Playing Battle of the Sexes with Judith Butler

Battle of the Sexes is a game designed to be played in teams of males vs. females, it is advertised as a game to determine the superior sex. The object of the game is to see which sex understands the opposite sex better by answering gender specific questions about the opposite sex. For example, in the commercial we see a team of females asking the males a question about a popular female hairstyle. Hairstyles are termed a "female gender related" topic in this game. The team that answers more gender specific questions correct wins and it termed the superior sex.

I find this game to be quite humorous. They are quite literally reinforcing constructed gender stereotypes of the sexes. Furthermore, I would like to imagine what feminist theorist Judith Butler would have to say about this game. I imagine she would have several problems with it. Butler believes that gender is neither the causal result of sex nor asseemingly fixed as sex. Therefore, I imagine that she would have a problem with the game grouping subjects such as cars to be a male interest and hairstyles or clothing to be female interests. What makes these subjects male or female subjects?

The game name "Battle of the Sexes" is another interesting point. Again revisiting Butlers theory on gender and sex, I ask the question why is this game not called "Battle of the Genders"? Is this game implying that if you are born biologically male that you will be masculine and should therefore battle off against the females? What if you are born biologically male and yet you have a feminine gender? This game makes the mistake of linking sex and gender in a way that biologically male=masculine and biologically female=feminine.

This game also suggests that there are only two sexes and two genders. Butler believes that sex should not restrict gender into a binary division. When we split gender into two divisions, we run into a number of problems and it does not make sense to do so. By dividing the sexes into two and corresponding each sex with only one gender we express ignorance. This game is the epitome of the constructs that theorists such as Butler are arguing against and attempting to diminish. This game is extremely outdated with the gender stereotypes it portrays and I am surprised that it even exists today. I imagine that Butler would agree, however the game could be good for a laugh or two.