HYPER-FEMININITY IN ATWOOD’S THE HANDMAID’S TALE

Abstract

This study explores the impact of female oppression and devaluation in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, focusing on how systemic control in the male-dominated society of Gilead distorts women's identities, particularly that of the protagonist, Offred. Through the lens of Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity and Michel Foucault’s concept of panopticism, this research examines how Gilead enforces a rigid, hyper-feminine identity that limits women’s roles to reproduction and submission. Butler’s idea that gender is not innate but shaped through repeated acts helps highlight how femininity in Gilead is performative and controlled. Foucault’s notion of constant surveillance supports this view, showing how internalized fear maintains order. The study argues that the women of Gilead are reduced to property, forced into roles that leave them discouraged, powerless, and humiliated. However, the research also reveals that this exaggerated femininity can serve as a subtle form of resistance. Atwood uses dystopia not only to criticize patriarchal expectations but to show how women, even under extreme oppression, find ways to assert identity and agency. Hyper-femininity, while initially a symbol of submission, becomes a space where defiance quietly takes root. The novel ultimately presents a complex picture of both control and quiet rebellion.