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Men Shaking Hands: Observations of Gender Performativity in Reed

Library
For this project, I observed gender in Reed Library. Because I
wanted to limit the scope of where observations took place, I decided
to observe an area on the first floor of the library that encompasses
three tables of desktop computers, three round tables where students
sat and did schoolwork, and several lounge chairs near a section of
magazines in the library. This area also had another feature I decided
could be interesting to observe: to get to the elevators in the library,
people have to go past the tables of computers. This was a way I was
able to observe more interactions between individuals and to observe
groups of people and how they walked together. I was deliberate in
choosing this area of the library for another reason, as wellI wanted
to study a setting that is ordinary for students to spend time in, but
also wanted to hear and see casual interaction. Because this isnt a
quiet section of the library, and because this area could contain
students who werent just studying alone, I was able to observe
conversations and overhear a bit. The library is of course available to
all students, but is also a place that welcomes local community
members to enjoy resources, so while I use students in some of my
field notes, I obviously cannot be totally sure the student status of any
of the people I observed. Additionally, I made assumptions about the
gender of individuals based on their gender expressions, which could

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also be incorrect and invalidate some things I noticed. If I could do
this observation again, I think I would first set up guidelines for what I
would consider masculine and feminine, because in some situations I
can get confused. It could also be helpful to have one or more other
people observing, each of us individually taking notes and following
the same guidelines about masculine presentation and feminine
presentation, and then having the ability to consult additional
observations and possibly get a bigger picture or different visual or
auditory perspective of an interaction. As the sole observer
attempting to stay stealthy, I may have missed some pieces of
information.
I decided to sit at the middle table of computers, with my back
to the wall, so I would be able to accurately observe a larger area. I
tried to be inconspicuous in my methods of observation. For both days
I observed, I decided to sit with my backpack on the floor next to me,
without headphones, and with at least one other computer program
open. I made these choices because I wanted to conform to a
feminine gender expectation of being small and not taking up excess
room, which may have helped with remaining a subtle observer; I
wanted to be able to hear conversations if they were close by; and I
wanted it to seem like I wasnt taking notes on the people around me
in a Word document, which I most definitely was.

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In my observations, the most notable were from the interactions
in the walkway area. Overall, I noticed that there were larger groups
of men walking together, but that they seemed to leave more space
between one another when traveling. Their methods of greeting were
louder and more physical than interactions between groups of
exclusively women. On both days of observations, I noticed a repeated
handshake behavior that occurred only between men. Two men would
grasp hands, pull the other one closer, and tap the other man on the
back once or twice. These actions seemed physically intenseit isnt a
behavior Ive ever participated in or observed carefully. I found the
handshakes exchanged to be very interestingthey were the only
time any of the men I observed had physical contact, but they
happened with just about every conversation men had.
Another interesting display of gender I observed was the way
some men were wearing clothing that was what I would consider
feminineor at least not fully adhering to masculine traits. On both
days, I noticed men that were wearing clean, professional clothing
that was neat and stylish. From the way I observed it, these were
worn by men who were otherwise very masculine in their
presentation. The only gender transgression via wardrobe that I
noticed from women were some women wearing baseball capsa
clothing item I feel is usually associated with men and masculinity.

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A difference between men and women in this environment
seems to be how they handle their belongings and the personal space
they occupy. I noticed one woman who didnt let any of her personal
items out of her sight, and one man who left the desktop computer
area and left his personal belongings unattended. From my
observations, women more frequently pushed the chairs they were
using back to the table when leaving, whereas men sometimes did
not.
The person I find most notable from my observations is the
hand-shaking man (as I named him in my notes)I think it exemplifies
the male interactions I observed best. These men would engage in
physical touchingbut only for a moment, and quite roughly at that.
Men that I observed were louder in greeting others, but then would
not stand or sit closely to them. I find this interesting because it is not
something I was expecting or looking for.
To analyze the way that cultural ideas of gender and identity
were performed in this setting, I thought about The Mask You Live In.
The movie discussed ways that young men feel pressure to not
express personal emotional intimacy, even in their friendships (The
Mask You Live In). I noticed this in the ways that I saw men
interactingmostly by the hand-shaking behaviors I saw. One of the
experts interviewed in The Mask You Live In explained that
masculinity, at its core, is a rejection of everything feminine (The

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Mask You Live In). Because intimate personal relationships where
emotion is expressed are seen as traditionally feminine, to perform
masculinity correctly, and to still have personal friendships, their
interactions should reject gender stereotypes of women and should
not include softness or vulnerability.
I thought about the clothing choices I saw with men and women
while they werent necessarily trying to do drag, they were showing
how clothing options can be flexible in gender, while the gender they
were performing still showed itself. This reminded me of how Riki
Wilchins explains Derridas thoughts on gender: it is a language, a
system of meanings and symbols, where as long as the gender you
wish to express has more symbols presented, you can express
meanings and symbols of different genders and still come across as
the gender you are trying to perform (Wilchins 35). For example,
there were women wearing clothing that is often seen as masculinea
baseball cap. However, because there were more symbols of
femininity in their appearances, I didnt mistake them for attempting
to perform masculinity and present as men.
The library computer area is not inherently a place that is
genderedmost people are simply trying to get work done and one
would think that gender performance is not an important factor to
students in this environment.

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But I did notice gender performedand it did not really have to
be. To help make gender a more liberating experience in this place, I
would suggest two things to individuals. First, simply noticing gender
performativity in yourself and others, and secondly to encourage and
spread the idea that gender does not need to be performed in such
strict ways.
Because gender norms are so pervasive in our society that they
are inescapable, it can take some work to first notice how gender
norms are present in our everyday lives (Killermann 62). Noticing
what we are normally blind to can be a lot of work, but I think of
noticing gender norms in a way that is similar to McIntoshs ideas
about privilegeonce you notice, you cannot easily un-notice. You
become newly accountable in a similar way (McIntosh). While I
wouldnt suggest an observational study such as the one I conducted,
I do think that careful observations, with an effort to notice gender in
places you wouldnt ordinarily expect, can help to raise this
awareness. I would suggest that individuals think about gender
stereotypes and gender roles, and then try to notice them on an
ordinary day.
Its a broader suggestion that can apply to more than just the
area I observed, but it can make gender feel more liberating: once you
can notice the ways in which gender is being performed in your
everyday life, I would encourage tweaking it. After recognizing the

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ways gender are performed, you can disagree and decide to perform
in a new way. In similar ways to the man I observed who had pink
headphones, or in more substantial ways, like men hugging when they
greet (if they would like to), gender performance can be changed to
express more of the way you truly feel! After noticing certain parts of
gender performance in yourself, the option to change these ways to
align more with your inner feelings or desires can ultimately be
completely freeing. If others notice you, you can become inspiring to
people who may have thought about breaking from the holds of
gender stereotypes.

Works Cited
Killermann, Samuel. The Social Justice Advocates Handbook: A
Guide to Gender. Austin: Impetus Books, 2013. Ebook.
McIntosh, Peggy. White Privilege and Male Privilege. 1988.
The Mask You Live In. Jennifer Siebel Newsom. 2015. Film.
Wilchins, Riki. Queer Theory, Gender Theory: An Instant Primer.
Los Angeles: Alyson Publications, 2004. Print.

Field Notes
Day 1: Observation began at 4:55 PM and ended at 5:55 PM on
Wednesday, October 21, 2015.

There are signs in the library saying no food or drink are

allowed, but right now I see 3 men and 1 woman with drinks
near their computers
As groups of students walk by, I noticed that groups of only
women are walking closer together than groups of only men
Recognizing a male friend, a male using a computer raises his
voice to say yo!
One man is sitting in a chair that is not designated as a
computer chair and is pulled up next to another man
I see a man using pink headphones!
There is a waiting time before computers log in I observed pink
headphones guy getting his notebook and folder out, another
woman is on her phone when waiting
Two men are sitting at separate study tables that have 4 chairs
at each
A man walked by wearing a dress shirt, tie, and jeans
Im noticing that some of the women here dont have backpacks,
some are carrying large handbags or tote bags. Are backpacks
masculine?
Pink headphones guy pulled out some peanuts to eat
The man with two drinks who was sitting next to me left and
forgot one of his drinks. I think he was getting suspicious of me
but Im not sure

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I see a couple of girls wearing baseball hats, some with sorority

letters on them. I have always seen baseball hats and gear in
general as masculinebut there are a bunch of women at
Fredonia who wear them
The woman across from me at this table has printed out several
things from her computer, but has taken her large handbag back
and forth with her to the printer every time. I wonder if she is
worried someone will take her items, or if this isnt purposeful
at all
The woman across from me left, and I just realized Im the only
woman at this table. The table next to this one has only woman
sitting at it
People who work at the library are walking by and havent said
anything about the people eating and drinking here. Maybe I
read too much into that.
A man walked by wearing shorts. Everyone else that I can see is
wearing pants. I wonder what would happen if a woman was
wearing shorts here?
The man sitting next to me just said oh, fuck you to his
computer before walking away from it
Another man in shorts walked by. Hes wearing a delta chi shirt
A woman in shorts!! No notable reactions from the people
sitting here. Perhaps I read too much into this, too
The man who cursed his computer has left and did not push his
chair back to the table.
A woman sat down at the table Im sitting at
The first audible conversation Ive witnessed between women is
happening at the table to my left. They arent raising their
voices, but I can hear what theyre saying.
The woman wearing shorts is walking by again, and she has
food too
There is only one woman left at the table to my leftall of the
women who left pushed their chairs in
At the table to my right, there is a group of students working
together on a projectthree men and one woman. The woman is
the only one using a computer, and two men are sitting next to
her (one in a non-computer chair) and one man is standing
behind her, looking at the computer screen.
A group of about 7 men just came from the entrance to the
Carnahan-Jackson centerthey are about 30 feet away from me
but I can hear their conversation. Almost all of them are
wearing hats, either baseball caps or knit snow hats

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One of them is wearing a hoodie, hat, and shortsthis seems

odd to medo they want to be warm or cold?
A couple of them are wearing headphones, some on their ears,
even in their conversations
One man met this group and shook all of their hands. Hes now
speaking to them as a group, in front of the computers
The group of men has now grown to about 12, and formed a
circle. They are all in conversation now
One woman has entered the circle and is talking to a few of the
men. She is physically smaller than all of them and is wearing a
dress.
The audible conversation continued for about 4 minutes
Half of the group has left the library, leaving the one handshaking man with the woman and another man
The hand-shaking man and the woman are interacting physically
holding both hands and pushing the other away, then
intertwining their arms and swinging around
The woman and the other man leave the library, and the handshaking man has walked towards the Carnahan-Jackson center
Another man walked by wearing shorts. I feel like maybe these
shorts observations are judgmental, but I didnt really think
today was warm enough for shorts. I see men wearing shorts
during cold weather as a way they prove their masculinity, but I
dont know if this is legitimate or not.
The hand-shaking man has now walked out of the library from
the same direction he entered
Pink headphones guy has walked away to get something from
the printers and left all of his belongings at the computerhe
didnt seem nervous about his belongings like that other woman
did.
A man sat down at the computer next to me and brought a
longboard with himhe has placed it so it is leaning against the
table.

Day 2: Sitting at the middle table again. This time I have a hot coffee
next to me.
Observation began at 4:47 PM and ended at 5:48PM on Monday,
October 26, 2015.
At the computers: across the table from me is a group of 2 men
and 1 woman working together. The woman is using the desktop
computer, and the two men are sitting next to her. This group
has taken 2 computer chairs from other desktops
The table to my left seats 3 men and 1 woman at computers

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A woman came to use a computer at the table Im sitting atthe

chair was moved and is being used by the group, so she is
kneeling on her knees and using the computer
Two of the men at the table to my left have drinks by their
computers
One of the men at the table to my left is wearing an interesting
combination of masculine and feminine clothing. I think he is a
person of color so maybe that is why he feels more room to wear
more feminine things and care about his appearance (this
reminds me of the Black students in DYAF) Hes wearing jeans
that look purposefully ripped, cuffed to his work boots, a
pink/lavender button-up shirt, and a backwards baseball cap
The girl who was kneeling down to use a computer has now
sprinted away
Near the computers, there are groups of students working
together at tables. One seats 3 women and 1 man, the other 3
men and 1 women, and another of two men
A man that I know sat down at the table Im sitting atI hope
my cover isnt blown!
The masc/fem dressed man at the table to my left is talking to
someone who stopped by to talk to hima man who (maybe on
purpose?) is dressed in color-coordinating black and white. The
two exchanged a hand slap/shake/grasp thing Ive seen some
men do
One of the men sitting at the table to my left has gone and now
there is a different man sitting there. This man is man-spreading
a lot! And he is wearing basketball shorts as well. These are the
first shorts Ive seen in the library today. He is also wearing
socks with flip flops, something I havent seen yet today
The masc/fem dressed man left, and tucked in his chair. I didnt
see many men tuck in their chairs after leaving computers last
time I observed this area.
The table of students with 3 women and 1 man now has 3 other
women standing by the table, talking to the group
Another man at the table to my left has gone, and also tucked in
his chair
Two more women have sat down at the same table as me
The man at the table to my left who is manspreading doesnt
seem to be paying much attention to his computer, and is
instead on his phone
Two different women have stopped by the table of students who
had 3 women and 1 man. I now notice that the man is gone.

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Two women have approached the computer at the table Im at

and are standingthey dont seem to be looking for a chair
A group of 3 men and 1 women walked bystanding closer than
most other people Ive seen walking through the library
A man has been standing, talking to the group of now 4 women
seated at a table nearby for about 10 minutes now
Another man wearing shorts walked byand hes also wearing
sandals and wearing a man bun. I feel like these feminine
aspects of his appearance are canceled out in a way by his delta
chi sweater and the way he is roughly interacting with others
(doing some more of the hand slap/handshake things)
A chubby man is wearing tight clothing and whistling at one of
the tables, and looking kind of wary at a group of men who just
entered wearing shorts and talking loudly
The man that was standing and talking to the table of women
has now sat down with themafter one woman left.
A man sat down next to me with an interesting appearance to
think about through the lens of masculinity and femininity: he is
wearing tight-fitting, clean clothing that looks coordinated, but
is also hairy and quite muscular. I wonder if his clothing choices
were purposeful, to help balance out his physical masculine
features, or if this was just a coincidence that only I am noticing
Another man walked by wearing shorts. Today so far its been
only men wearing shorts