Doing Gender on Valentine’s Day
In honor of Valentine’s Day, we’re going to be analyzing the construction of gender and sexuality via the American celebration of Valentine’s Day. With this activity, we’ll be applying what we learned last week about doing gender and what we talked about this week regarding heteronormativity. Have fun and be creative!
Prompt
Write 350-450 words analyzing how gender and sexuality are constructed and performed on Valentine’s Day in America. See below for some examples of ways you can approach this activity.
Consider the following:
How is gender ‘done’ in the context of Valentine’s Day?
How is sexuality enacted through this ritual celebration?
How do individuals account for their gendered performances and how are they simultaneously held accountable for them?
How is sexuality performed in this context?
What heteronormative assumptions, if any, are made?
If Valentine’s Day is a significant ritual celebration that structures performances of gender and sexuality, how do individuals who are not in romantic relationships still perform gender and sexuality via Valentine’s Day? And how are these individuals still held accountable for such performances?
Note: You do not need to answer all of these questions. Take them as a starting point.
Requirements
Explain how gender is performed/how people do gender on Valentine’s Day
Use an example to demonstrate your explanation
Include a photo or link to your example if possible
Address the relationship between gender performance and sexuality
Engage the concept of “doing gender” and/or “performativity”
Engage the concept of “heteronormativity”
Your post should be thoughtfully organized with little-to-no errors in spelling or grammar. Use in-text citations when drawing from course materials, and provide a full citation if you use any outside sources.
Examples of ways to approach the assignment
Compare how Valentine’s Day is approached in a men’s vs a women’s magazine
Analyze how Valentine’s Day is portrayed in popular culture
Assess how Valentine’s Day is celebrated in elementary schools
Analyze what types of products are advertised as gifts for Valentine’s Day, consider comparing how the gifts are gendered
Examine ad campaigns around Valentine’s Day
Analyze Valentine’s Day cards
Compare how Valentine’s Day is targeted to different demographic populations