The intention of this research is to clearly define the roles that drag performers fill in our society. With that objective, the key issues that must be clarified include offering what the distinction of a drag performer is compared to other individuals that may be mislabeled or misrepresented by such a title, and what education is lacking by those who challenge the concept of drag. In society it is a common theme to fear or demonize an idea we feel is taboo, even when we have a very weak understanding of what we fear. This research seeks to ease fears surrounding drag, and allow cautious individuals to approach the topic without feeling threatened. The further fear and apprehension is reduced, the more open to honest fact and interpretation people will become, which will lead to a more comfortable and open exchange of ideas regarding drag. Ultimately, this will allow for a stronger platform for drag queens themselves to utilize as ambassadors of their cherished art form. To accomplish the described goals, we explore multiple avenues of research that will serve to answer the various questions and address the multiple aspects of drag. Comparing peer reviewed articles has allowed my research to explore several concepts within drag and have the backing of information that has been scrutinized by the world of academia. Direct observation of the performance of drag is a critical aspect that I have participated in, offering a direct comparison to the prior mentioned articles which have been examined. My life experience as a homosexual allows me to have a more personal understanding of the material that I am reviewing, which allows me the opportunity to ask and answer questions from a perspective that can be a beneficial br... ... middle of paper ... ...s undesirable, or wrong ways. More recently drag performers have been a prominent focus at the same events they were once criticized for participating in. Throughout this research, we have reviewed pertinent information needed to understand drag performers and their vibrant culture. Exploration of definitions, the diverse culture, and the positive and negative views in society associated with drag performers has brought us to this point, hopefully much more educated and understanding of the individuals involved in this fascinating world. By the nature of its performance, drag will continually evolve and never fit neatly into a rigid definition. Continuous research such as this will be needed more than ever as our society continues to diversify, allowing us to stay proactive and understanding of the world developing around us. In this case, that world is drag.
Drag can be considered central to queer theory itself since it has ascended in contemporary academic theoretical venues as the singular approach to gay and lesbian studies. Contreras explains that drag symbolizes many important and conflicted questions regarding the modern urban queer identities and gay male identities in particular. The drag queen can represent a lively fixture in a gay parade or a homophobic representation in mass culture. In this book he wrote some statements about drag that function as queer common
For sources Epstein used medical journal articles, mass media news reports, articles in gay and lesbian press, activist documents, and government documents as well as extensive interviews with more than thirty researchers, activists, and government officials. He also attended many conferences, meetings, forums, demonstration, and other public events. He writes that his “fundamental analytical strategy has been to bring into critical juxtaposition contemporaneous records from different “s...
Identity: The fact of being who or what a person or thing is. The principle objective of this paper is to establish how the role of identity and our belonging impact on what types of events we attend, where we attend and who with? How has globalisation impacted the events industry through social, economic and cultural levels? The objectification of both men and women; how has this created an even bigger impact on events in our ever changing world? Has this enhanced our freedom in choosing which events we can attend or restricted us? This essay is focused on the works of Mikhail Bakhtin “Carnival and Carnivalesque” and his critique on cultural theory related to the events industry. This essay also looks at the works of Pierre Bourdieu; his “habitus and embodiment” theories and the way we have internalised the external environment and how this ultimately affects our behaviours. Goulding and Saren’s publication of: Performing identity: an analysis of gender expressions at the Whitby Goth festival has equally given a clear critique of the nature of gender identities within a specific subculture, a subculture firmly rooted in objects of consumption and bonded together by a common fascination with the vampire.
Funnily drag did not n’t start out as a form of expression but as a necessity. In Ancient Greece, women could not n’t perform in plays because it was considered deemed “too dangerous”(Conger). In the middle ages, Europe’s Christian church continued the ban
It opens a physical space—on the dancefloor— to facilitate kinesthetic dialogue regarding “important material for the reconstruction of histories for subalterns [in this case, Black and Latino drag queens] coming to grips with their pace in their new nation” (89). Furthermore, it exposes a dichotomy between Madonna’s plead for the ‘freedom of movement’ as she sings, “‘Just let your body free’” (94) and the ‘framed,’ “stylized movements in fashion shows” (95).
In the article, “The Fashion Industry: Free to Be an Individual” by Hanna Berry, Berry discusses how for decades women have been told to use certain products and that if they used those products they would be beautiful. Women over the years have believed this idea and would purchase items that promised to make them prettier, thinner, smarter and even more loved. However, in reality it was never what they wore on their bodies that helped them be any of those things; but what it did help with was to empower women to become fearless and bold by what they chose to wear on their bodies as a form of expression.
To understand the nature of Blackface performances and Freak shows throughout the years, one must understand the culture named today, popular (pop) culture, as the medium that brought light to these concepts, that once was in the dark. Danesi states the era, pop culture, gave rise to the people since the 1950's, regardless or class or education, to shape fashion, music, lifestyle, and other forms of entertainment today (2015). As a culture, members within form a unity of interest, in this case, it is shaped from media and technology. Ultimately, individuals gravitate towards a pop culture since the majority follow the trend, unfortunately, there is the side that American's are wanting
Performance artist Patty Chang creates pieces that deal with scopophilia or voyeurism, best described as “the love of looking”, a topic that goes hand in hand with the issues of gender roles in society that Chang also represents in her work. Chang particularly addresses issues of gender roles through her confrontation of female representation in art, film and popular culture as a whole. In Chang’s video clip entitled, “Shaved (At a Loss)”, she sits herself on a chair in front of her audience, hikes up her dress to expose her vagina and then proceeds to, very roughly, shave off her pubic hair. The entire duration of “Shaved (At a Loss), Chang is blindfolded. In this piece Chang presents consumer culture’s fetishization of the ”flawless” female figure, which is outlined by the unattainable body ideals that are portrayed not only in most mainstream pornography, but also in almost all media connected to our society’s popular culture sphere.
One of women’s constant struggles is upkeep with culture and society’s ever-changing definition of beauty. Although both genders have hair on their bodies, the views and acceptability of the amount or the location of body hair vary immensely. In fact, women are often thought to be hairless and men to be hairier (DeMello, 2014). Women must then put in effort to uphold a standard, in which the idea that being feminine is natural and effortless (Toerien and Wilkinson, 2003). That being the case, I will argue that the hairless female body has been transformed over time to represent beauty and youth. More importantly, I will argue that it has now become normative in Western society and deemed unacceptable if women do not conform to the hairless
Naturally, young girls love to dress-up as their mothers and wear their make-up, clothing, and heels. Children’s imagination and inclination to pretend characterizes childhood. However, in the world of pageantry, there is a blur between little girls’ imagination and transforming into a fake “persona.” Although some parents believe beauty pageants are healthy competition for children, beauty pageants exploit young girls by glamorizing perfection, unrealistically portraying girls as “Barbies,” and by setting a superficial expectation in which self-esteem ties to attractiveness.
There is very little research that has been done in the past on the mental health of LGBT individuals. In 1997 the federal center for Mental Health Services called for information to be compiled on the topic (Lucksted 3). Most of the information came from small publications, grass root information and self-reporting and even this information was incomplete because of the lesser reporting on people of the transgender and bisexual communities. This older report shows what the state of affairs was in ...
Thesis: Drag is big and larger than life, anyone would want to be a queen for a day, man or woman.
To conclude, the use of body for Feminist and Performance artists in the 1960s-1970s was significant in confronting the way women were viewed as artists in a male dominated art world. It was a vital element in raising consciousness and showing action towards the ideas of feminism. (Holt.J, 2009) Feminine nudity was a controversial problem, which female artists wanted to provoke in order to gain equality. The body became a form of expression to transform social stereotypes, and used as a primary medium, which reasserted aspects of a women’s figure that had been traditionally ignored or repressed by the male majority. (Holt.J, 2009) The body had just become one platform used by feminism and performance artists such as, Cindy Sherman, Carolee Schneemann and Hannah Wilke to rebel and promote their ideas, in order to gain equal rights.
6. Hammond, Colleen. "Dressing with Dignity - History of Women's Fashion Industry - How to Fight Sexual Revolution and Immodesty in Dress!" N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
The history of pageants has dated back to the 1920s, when the first Miss America, Margaret Gorman, was crowned. According to research, The United States has traced back its roots of pageantry where it even dates back when the Women’s Liberation and Civil Rights Movement started. In the early 1920s, also known as the “Roaring Twenties,” women did not have any rights in the United States. Society during this time saw women having the role of being married and staying at home while taking care of their kids and tending to their homely duties. Women in the 1920s were in the process of fighting for their right to vote as well as having equal rights in America and being able to work in the workforce. On August 18, 1920, the change for women’s rights had just begun, the 19th amendment passed by congress granted women the right to vote in the United States. The labor force for women was beginning to change as well. Women were once seen having the role of “feminine” jobs. Society saw women taking jobs like nursing and teaching. Men did not like the fact that the w...