Gender is a Performance

The Ren Fair has its own realm of gender.

Zoë Meyer

My everyday gender feels like a performance. What I wear and do not wear to feel more comfortable in my presentation feels like a one-man show of, “Is that a masc lesbian or just a man that knows how to match color?” For me, it is difficult to play around with traditional feminine clothes without looking and feeling uncomfortable. This is evident in the fact that I do not think I have worn a dress or skirt in over four years. If it is deemed acceptable to wear mens work pants, I will 100% be doing that. 

Anyways, these “rules” of gender go out the window when looking at the Renaissance Fair. It is hard to have a gender binary for elves, pirates, fairies, and woodland creatures. Sure, a dress and long hair might be considered feminine, but how about when combined with a sheath of arrows, pointed ears, and a sword? That transcends past the realm of gender we have been made aware of by society’s norms. 

For my debut ren fair experience, I dug out the last remaining skirt I own and paired it with a button down, belts, vests, and corset for a gender-confused pirate look. The more feminine pieces did not feel uncomfortable—rather they felt so far detached from their gendered roles that I maintained my androgynous feel.

Even as the mead and heat sucked every piece of moisture out of my body, I felt comfortable in the performance I was giving. I evolved past the man / woman binary into a new category of creature. And that category has no bonds nor no rules on what you can and cannot wear. Hell, it doesn't care if you paint your whole body green or wear a plague doctor mask; creature-dom only cares that you remove yourself from the world of gender. So if you are looking for some spectacular mead, overpriced shops, and an overall genderf*ckery of a time, I would highly recommend a day sweating your butt off at the Renaissance Fair.