In an attempt to conceptualise suicide differently, this paper begins by briefly sketching Butler’s theorisation of performativity & explores some of the critical insights resulting from her work of specific importance to an analysis of self-destruction. Following this, the paper then examines the ways in which suicide can be theorised as performative in the Australian context. Finally, the paper explores how performativity can be used to subvert the masculinised construction of suicide. While proposing the adoption of another conceptual framework, this paper also considers the strategic usefulness of challenging normative ways of theorising suicide & gender. (66 notes)