Gender Expression as Persistent Form of Protest
Scholars have explored ways that gender expression can become an enduring, embodied form of resistance to societal norms and expectations. This approach has been called "transgression" or "resistance," but some suggest it could also include more subtle forms of nonconformity such as refusing to comply with traditional roles within the family or workplace. As discussed below, these ideas present new possibilities for understanding how bodies are used to enact political agency.
Theory of Gender Expression as Resistance
Researchers have long noted that individuals who do not conform to expected gender norms face systemic oppression from institutions like schools, healthcare systems, and employment opportunities due to their body's nonconformity.
Transgender people may be denied access to medical treatment or fired because they are seen as different from others.
Even when this is accepted as true, there remain questions about whether this experience alone constitutes resistance against heteronormative structures. Some argue that simply existing outside of those boundaries does not amount to political action; instead, it must involve intentional acts designed to disrupt power relations between genders.
One way to view gender expression as a persistent form of protest is through Foucauldian theories regarding the body. These theories highlight how everyday activities (such as walking down the street) can have subversive potential when they challenge social hierarchies based on race, class, ability status, etc., by altering our perception of what constitutes normal behavior in public space. In addition, Foucault argued that resistance occurs when people refuse dominant discourses around sex/gender identity which deny them certain privileges (e.g., male privilege). Therefore, we might see gender expression itself as part of a broader movement towards challenging oppressive power dynamics embedded within society at large rather than just a response to individual situations.
Body Politics: How Gender Expression Challenges Conventional Understandings of Political Agency
Foucault suggested that bodies are sites where power relations are reproduced, with some bodies being more privileged over others depending on their physical characteristics (i.e., size, age, skin color), but also their social positions relative to norms dictated by dominant ideologies like patriarchy and capitalism. Accordingly, he proposed that individuals could resist these power relations via tactics such as refusing heterosexuality or conformity with traditional masculinity/femininity codes even if they lacked direct political strategies for doing so. This idea has been expanded upon by feminist scholars who argue that the body itself becomes politicized through embodied practices; i.e., we use our bodies to perform gender roles that reinforce cultural beliefs about what it means to be "male" or "female." By engaging in activities outside expected expectations - dressing differently from others, choosing nontraditional hairstyles - we create new possibilities for how gender is lived out day-to-day life.
Subtle Forms of Nonconformity: Everyday Practices Challenge Social Norms
Some recent research suggests subtle forms of nonconformity may constitute resistance too since everyday actions can have subversive potential when they challenge established norms (e.g., going against family expectations).
Some LGBTQ+ folks choose not to wear makeup despite societal pressure because they see this act as an expression of self-determination rather than conformity with expectations around beauty standards imposed upon them by society at large. Likewise, some transgender people choose not to present themselves according to gendered stereotypes (i.e., avoiding skirts or pants) while also rejecting social categories associated with their assigned sex at birth (e.g., male/female). Such acts create opportunities for different ways of understanding identity beyond cisnormative binaries which privilege heterosexual men and women over everyone else.
Gender Expression Challenges Conventional Understandings of Resistance and Political Agency
These theories highlight the importance of viewing individuals' behaviors as political acts even if they lack direct strategies designed explicitly to disrupt power relations between genders or other groups. Further research could investigate whether there are more nuanced ways that gender expression functions as persistent protest against oppressive structures outside traditional definitions of politics which focus primarily on direct action rather than embodied practices like clothing choices, hairstyles, etc.
Can gender expression be theorized as a persistent, embodied form of protest, and how does this challenge conventional understandings of resistance and the political potential of the body?
Gender expression can certainly be seen as an enduring method of resisting traditional concepts of masculinity or femininity, especially when it involves challenging binary constructions of these identities. This is because individuals who choose to express themselves in nontraditional ways are often met with social disapproval or even violence from those who wish to maintain their expectations for what constitutes "normal" behavior or appearance.