ABSTRACT
Based on Judith Butler's work on gender performativity, that "there is no gender identity behind the expressions of gender, that identity is performatively constituted by the very 'expressions' that are said to be its results". This chapter proposes that identity is similarly constructed in Young Adult literature, and performativity extends beyond gender and applies to age, class, and ethnicity. It argues that cross-dressing, here referring to individuals crossing not just gender but also age, class, and ethnic lines, is a trope employed in Young Adult literature to assist in the construction of identity. Performativity implies that repetition creates a kind of reality, and thus, the standard has the potential to change. Cross-dressing carves out places of existence in society for those who feel partly or wholly outside of it, leading to an evolving status quo. Cross-dressing, in its myriad forms, is well established in Young Adult literature.
