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Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies English Language and Literature Hana Kulhánková Validity of Butch and Femme Gender Identities M.A. Major Thesis Supervisor: doc. PhDr. Tomáš Pospíšil, Dr. 2008 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. …………………………………………….. Author’s signature 2 Motto Are you butch or femme? If you don’t know by now, ask me and I’ll set you straight! SuzanneWestenhoefer Acknowledgement Iwouldlike tothankmyparentsfor their patienceandfornotgivinguponme. Iwouldlike tothankmybrotherVítězslavforhissupportandunderstandingwhoI reallyam. Iwouldlike tothankmybossIgorforallowingmetotaketimeoffworktofinishthis thesis. Iwouldlike tothankmysupervisorTomášPospíšilforhisflexibilityandadvice. Iwouldlike tothankAlexandra,Erika,Hannahfor proofreadingthe thesis. Iwouldlike tothankmostofall toLucie,myinspirationforthisthesis,whosharedher queerlifewithmineforfouryears. 3 Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................... 5 1. Butch and Femme Identities – A Historical and Theoretical Overview ........................................................................................................ 9 1.1.WorkingClassButchFemme BarCultureofthe1940sand1950s ....................10 1.2.Woman-IdentifiedAndrogynousLesbianFeministsofthe1970s ......................15 2. Butch and Femme Identities in Lesbian Independent Films ............... 23 2.1.QueerTheory .......................................................................................................26 2.2.NewQueerCinemaandLesbianIndependentFilm ............................................28 2.3.PerformanceofGenderandPerformanceof Queerness ......................................34 2.4.Robin’sHood–ButchandFemmeasanInseparableCouple ............................39 2.5.IttyBittyTittyCommittee–IsFeminismMoreImportantthanLesbianism? ....46 2.6.ButchJamie–RedefinitionoftheFemale ...........................................................55 3. Conclusion................................................................................................ 62 4. Summary .................................................................................................. 65 5. Works Cited ............................................................................................. 66 4 Introduction Contemporarysocietyis stilldividedintotwopolarizedworlds basedonsexual difference–theworldof malesandtheworldoffemales.Thisheteronormative dichotomyofa masculineactivemaleandafeminine passivefemaleoperatesaccording toprescribedgenderrolesandsexualdesires.Accordingtotraditionalgenderdivision, malefeaturesareassociatedwithrationality,activity,independence,assertivenessand physicalstrength,while ontheother side,femalefeaturesare associatedwithemotions, passivity,dependence,obedience andphysicalweakness.As JudithHalberstamnotes: Morewomen,perhaps,feelabletopushatthelimitsofacceptablefemininity, andmore men,maybe,findwaysofchallengingdominantformsof masculinity, buttheeffectsofevengentlegender bendinghavenot beencataclysmic.Westill scriptgenderfor boysandgirls inremarkablyconsistentandrestrictiveways, andwecontinuetoposit theexistenceofonlytwogenders.("Female"118) However,thereexist instanceswhichcomplicate thewhole binarypicture, especiallywhenbiologicalsexdoes notconformtogenderdifferencesandgenderroles whichare linkedtothesedifferences,asis thecaseoflesbianrelationships basedon butchandfemmeidentitiesandroles. Asimplifieddefinitionof butchandfemmeidentitiesfromtheencyclopediaof LesbianHistoriesandCultures states,"Whenseenthroughoutsiders’eyes,the butch appearssimplistically'masculine,' andthefemme,'feminine,' parallelingheterosexual categories"(Zimmerman138).Butchandfemme identitiesandbutchfemmerelations formthecoreinterestofthisthesisandaswill beelaboratedonfurther,especiallyin regards tohow butchwomenactinamasculineway,andwereandnowareableto explicitlydisplaytheexistenceoflesbianidentities.Bydoingso,theyresist the dominantheterogenderednormsrelatedtofemaleidentities,unlikefemmelesbians whosevisibilitywas,andstillisquestionedfortheiroftensmalldifference from 5 heterosexualwomen.AccordingtoZimmerman,"butches andfemmestransformed heterosexualelements,suchasgenderattitudeanddress,intoauniquelesbianlanguage ofsexualityandemotional bonding" (138).Throughouthistory,butchesandfemmes wereseenasinseparable couples that wereeasilyrecognizedandveryoftenviewedas themostcharacteristicrepresentativesoflesbianism,whichmadelesbianidentities visible.The centralquestionstowhichwewilltrytofindanswersare:1) whether butchfemmecouples aresimplereplicasofheterosexual relationshipsorwhether they subvertheterogenderednorms;and2)whether butchfemme couplesare stillthemost visiblerepresentativesoflesbianismincontemporarysocietyortheirvalidityis insignificanttolesbiansubcultures.Historical andtheoreticaltextsandcontemporary lesbianfilmswill beusedforthisthesis. Thethesisisdividedintotwomainchapters.Thischapterisfocusedona historicalandtheoreticaloverviewofthedevelopmentandunderstandingof butchand femmegenderidentities andrelatedrolesfrom1940suntil 1970s.Ahistorical perspective isacrucial pointinaddressingbutch-femmeissues becausewecannot analyze contemporarylesbianidentitieswithoutexaminingthehistoricalandsocial circumstancewhensuchidentitieswereformed.Thethesiswilldocumentthat throughout history; butchandfemmewomenwereoppressedandpositionedwithinthe binarisedcategoriesofsexual preferencesandgenderroles,withmasculinityand femininityattachedtothem.Wewillstartwiththe1940swhenbutchesweremore visibleina butchfemmecouple throughtheirdressandmanner,andservedasthe most explicitexampleoffemalesexualityandlesbianidentity.Betweenthe1940sand1960s butchfemmecouples createdearlylesbiancommunitiesmainlyinlesbianbarswhich wereestablishedinbigcities.Thankstothevisibilityandbraveryof butchandfemme 6 womenofthatera,itwas possible tocreatea basisforthelesbianfeministmovement andthegayliberationmovementinthe1970s. Thesecondpartofthefirstchapter willdealwiththeradicalizedlesbianfeminist movementofthe1970s.Thismovementwhichattackedtheinstitutionof heterosexualityitself,critiquedsexistandpatriarchaldivisionofgenderrolesinthe society,andasaresult,butchfemme coupleswerecriticizedforadoptingandimitating heterosexist genderroles basedonpoweranddomination.Asaconsequenceofsuch criticism,butchfemmecoupleseitheradopteda"politicallycorrect"androgynous identity,or ceasedfromthemovement.Thiswas nottheendof butchfemmegender identitiesthough,becausefromthe middleofthe1980s,alargenumberofscholarsand researchers whoself-identifiedas butchorfemme begantoexplore these identities tryingtore-definelesbianhistories andvalidatetheexistenceof butchfemmeidentities today. ThesecondchapteranalyzesthreecontemporaryAmericanlesbianfilms.They are, Robin’s Hood (directedbySara Millman,2003), Itty Bitty Titty Committee (directed byJamieBabbit,2007) and Butch Jamie (directedbyMichelleEhlen,2007).Allof themweredirectedbylesbians,were madeinindependent productions,wereshownat dozensoffilmfestivals worldwideandareorwill bedistributedonDVD.Thechapter willstartwithanintroductionofthe queertheory,whichistryingtodenaturalize heteronormativeunderstandingofsex,genderandsexuality.Manytheorists blamed advocacyofqueertheoryfor blendinganddissolvingallgenderidentities,and therefore,(accordingtoqueertheory) butchfemmeidentitiesarenolongeressentialfor lesbianidentities.Also,wewill put thesefilmsinthecontext oflesbianindependent cinemaandthe NewQueerCinema.Thethesiswill alsoemploytheories ofgenderand queer performancetodemonstrate thewaysinwhichthe butchfemmequeerwomen 7 showninthesethreefilmsexpress theirgenderidentitiesandhowtheseidentitiesare understoodbyotherfilmcharactersinthediegesis;wewilllookforcluesof butchand femmeidentitiesandbutchfemmegenderrolesaswell.Byusingthenarrativesofthe films,oneofourmainaims will betopresent the maJorissuesthat concern contemporarylesbiansorlesbiancommunities,andcontinue toexplorewhether butch andfemmeidentities are stillvalidnowadays. 8 1. Butch and Femme Identities – A Historical and Theoretical Overview Thefollowingchapter will present opposingviewsonbutchandfemmegender identitiesandbutchfemmecouplesfromthe1940suntil the 1980s.Therewere significantdisagreementsamonghistoriansandscholarswhoregardedbutchfemme relations eitherasreplicasofheterogenderednormsorasidentities that couldsubvert suchnorms.Therefore,butchandfemmeidentitiesandbutch-femmecoupleswere definedandredefinedaccordingtothe political,socialor politicaldiscourseofthe givenera.AmyGoodloewarnsthat thereis adangeroftakingre-definitionsof identitiesforgrantedsincehistoricallyonly,"dominantgroupshavehadthe powernot onlytoconstructtheirownidentities...buttoconstructthe identitiesofgroupsthe dominantgrouphasavestedinterest inmarginalizing"andpostmoderntheoristswho wanttocreate,"a counterideology,whichhasasitsaimtheliberationandde- objectificationof marginalizedgroups[can]intheattempttogivevoicetothose historicallysilencedandoppressed…runtheriskofre-inscribingoppressionalong verydifferentlines"(1).Goodloetakesthe lesbianfeminist movementofthe1970sand itscriticism ofthelesbianidentitybasedonbutch-femmerole playingasahistorical exampleofsuchanattempt: Thedominantformof feministdiscoursehas,inattemptingto'liberate'lesbian identityfrom patriarchalcontrol,insteadimposeditsownidentitypoliticsonthe lesbiancommunity,withtheresult thatthoselesbianswhose behaviorsor'styles' donotconformtothefeministagendahave