Subverting Gender

Abstract

This chapter explores the female-only lesbian space of Greek Gold. It provides a contrast with the space of Eden, as well as many other sites on SL, due to the diverse representations of female avatars within the space which go against the prevailing gender normativity and hyper-gendered embodiment seen elsewhere on SL. Due to the varied expressions of femaleness shown within Greek Gold, it is an excellent site for the exploration of the ideas of gender fluidity and lesbian identities, particularly that of masculinised female performativity. Drawing heavily on Judith Halberstam’s work on the masculine female subject, the analysis of Greek Gold illuminates the fluidity of gender and sexual identity expression, underscoring the premise that gender is not static within the binary of male/female, masculinity/femininity as often accepted within mainstream culture. The virtual environment of Greek Gold is a superb illustration of the performativity of gender as seen in the corporeal, and ultimately subverts the idea that masculine and/or androgynous females want in some ways to be men, thus overturning the notion pathologising gender difference. With the possibilities of embodying a desired or preferred self, the prevailing representation of subversive corporeal gender identities reveals both an acceptance of, and pleasure in, embodying a masculine self as female, thereby removing the default presumption of masculinity to biological maleness.