How Do Repeated Acts and Constitutional Pressure Shape the Making of Lili’s Transgender Identity in “The Danish Girl” (2015)

Abstract

Grounded in Judith Butler’s theories of gender performativity and gender constitution, this study examines how repeated acts and constitutional acts shape the making of Lili Elbe’s transgender identity in The Danish Girl (2015). Rather than presenting gender as innate or biologically fixed, the film portrays identity as gradually formed through embodied repetitions such as touching fabric, adjusting posture, practicing feminine gestures, and responding to how others look at and interact with the body. The analysis demonstrates that Lili’s transition is shaped not only by personal desire but also by constitutional forces, including heteronormative expectations within domestic relationships, social norms in public spaces, and the authority of medical institutions that attempt to regulate and define gendered bodies. Using mise-en-scène and narrative analysis of ten selected key scenes, this study reveals that Lili’s transgender identity is produced through performative repetition while being constrained and legitimized by social and institutional systems that determine which gendered identities are considered valid and intelligible, aligned with Butler’s Theory.