Gender, Sexuality & the Body

 Drag Queens, Gay Culture, Camp and Pageantry PS Burn This Letter (documentary) CLICK WATCH Restorative History: The history that is left out of our official accounts. It is not extra history, but the history just like any other. Often stories are unknown even to those that live in a place (like NYC or Atlantic City) unless you are part of the marginalized community which was witness to these events. teaches marginalized people their own history and how they are part of the history of a place The loss of storytellers -- this is an issue for many communities last speaker of a language lost traditions in colonial contexts lost traditions with displacement and gentrification stigmatized groups are seen as without significant culture and history We think of restorative history as SPECIAL history (often reserved for a special month) but it is not. It IS HISTORY. New York City Drag in the 1950s-1970s- How does it compare to what you are reading about in Atlantic City? Indiana to South Caroli

 bell hooks: Is ParisBurning? In a misogynist, racist culture, black men in "drag" portray black women with ridicule. They feel emasculated by white supremist culture (feel like symbolic women) and so act hyper-masculine and display high levels of homophobia and hyper-masculine aggression. also can be a critique of the hyper-masculine sensibility in Black Culture When objects of admiration become fetishized version of rich white women, they cease to be subversive if they ever were. What is hooks critique of Jennie Livingston, the director? what is the significance of her identity? Does she ignore intersectional issues? Are Balls supporting the hegemony? How do you feel about Hooks representation of (mostly White) audiences reaction to the film as funny? Did you think it was funny? Tragic? What do you make of Dorian Carey in the film? How does hooks analysis fit into her critique of Livingston? Did you find the film to be about spectacle or struggle? Is the ballroom schene inh

 What is the Ideal Body? Why is it so deeply ingrained in our self-image? Read about Mauritania: In Nigeria, the ideal body is FAT (the fatter the better) what are the beauty norms for desert Arabs in Nigeria?  In what ways are these body norms expressed? girth weight stretch marks on your arms In what way are they achieved? forced feeding seclusion and fattening of females for marriage inactivity Symbol & Meaning long neck & no collar bones walking slowly and swaying butt from side to side to show off size womanhood needs girth stretch marks as symbols of beauty Are body ideals "physical manifestations of beliefs and practices that are anchored in a wider set of cultural values"? self-discipline strength industry general virtue where do these body ideals come from? (all cultures have well established and IMPOSED views about the ideal human body). Mende people of Sierra Leone: spend a great deal of time achieving body images, like high buttocks, plump bodies, very dar

 The Politics and Presentation of Women's Bodies Mammoplasty: Designing Women What/who creates and perpetuates women's body modification? Who exercises the power? Women, Society, or both? Feminist critique: society imposing beauty standards on women (Foucault) False Consciousness : women believe they have agency to do what the "want" but are unaware of where "what they want" comes from. versus free will Male Gaze : objectifies women based on their desires has been critiqued for taking agency away from women highlights the importance of looking and being seen in social construction pornography exemplifies male gaze, in particular in terms of sexuality. lesbianism in male pornography Opposing approaches are too simple (Foucault) Cosmetic Surgery both reifies and constitutes hegemonic femininity women are not forced to undergo cosmetic surgery, rather then internalize as natural and normal the standards of beauty that are pervasive in hegemonic culture (Gramsci