edit: 
Follow up question, where are you performing gender? Community theater? Improv group? Comedy club?
I preform masculinity solely because it it slightly less work
My boymoding is purely performative, but it's still a 50/50 whether I get Ma'am-ed at the supermarket. Beyond that, I'm still more of an understudy...
I just do it out of convenience. It is really nice to roll out of bed, shower so that I don't smell, throw on pants and a t-shirt, and comb my hair, then call that good. Bed to doing whatever I need to in < 20 min. I couldn't function if I had to pay any attention to style, appearance, or skincare.
When I first heard the phrase "performing gender" my first thought was that it sounded like a pain in the ass and I didn't want to be on stage
i dont know enough smart people to stop playing Traumatizing Pretend
Gender is a nightmare from which I am trying to awaken
Going to the gender picket to protest big woke until I get a raise
My parents paid my way through theater academie and i feel bad when I don't put my degree to use.
Was going to make a joke about parents forcing gender roles on you, but that's probably super relevant
My parents were actually pretty chill about me running around in skirts and eyeliner. I lucked out and got the "be polite to people, respect people's differences, don't fight unless you have to, and also here's how to use a power drill 3,000 different ways" masculinity instead of strict adherence to normative gender roles.
It's my favorite play and I want to be my favorite character, of course!
One day I'll be the suave, confident twink sidekick to the buff himbo top main character that I'll end up smooching at the end.
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