I love Tig

SO I was watching the Tig Notaro stand up special for class this week. It was absolutely incredible. I am most definitely in love with Tig , and as a demi-sexual, crushing on celebrities has never been a thing for me. Her personality and style just got me going. But as to save the class from hearing about my goo-goo eyes for her, I want to bring up something different. Almost a question for the class I would like to see answered.

I will start with some background. Tig Notaro for those that did not watch her stand up is a lesbian woman who has a very mascualine style (I think that defining certain clothing, hair syles and make up as mascualine and feminine makes no sense, thanks for coming to my TED talk). She came out with baggier jeans, a loose T-shirt and a cool as a cucumber attitude. Her hair is extremely cropped and she did not wear makeup on stage. Her wedding ring was a solid band, and the only accessories she had on was a watch. Her style could be classified as ‘masculine’.

She opened with a bit about her gender expression, and how she is occasionally misgendered in public. She brings attention briefly to her body shape, which is lean and tall. She does not have a lot of curvature on her body, and she chooses clothing that does not emphasize it. The fact that this is her style, makes her confident and happy. She knows who she is and likes it.

What I started wondering was does her gender expression affect her audience diversity. As a woman we are valued by our appearances, Tig on the other hand has a style that does not fit within the stereotypical female gender expression. Does this make the audience value her humor more? Does this give her more or less power as a woman? Does this allow her comedy to reach more into masculine population since she could be viewed as relatable?

I am curious and fascinated to see if men respect her more or less because of her expression. Is she viewed as ‘one of the boys’ or does her style turn them off because she is not easily sexualized? I guess my question that I would love to have answered is how does gender expression for women relate to the power and respect we attain? Does taking on more ‘masculine’ characteristics gain us power? Why would that be? Is our society just purely based on if you look more like a man you deserve respect. I am confused and would love some answers.