"There is no gender identity behind the expressions of gender."

Butler argues that gender is not something we are born with, but something we perform. This quote breaks down the assumption that femininity is an innate characteristic. Instead, femininity is produced through specific societal expectations in behavior and appearance. These roles become so habitual they begin to feel like an identity. The implications that gender is constructed through this type of performance means it can also be altered, resisted, or reimagined.

"One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman."

De Beauvoir talks about femininity as a cultural project rather than a biological destiny. Society molds girls into “women” through expectations about appearance, behavior, and desire. This quote highlights how femininity can feel like a standard one must grow into or fail to attain. De Beauvoir’s framing reveals how femininity functions as both a social ideal and an exclusionary category that deems certain women as “not feminine enough.”