Fantasy Fulfillment: A Discussion of The Queen and Paris is Burning

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We might be done with Pose for now, but we are not quite ready to leave the ballroom yet!  This week’s episode features a deep dive into “The Queen,” a 1968 film directed by Frank Simon and “Paris is Burning,” directed by Jennie Livingston (1990).  

05:40-31:02
What we liked this week: Jocelyn attended her very first ballroom event - the Porcelain Ball - and it was EVERYTHING!  Kristine celebrated the LONG OVERDUE discussion of reproductive rights at the Democrats’ primary debate.  In particular, we loved Julián Castro’s reproductive justice-framed response.  We salute Castro and the impressive work of his campaign manager, Maya Rupert.

31:03-48:59
As always, there were things that we did not like.  For starters, stop vandalizing the Emmett Till Memorial!  Next, we move on to a very important public announcement:  IF YOU ARE NOT BLACK, THE N-WORD IS NOT FOR YOU. Kristine wraps up the segment with another repeat offender - Twitter.  People on the spicy bird somehow managed to confuse Elijah Cummings and John Lewis.  

49:00 - END:
We move on from our personal rants to one of the greatest rants/reads of all time, courtesy of the LEGENDARY House Mother Crystal LeBeija in The Queen.  In addition to LaBeija’s iconic reading skills, The Queen also highlights compelling explorations into the subjects’ views on military service and gender confirming surgery.    

As many know, LaBeija is much more than a masterful reader.  She went on to start the system of house-sponsored balls that are the focus of Paris is Burning. We reflect on the insights from the film’s subjects, the idea of fantasy fulfillment through ballroom participation, and how vocabulary from the film has evolved (or in some respects lost its meaning) over time.  Grab your favorite beverage and join us! 

Links: 

• The Queen is available on YouTube. Check it out!  Paris is Burning is streaming on Netflix. 
• The trailer for Tongues Untied (1989) by Marlon Riggs.  
• John Lewis and Elijah Cummings are two ENTIRELY different people. 
• Article about the new bulletproof Emmett Till memorial.  
• Summary of Gina Rodiguez’s foolishness.  
• Article on recent wave of pageant victories by Black contestants.  
• Ballroom commentators doing their thing.  
• Check out Vogue’s Best for clips from the Porcelain Ball. 

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