Jocks like Queens?

This episode reminded me of Judith Butler’s essay on performative acts. Butler writes, “The body is invariably transformed into his body or her body, the body is only known through its gendered appearance. My suggestion is that the body becomes its gender through a series of acts” (Butler 523).

Check out the first 7 minutes of this episode: http://www.logotv.com/video/untucked-episode-12-more-from-jocks-in-frocks/1660848/playlist.jhtml#vid=636790

In this episode, the drag queens are paired up with straight men to form a dance team. In their normal form, these men are the most masculine of men. They are “jocks”. However, the drag queens have the task of dressing the jocks up in drag gear, complete with heels, makeup, and wigs.

I was shocked to see how feminine these jocks looked after their transformation! I could hardly tell the difference between the real drag queens and the jocks in drag. This episode showed me the power of performative acts. A man’s masculinity could be hidden through the simple addition of a tight dress, prosthetic breasts, and makeup. Their masculine bodies were “transformed” from “his” body into “her” body. Their performative acts produced their newly feminized appearance.

In addition, I found it interesting when one of the straight men confessed that he had feelings and an attraction towards one of the drag queens he worked with. This showed me just how powerful her performative acts were. She was so talented at making herself look like a sexy, confident woman. Her performative acts were successful enough to attract a straight man even when he knew that she was biologically a man.

This episode revealed to me that, like Jess Goldberg, we are not necessarily attracted to the biological sex of an individual. Instead, we may just be attracted to the gendered qualities they exhibit and perform as a human being.