Butler - Gender Trouble

"Rather than a stable signifier that commands the assent of those whom it purports to describe and represent, women, even in the plural, has become a troublesome term, a site of contest, a cause for anxiety."

In Judith Butler's article, she grapples with the idea that women have been wrongly looked at for years. When we are born, we are told by are parents and the media how we should act, either as little girls or little boys. If you're a boy, you are told that you should go play with trucks and tools. If you are a girl, you should like pink, play with princess dolls and have an unhealthy infatuation with Barbie. But why are we placed into these two categories, and what if the way you are does not fit under the name category which you have been given.

Butler believes that women have been oppressed due to a universal patriarchy run by men. To an extent, I do believe her. When I look at McDonalds kids meals, the toys are different for girls and boys. For a boy, the ad is usually in blue, green, or red and shows a "tough guy" modeling with the specific toy. Usually it is a transformer doll or something. For the girls, it's usually Barbie or something like that. One time I saw that instead of toys they were giving out games. The girls game was a "Bratz" game. On each game space the girls would be told, "Looks like you have to come up with a new hair style!", or "Meet Brandie at the mall at 6:00!". When I looked at the boys game it was a scientific search! This is a prime example of what Butler addresses throughout her article.