In Gender Trouble, Judith Butler explains “abjection”, and how it plays a crucial role in creating the subject. The process, in simple terms, follows the formula expulsion–>repulsion. Basically, the subject takes some  aspect of their identity and  removes  it, labeling  it as “not-me”. Whatever has been expelled becomes “the Other” and because of its otherness, becomes the object of the subject’s repulsion.  For Butler, this process is crucial in “constituting a binary distinction that stabilizes and consolidates the coherent subject” (2547). Through this process the subject is able to create boundaries for itself between internal and external, where their body stops and the Other begins. Butler also explains that this process is present in homophobia, racism, and sexism, which involves expulsion, exclusion, and repulsion from society when certain identities become and symbolize the Other. From abjection, we can see that the boundaries of the subject’s inner and outer world’s is truly unfixed and isn’t innate but created by the subject.

Since, abjection helps in understanding part of the creation of the subject it can also serve as a way to understand Butler’s idea of gender performance. Most importantly, it shows that the inner and outer worlds of the subject aren’t concrete, but are made. Stereotypical held thoughts about gender view the inner and outer worlds in a one to one ratio but through abjection we can see how arbitrary that is. Different people might consciously abject different things and Butler also gave examples of how this process is can be heavily socially manipulated arbitrarily benefiting a preferred ideal. Also, gender performance often follows this process’ formula. Gender performance is centered around the idea of “I’m this, not that”, abjection of certain identities you could have for another. This expulsion can lead to repulsion or can be committed out of fear of becoming the object of condemnation. I see this all the time on social media, honestly. Straight men are the worst perpetrators; they make comments about everyone. One recent example, there is a really popular gay guy on twitter. He is always posting videos and taking pictures of his outfits. Straight guys constantly ridicule him and ask questions like “what would you do if this were your son?”; they always have something offensive to say basically. One person I followed made such a keen observation and said it seems as if these straight guys are obsessed with this guy and gay men in general and how strange that was. I thought about that too, every time there is a confident effeminate gay man around, there are straight men criticizing them. It definitely made me think of Butler and her talk of abjection with regards to gender performance and how obsessive the process of gender performance is.

Also, while reading about abjection, Butler mentioned differentiation, which immediately made me think of Nietzsche and Saussure, which I guess makes sense. We name and understand all inanimate objects and animals through differentiation. So, since we know what things are from what they are not, why wouldn’t we think of ourselves as human beings in this way as well? I guess, Nietzsche’s poetry is Butler’s drag show and the worst thing for language and identity is constriction.