Blog #4 "Performing Gender Identity: Young Men's Talk and the Construction of Heterosexual Masculinity"

I thought it was interesting how Cameron says that we perform our gender roles instead of having a gender role. This distinction highlights the dynamic, fluid nature of male and female identity. In arguing her point, Cameron claims that men actively participate in gossip when around close male friends, and avoid it when in the presence of women and acquaintances. I have experienced performances of gender in my relationships with other men. I spent most of my teenage years with the same small group of males. When together, we did talk a lot about women, wine, and sports, but we also spent an incredible amount talking about other men and how gay they were. I never thought about it as a way to separate us from other definitions of gender. However, now that I reflect on those years, we did tend to think of ourselves as the “masculine” group and the other guys as the “gay” group. Not one of those “gay” men really turned out to be homosexual, but in the process we defined or performed what we wanted to see as masculine. According to Cameron, we were simply performing what we expected to see in other American heterosexual men without realizing we were participating in the stereotypical female activity of gossip.