butler built on this idea by describing gender as a performance as a stylized repetition of acts rather than a stable category hegemonic masculinity embodies the honoured or dominant form of masculinity and requires all other men to position themselves in relation to it complicit masculinity describes men who do not enact hegemonic masculinity but still benefit from it subordinated masculinity refers to men who are oppressed by hegemonic masculinity eg gay men but still benefit from being men rather than women