Justin Lacoursiere

Will You Be Having a Masculine, Feminine, or Ambiguous Drink Today?: Gender Performance Through the Consumption of Beverages Justin Lacoursiere

This cross-disciplinary study explores gender performance through beverage consumption, comparing alcoholic versus coffee-based beverages. Looking at beverages as a gendered text and the ordering of beverages as a gendered activity, this research reports on the ways people comply with or defy societal expectations based on observations complemented by the analysis of print and video advertisements; the assumption is that marketing campaigns gender coffee and alcoholic beverages. Bars, Cafés, consumers, and advertisements all play a role in gendering beverages as girly or macho. Various communication theories are taken into consideration throughout this research to aid in drawing conclusions about the complexities behind the frequently accepted idea of gender being separated into specific and mutually exclusive masculine, feminine, and ambiguous categories. This study examines gender to assist in addressing concerns where people have gender-related questions. Recognizing gender as a performance allows for the assessment of truths and falsehoods behind gender stereotypes, helping to establish a better understanding of gender by using the everyday activity of beverage consumption.