The Trouble With The Binary

Abstract

The Trouble With The Binary was created to exemplify the ideas of gender performativity and the gender binary, originally expressed in Judith Butler's Gender Trouble. I created a handmade zine to pay homage to the impact of activist zines as political tools and creative outlets in earlier waves of feminism. Elements of text, photos, and illustrations point to the main takeaways of each additional article, and delve into how performativity affects a variety of subjects: motherhood, LGBT youth, disabled identity, drag performance, non-binary identity, and the academic self. This project showcases various applications and real-world impacts of her theories.

Faculty Mentor: Kathryn Holland

Department: Sociology