By: Victoria Hincapie Gomez Date: June 3 of 2022
A couple of days ago , I rewatched this classic documentary that brings the spotlight to the life of LGTBQ+ people in the New York of the 80's. As I was watching it once again I realized that what truly made this documentary special is how they were able to find a way to bring happiness out of the gloom.
In the last year or two some countries like the U.S.A with new legislations in Texas and Florida have taken steps backwards into the progress that was made by trailblazers like the ones featured in this documentary or the first ones that spoke up and revealed against the discrimination towards the community( Stonewall , 1969).
Although some events have proved that the clock doesn't always go forward and can easily run backwards , the progress that has been made is undeniable, comparing it to how things were back in the 80's. The documentary shows blatantly how racism and hatred against queers kept segregated members of the LGTBQ+ community from society and ultimately forced them to built a world within world.
The ballroom culture was formed as a result of this isolation. In these ballrooms those excluded of having a ''normal'' life were able to made their fantasies of what they were deprived of a reality. The ballroom culture had and has categories like femme queen , butch queen , vogue and much more. This gives a chance for all members of a community to excel at what they do best.
But they don't participate in a ball by themselves, they do so by being a representative of a house. A house in the queer community acquires a different meaning , because rather than being an actual house , it is the unity of LGBTQ+ individuals with their chosen family. The one that is there no matter what you are into or what you are. So, in each ball with its respective categories a member of a house participates to gain a prize, a symbolic one in most case scenarios.
The house of LaBeija , the house of Pendavis , the house of Saint Laurent and the house of Extravaganza are the ones mainly highlighted in the documentary.
Since the documentary's premiere the ballroom culture has become mainstream in shows like Pose. Pose's characters and storylines are inspired by some of the people depicted in the documentary like Venus Extravaganza and Octavia St.Laurent , which happen to be my personal favorites of the documentary.
Venus Extravaganza
Octavia St. Laurent
I was drawn to them from the get-go , because I saw myself in them. They are resilient , ambitious and want to be seen as beautiful in order to ''pass''. In the documentary they engage in the balls , where their identity is applauded. But a side of them rejects what their identity means in the outside world. I relate to this.
It doesn't matter if you are part of the LGBTQ+ community or not this is a must watch, because it marks the beginning of a pivotal moment in history , where the unknown for many , suddenly becomes known.
Link to watch Paris Is Burning : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xrwoYSNFbg&t=632s
I hope you liked this week's blog , and feel free to comment down below.
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