performing identity

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Michelle, my belle.

May 30, 2007 in Debra Dickerson, Maureen Dowd, Obamas, Obamas, feminism, performing identity, social capital, stereotypes, womanism | 3 comments

[you can sing the title with the Beatles or w/ Slick Rick, depending on your mood]

I am sure you are well-apprised of what I am going to call “The Michelle Obama feminism challenge.” But just in case, Mirror on America did a very nice post last week, outlining some of the most notable sites of contestation, particularly as they’ve been crystallized in Debra Dickerson’s recent article in Slate, and Maureen Dowd’s syndicated op-ed piece, reproduced here from the San Jose Mercury News. Racialicious also has a great post outlining the Dickerson and Dowd articles (amongst others). It’s redundant to rehearse the Racialicious and Mirror on America points, so check them out!

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read “White Like Me”

April 28, 2007 in Victor Varnado, albinism, performing identity, race | No comments

Here’s a new twist on some of our conversations on identity and performance, from Ben Westhoff, over at the Village Voice. It’s a story on Victor Varnado, who is an African American with albinism. He works as actor, and is also a stand-up comedian.

In his decision-making about which opportunities to take, he must confront the question many artists, particularly artists from marginalized backgrounds, often face: where is the limit between wanting to be known as an “artist of x,” and knowing that some of your success as an artist might also hinge on your deployment of your racial, sexual, melaninal specificity?

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Miss Mexico’s ‘War Gown,’ or, Fashion Matters

April 28, 2007 in Mexico, Miss Mexico, Miss Universe, Rosa Maria Ojeda, TV, fashion matters, performing identity, politics | No comments

the missesCoincidentally, after my random in-class rant on nationalism and the Miss Universe contest, I came across this article at the BBC. It’s about Miss Mexico’s gown choice for this year’s Miss Universe pageant, which will be held May 28th in Mexico City. The gown was selected for Rosa Maria Ojeda Cuen from a field of thirty other dresses, and was admired because the selection committee “wanted a dress that made you think of Mexico.” Hector Terrones, who served on the selection committee, apparently also explained to La Jornada that “The design should grab people’s attention and have impact without giving too much information.” But critics, like La Jornada columnist Jorge Camil, vehemently disagree on the dress’ ‘message,’ claiming that:

It would be like Miss USA wearing a dress showing images of the Ku Klux Klan in the Deep South. [...] A beauty contest is very far from being the right place to vent political and religious ideologies.

Oh my! Let’s have a look at this dress…

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“all lesbians are sneaky”

April 11, 2007 in gender, hip-hop, lgbt, performing identity | No comments

Chloé A. Hilliard has an interesting article over at the Village Voice, subheaded “Young lesbians in Brooklyn find that a thug’s life gets them more women.”From one woman’s hypermasculine assertion that “all lesbians are sneaky,” to Read the rest of this entry »