Created to express cultural and sexual identity of minorities within the gay community, Voguing also served as a tool to reveal and protest heteronormative patriarchy and homophobia, white privilege and thereby the closely linked ideologies of racism and classism. Notably, racism and classism also posed to be considerable factors in the exclusion of African-American and Latin-American homosexual individuals within the mainstream white gay community. Societal anxiety of the then emerging HIV/AIDS crisis and the conservative government under Ronald Reagan, posed to be what Mazzone and Peressini call a threat of “potential and complete exclusion” of African-American and Latin-American citizens from the gay community, American society at large and often even their own families. The broad societal exclusion led to the blossoming of a subculture with its own rules and structures. The analyses of the Voguing roots aims at disclosing the intersections of oppression factors for gay Vogue dancers of colour and further strives to unveil Voguing as a form of subcultural protest against norms established by white patriarchy. Jennie Livingston’s documentary on the 1980s gay ballroom scene in New York serves as a tool to emphasise the unique position of gay outcasts of colour and allows an inspection of the structure and meaning of the ballroom scene with its houses and their organisation as post-modern families. As it is a pivotal aspect of the scene and its power to question traditional family and moral values rooted in religion, leading to heterosexist suppression and condemnation of homosexuals and all gender non-conformists, the documentary and the organisation of the ballroom scene will be analysed. In this context, the first mainstream release of the artist Malcolm McLaren in the late 1980s presenting, and the role of Madonna in the promotion of Voguing in mainstream popular culture in the early 1990s will be discussed. It is argued that Madonna’s work and collaboration with dancers from the Voguing underground scene had the vigour to be an instrument to bring gay issues into the centre of discussion.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. THE ROOTS OF VOGUING – FAGGOTS' BALLS
3. INTERSECTIONALITY AND THE VAST INEQUALITIES OF A WHITE MAN’S NATION
3.1. RACE AND CLASS
3.2. THE MASCULINE POWER STRUGGLE AND THE THREAT OF SUBVERSION
3.3. HETERONORMATIVITY’S RULE
3.4. A TIME OF CRISIS – HIV/AIDS AND THE CYCLICAL RE- INFORCEMENT OF EJECTION
3.5. CHURCH, MORALITY AND FAMILY REJECTION
4. A CHANGING BALLROOM CULTURE – THE LINK BE- TWEEN PERFORMATIVE REALNESS AND VOGUING
4.1. THE ALTERNATIVE PROJECT – THE ORGANISATION OF HOUSES AS POSTMODERN FAMILIES
4.2. POSTMODERN FAMILIES – GENESIS AND FUNCTION OF HOUSES IN BALLROOM COMPETITIONS
5. VOGUING – A BODY OF CONTEST
5.1. DEEP IN VOGUE – WILLI NINJA, MALCOLM MCLAREN AND FIRST STEPS INTO THE MAINSTREAM
6. CONTEXTUALISING MADONNA AND CRITIQUE ON HER WORK
6.1. NOT QUITE LIKE A VIRGIN – MADONNA’S AMBIGUOUS PLAY ON GENDER IDENTITY
6.2. PRE-VOGUE – MADONNA’S COMMENT ON RACE AND RELIGION
6.3. MADONNA IN VOGUE
6.4. THE VOGUE MUSIC VIDEO – ECHOES OF THE BALL- ROOM SCENE
6.5. THE COUNTER-LOOK – A STRATEGY OF EMPOWER- MENT
6.6. THE INTERPLAY OF IMAGE AND SONG LYRICS – THE PROCLAMATION TO VOGUE
6.7. STRIKE A POSE – MADONNA’S DANCERS LOOK BACK
7. CONCLUSION
8. Works Cited
Objectives and Research Themes
This work examines the history and evolution of Voguing, analyzing how this dance style emerged from the African-American and Latin-American gay ballroom scene as a form of subcultural, sociocultural protest against white patriarchal norms, racism, classism, and heteronormativity.
- The intersectional roots of Voguing within marginalized communities.
- The social organization of "houses" as postmodern, alternative families.
- The role of Voguing as a body of contest and subversion against societal exclusion.
- Madonna's impact in bringing Voguing to the mainstream and the resulting cultural debates.
- The interplay between popular culture, performativity, and political statement.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1. RACE AND CLASS
Beyond the artistic expression and critique of Voguing, lies a history much older than the dance, which will be uncovered and contextualised with the movement and the original African-American and Latin-American Voguers to unclose its protest potential through the lens of an intersectional approach. Muñoz defines intersectionality as a resource of “critical hermeneutics that register the copresence of sexuality, race, class, gender, and other identity differentials as particular components that exist simultaneously with one another” (99). Concerning the marginalised gay Voguers, the historical foundation of the United States has to be reconsidered to trace elements that forced gay people of colour into their unique outcast positions in American society during the 1980s and early 1990s.
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: Outlines the rise of Vogue into the mainstream through Madonna and establishes the necessity of investigating its roots in African-American and Latin-American gay ballroom culture as a tool of protest.
2. THE ROOTS OF VOGUING – FAGGOTS' BALLS: Traces the origins of the ballroom scene to the 1920s in Harlem, highlighting how it functioned as a space for gay subcultural expression amidst societal exclusion.
3. INTERSECTIONALITY AND THE VAST INEQUALITIES OF A WHITE MAN’S NATION: Explores the intersectional factors—racism, classism, heteronormativity, the HIV/AIDS crisis, and religious/family rejection—that defined the marginalized status of ballroom dancers.
4. A CHANGING BALLROOM CULTURE – THE LINK BE- TWEEN PERFORMATIVE REALNESS AND VOGUING: Analyzes the structural evolution of the ballroom scene, focusing on the categorization of performances and the emergence of "houses" as postmodern, chosen families.
5. VOGUING – A BODY OF CONTEST: Explores the competitive nature of Voguing, the concept of "shade" as a form of insult/protest, and early mainstream exposure through Willi Ninja and Malcolm McLaren.
6. CONTEXTUALISING MADONNA AND CRITIQUE ON HER WORK: Critically analyzes Madonna's incorporation of Voguing, exploring themes of cultural appropriation, gender play, the "counter-look," and her role in bringing LGBTQ issues to the forefront of mainstream discussion.
7. CONCLUSION: Summarizes the power of Voguing as a subcultural protest and reflects on the broader impacts of this intersectional resistance in contemporary society.
Keywords
Voguing, Ballroom Culture, Intersectionality, Madonna, White Patriarchy, Racism, Classism, Heteronormativity, HIV/AIDS, Postmodernism, Subcultural Protest, Performative Realness, Gender Identity, Queer Identity, Cultural Appropriation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper explores the history and cultural significance of Voguing, specifically examining its roots as a form of subcultural protest by marginalized African-American and Latin-American gay individuals against systems of oppression.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The key themes include the intersectionality of race, class, and gender, the influence of the HIV/AIDS crisis, the organization of ballroom "houses," and the role of popular culture in challenging dominant societal norms.
What is the central research question?
The work investigates how Voguing functions as a tool for sociocultural protest against white patriarchal hegemony and whether its move into the mainstream via Madonna served to subvert or exploit these subcultural critiques.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The research uses an intersectional framework to analyze historical and sociological contexts, combined with a close reading of media texts, including documentaries like "Paris Is Burning" and music videos by Malcolm McLaren and Madonna.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body covers the history of ballrooms, the structural analysis of "houses" as postmodern families, the competitive nature of the dance ("shade"), and an extensive critique of how artists like Madonna and McLaren engaged with the ballroom scene.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Voguing, intersectionality, ballroom culture, queer identity, subcultural protest, white patriarchy, and performative subversion.
How does the author define the "house" structure?
The author defines houses as "postmodern families"—transient, chosen coalitions that provided safety and support to outcasts who were rejected by their nuclear families and marginalized by broader society.
How is the concept of "shade" explained in relation to the dance?
"Shade" is defined as a developed form of reading (insult). In the context of Voguing competitions, it serves as a safe way to express disdain and critique an opponent through dance movements, acting as a mirror to societal flaws.
What is the significance of the "counter-look" in the analysis?
The "counter-look" is a strategy of empowerment where marginalized dancers and artists reclaim control over the gaze, challenging the traditional masculine voyeurism of the entertainment industry and asserting their own presence and value.
- Citar trabajo
- Dominic Junkes (Autor), 2017, Express Yourself. Voguing as a Form of Sociocultural Protest, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/387850
