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From the Love Ball to RuPaul: The Mainstreaming of Drag in the 1990s

Davenport, Jeremiah Ryan, PhD
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1499363704491381

Abstract Details

2017, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Musicology.
In the first half of the 1990s, Western popular culture experienced an infusion of drag. The success of Jenny Livingston’s seminal but highly problematic documentary of the Harlem Ballroom drag scene, Paris is Burning (1991), signaled an intrigue from popular and critical circles alike. The dance form “voguing,” born of the same Harlem Ballroom scene, appeared before and after the film’s release in music videos for Liz Torres, Taylor Dayne, Malcolm McLaren, and Queen Latifah. Madonna’s song “Vogue” and its accompanying video and live performances capitalized on the dance’s underground chic that had begun to bubble over into the mainstream. RuPaul’s “Supermodel (You Better Work)” and the clean and relatable image she created for herself around it soon after catapulted her from the Queen of Manhattan to legitimate stardom. In doing so, she and her team of collaborators turned her into a household name, musical performer, model, actress, and host of her own talk show. RuPaul’s rounding off of the edges of the drag queen image led drag characters to take center stage in the films Mrs. Doubtfire (Columbus 1993), The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Elliot, 1994), To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (Kidron, 1995), and The Birdcage (Nichols, 1996). Lady Bunny’s Wigstock festival also became a documentary focus in Wigstock (Shills, 1995) during the height of drag queen visibility in film. This dissertation traces the emergence of drag into the mainstream culture of the 1990s. I argue that three separate subcultures dramatically altered the aesthetics and aims of drag: Downtown New York new wave, Harlem House Ballroom, and London New Romantic. I explore how each of these artistic nightlife cultures incorporated drag and queer performance as well as the ways that each garnered increasing attention for drag from new audiences and media outlets. Susanne Bartsch’s role as a purveyor of drag to the worlds of fashion and art are also explored. Lastly, I examine the Hollywood films mentioned above and how drag and sexuality are treated in each, reflecting the approaches major studios, directors, and actors took in seeking a heterosexual audience for drag.
Daniel Goldmark (Advisor)
Georgia Cowart (Committee Member)
Robert Spadoni (Committee Member)
Francesca Brittan (Committee Member)
249 p.
Art History; Black History; Cultural Anthropology; Dance; Film Studies; Gender; Gender Studies; Glbt Studies; History; Latin American History; Modern History; Motion Pictures; Music; Performing Arts; Theater; Theater History; Theater Studies; Womens Studies
drag; drag queens; queer performance; Downtown New York; lgbtq; queer history; drag queen history; The Birdcage; Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; RuPaul; Madonna; Susanne Bartsch; Leigh Bowery; The Birdcage; Paris is Burning; performance art; Klaus Nomi;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Davenport, PhD, J. R. (2017). From the Love Ball to RuPaul: The Mainstreaming of Drag in the 1990s [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1499363704491381

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Davenport, PhD, Jeremiah. From the Love Ball to RuPaul: The Mainstreaming of Drag in the 1990s. 2017. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1499363704491381.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Davenport, PhD, Jeremiah. "From the Love Ball to RuPaul: The Mainstreaming of Drag in the 1990s." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1499363704491381

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1499363704491381
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© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.