Suprising- Local Man speaks in fluent gender non-conforming terms, shocks room of activists

Despite appearances,

me for reference

I am quite the progressive. When developing the leading character for my film opening, I aimed to inject within the character some of the same qualities and beliefs I hold myself. I aimed for the lead not to be a projection of myself, but rather a mirror to some issues facing society today. I felt that, since my opening will take place a couple hundred years ago, I had the unique opportunity to place some of society's contemporary issues in antiquity. This not only helps us put our problems in perspective but allows us to deal with them in a much easier and comprehendible fashion. 

The Media theory we chose to model our character on is the "Gender Performativity Theory". First developed by feminist philosopher Judith Butler, the concept posits that gender identity is not something inherent, but rather a "performance" one puts on through gestures, clothing, and language to fit societal norms and traditions. In other words, gender is only present in action, nothing more. 

Applying this to our film, we will feature a character, born female, diverging from societal expectations of her. She takes up the identity of a man because of a bounty placed on her, but finds her life completely different because of a newfound societal perception of her. She is perceived as male and is treated with more dignity, honor, and repute than she ever was as a female. Through this, we can explore the modern-day issue of gender identity in a classical era, giving the issue new light and perspective. 

The lead in our film

Works Cited

Allen, Paige. “What Is Judith Butler’s Theory of Gender Performativity? | Perlego.” Perlego Knowledge Base, 14 Feb. 2023, www.perlego.com/knowledge/study-guides/what-is-judith-butlers-theory-of-gender-performativity/.

Szorenyi, Anna. “Judith Butler: Their Philosophy of Gender Explained.” The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2022, theconversation.com/judith-butler-their-philosophy-of-gender-explained-192166.

Wamsley, Laurel. “A Guide to Gender Identity Terms.” NPR, NPR, 2 June 2021, www.npr.org/2021/06/02/996319297/gender-identity-pronouns-expression-guide-lgbtq.