Performance and Occasion

I will discuss two identities that I "carry through" or act out through performance and the way they are affected by different occasions, or situations.

One of the main performances discussed by this article was the performance of gender.  I perform my gender by putting on pants or shorts every day instead of skirts and dresses.  I perform my gender by watching football on Saturdays instead of HGTV.  The "carrying through" of my gender is usually unconscious.  Conceptions of gender are both naturally and socially influenced.  Therefore, it is difficult to determine how many aspects of this performance are natural and how many are socially constructed.  The performance of gender definitely involves occasion.  Some occasions produce specific performances of gender.  For example, at work, the guys always lift the heavy stuff and do the more physical work, even though several of us are no bigger/stronger than some of the girls who work there.

Another identity I perform is that of a student.  As part of this performance, I go to class, pay attention and participate, study the material for tests, write papers, write and give speeches, etc.  Occasion definitely has an impact on this performance as well.  For example, in small classes, students pay better attention.  In a different occasion, a large class, students feel less compelled to pay attention and are more likely to be be on Facebook or something.  In another example, students are also more likely to buckle down and work harder at the end of the semester than the beginning of the semester.  They work harder at the end because the occasion is different.