Every election always has a theatrical element to them. Theater grabs the audience’s attentions and that attention can lead to a platform to preach their values, which very often turns to votes. But this election especially has been more theatrical that most, with theatrical elements, larger than life characters, and heightened emotions on both sides. This election has been a very wild ride to both watch and participate in for my very first election. I believe that in part this is due to the especially performance based nature of politics and debates in general, but also the specific candidates in this election, especially our new president elect, Donald Trump. By looking at how each of the candidates performs their genders, with Trump
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In an attempt to win votes, Hilary used the strongest citeational acts to convey power through masculinity and comforting familiarity through femininity. For a good deal of voters, this causes confusion from the gender binary and leaves them seeing Hilary as a shifty enigma rather than a potential candidate for president. Because of her gender presentation and citeational acts in the second presidential debate, her liminality of gender worked not to help gather votes, but in a good deal of cases works against …show more content…
He increases his physical stature over Hilary, which while it is a citeational act of masculinity, it is also a symbol of power. Using Stuart Hall’s theories of representation, the simple act of standing when most would sit shows both a confidence and therefore power and the stature itself is imposing and signifies power. This simple act helps strengthen his connection to masculinity and shows his symbolic power, both in general and over Hilary. Furthermore showing a symbol of power could be considered a citeational act towards masculinity, due to the fact that power is often associated with and contributed to masculinity. Therefore the act itself as a stance and Hall’s theory about what the stance represents citeational acts towards masculinity. He looms over Hilary, therefore making himself look more powerful and Hilary less powerful. This is President Elect Trump again performing citeational acts that enforce his masculinity and power, while simultaneously undermining the masculinity of his fellow candidate, causing the audience to be encouraged to vote for him as the alpha male and more powerful
In an attempt to win votes, Hilary used the strongest citeational acts to convey power through masculinity and comforting familiarity through femininity. For a good deal of voters, this causes confusion from the gender binary and leaves them seeing Hilary as a shifty enigma rather than a potential candidate for president. Because of her gender presentation and citeational acts in the second presidential debate, her liminality of gender worked not to help gather votes, but in a good deal of cases works against …show more content…
He increases his physical stature over Hilary, which while it is a citeational act of masculinity, it is also a symbol of power. Using Stuart Hall’s theories of representation, the simple act of standing when most would sit shows both a confidence and therefore power and the stature itself is imposing and signifies power. This simple act helps strengthen his connection to masculinity and shows his symbolic power, both in general and over Hilary. Furthermore showing a symbol of power could be considered a citeational act towards masculinity, due to the fact that power is often associated with and contributed to masculinity. Therefore the act itself as a stance and Hall’s theory about what the stance represents citeational acts towards masculinity. He looms over Hilary, therefore making himself look more powerful and Hilary less powerful. This is President Elect Trump again performing citeational acts that enforce his masculinity and power, while simultaneously undermining the masculinity of his fellow candidate, causing the audience to be encouraged to vote for him as the alpha male and more powerful