an intelligible way. It is, ultimately, intuitive.