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Original document was submitted as an honors thesis requirement. Copyright is held by the author.

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Thesis

Abstract

The act of presenting oneself to the world around them is a performance. Gender takes a massive part in this “performance” as the “gender roles” that we as humans embody due to preconceived societal constructs shape the world’s perception of us (Butler 92-95). The world’s normality of performing the gender that closely matches one’s sex assignment is not the only option. The long practiced Queer art form of Drag, blurs and changes the lines of gender through performance. This in turn plays with the fluidity in the manmade construct of gender. Drag is a necessary art form within the Queer community as it creates a visible spectacle of queerness. It beckons visibility of identities that are chastised, “othered”, and oppressed by heteronormativity. This essay will examine how the art of Drag is for anyone looking to explore their gender identity and how the art form’s growth in popularity within the last decade has transformed it from being subversive into mainstream.

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