Critical Response #6

Masquerade is an interesting concept brought up in the book Gender Troubles by Judith Butler. The intent and purpose of masquerading is discussed, as in what is exactly being masked? To me this shows that something has power. But where is the power being held, by men, women, or the mask itself? One could say that the power lies in the mask. The mask can blur sexual orientation and hide heterosexuality, homosexuality, or masculinity. Within the text it states “woman takes on a masquerade knowingly in order to conceal her masculinity from the masculine audience” (pg. 52).  Another notion is that men hold a sense of power through masquerading. The mask would then be used in terms of men’s desire. Women who are masquerading are participating in men’s sexual desire and therefore giving up their own desire. On the other hand Lacan explains that women who participate in masquerading expect to be desired and use the mask as a tool to address her down demand for love.

As I read all of the different interpretations of the masks purpose and intent, I really connected with and analyzed Joan Riviere’s interpretation. She states “that homosexual men exaggerate their heterosexuality as a defense against their homosexuality. I shall attempt to show that women who wish for masculinity may put on a mask of womanliness to avert anxiety and the retribution feared from men” (pg. 51). This made me think about the mask in a different light. In today’s world imaginary masks are worn by people. It is not the mask itself that holds the power, but by the person who used an imaginary mask for their own intent. I envision this imaginary mask as a false front or show that a person might put on to hide a sort of identity. Just like Riviere discussed, men may act more masculine to exaggerate heterosexuality to conceal homosexuality when they feel needed. Additionally, women may try to act more feminine or less masculine to conceal homosexuality. Prime examples of this can be found in the world of sports and used by professional athletes.

A reason for putting on a mask to express more or less masculinity or femininity is due to homophobia. A mask would allow people to conceal homosexuality in spaces they done feel comfortable. Riviere’s concept of exaggerated heterosexuality is not only used by homosexual identities but has also been seen in women’s sports. Within our society there is a stereotype that more masculine women who play sports identity as lesbian. For heterosexual women who fear being labeled lesbian, they will exaggerate their heterosexuality in these spaces. Another concept that I would like to bring up that is not discussed by Riviere’s or Lacan is the use of ironic heterosexual recuperation. This is a different mask put on by heterosexual men to proclaim their heterosexuality. These men portray homosexual acts and perform stereotypical parodies of gay men through mocking homosexual behaviors. What is also ironic is that men who do such acts, are seen as more masculine by other men who approve of these acts.

            To counteract notions of ironic heterosexual recuperation, sexism, homophobia, etc. I think Qwo-Li Driskill in Intentional Masculinities¸ discussed two important concepts that could help. The first concept deals with the value of masculinity. Driskill discusses their opinion and states that “I try not to associate values with gender I think that’s where this starts to become trouble. To me, masculinity isn’t about values, its’s about performances. Having said that, I do think that we need to be very critical and reflective about what kinds of values underpin those performances, whether those are masculine, feminine, or something else entirely” (pg. 102). Within sports, certain masculine characteristics, performances, or actions are highly valued. I think that this can cause problems within the social and physical environments within sports. If we re-evaluated these values, I believe that notions of homophobia, sexism, ironic heterosexual recuperation, etc. would maybe disappear in these spaces. However, I do understand within sports why masculinity is valued and that this will probably not change. Additionally, Driskill brings up another concept that could address this. They state, “If there are parts of “masculinity” that we don’t need any more, that are hurtful to ourselves, our relationships, our communities, then why on earth keep them? But if there are parts of “masculinity” that we really love, that we value, that are fun or sexy and don’t hurt other people or the world, then we can keep those things and certainly, be anti-sexist” (pg. 105). I agree with this statement that not all values of masculinity are harmful or hurtful. Yes, there are forms of masculinity within sport that cause violence harm etc., but at the same time masculinity in sports can be a beautiful thing. Through this re-evaluation of masculine values in sports, I do believe that violence, abuse, sexism, homophobia, etc. could be reduced. As a result, bringing this back to the first concept of masquerading by Lacan and Riviere, masks can start to be removed as these social concepts are reconstructed.