Vocal Performances in American Stand-Up Comedy

Everyone knows a woman that dresses feminine—in long, flowy dresses, bright pink lipstick, and towering high heels. Personally, my usual attire is composed of a flower headband and a pastel yellow sundress. People typically expect straight women to uphold a certain feministic standard and anticipate that lesbian women appear masculine. Lesbians are stereotyped to have short hair, wear striped flannels and boyfriend jeans, and not wear makeup. Masculine-appearing women are assumed to be gay; however, there is a group of lesbian women who dress femininely. Lipstick lesbians, or LLs, are a part of the feminine lesbian community. The LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community has built up recently and an abundance of stereotypes as well. Contrary to popular belief, lesbians are not bound to one appearance. We as humans should have the opportunity to express ourselves in whichever way we desire. Similar to everyone else, lesbians’ appearances do not have to be strictly based off of who they are attracted to. Lipstick lesbians positively influence lesbian stereotypes because they defy masculine appearance and are unafraid to express themselves. By recognizing that lesbians who dress femininely are still lesbians, individuals can avoid awkward and uncomfortable situations by being respectful and acknowledging their boundaries.

Analysis of Dave Chappelle's For What It's Worth Stand-Up Comedy Dave Chappelle’s stand-up comedy can be raunchy, grotesque, and

This approach to queer subtext has been has always been a part of Western media as we as we explored in the film “The Celluloid Closet” (1995). Queer representation for many years was an continuous uncategorized personification that was vaguely acknowledged but to those who understood the subtext, it became an undercurrent of complex coded information that eventually paved the way for the integration of queer identification within the hetero film storylines. Doty speaks about this and also mentions that at some point in time representation of queer culture and sexuality

In Stephen Mays’ essay “What about Gender Roles in Same-sex Relationships?” published in They Say I Say, the author discusses how people often assign gender roles automatically, even with gay and lesbian couples. Mays stresses the concept of femininity and masculinity, and also shows the difference in their roles, supports them with vivid imagery, and gives a rare example of gay male preferences, all while using the correct diction when referring to personal experiences. Although the author reiterates gender roles and their effect on same-sex relationships, he gives clear examples that support the idea of masculine or feminine qualities.

The topic of sexual orientation is both sensitive and controversial. This is evident in events, such as the Pride Parade, and also in media, where authoritative figures preach against it and speak of its “sinful nature” (Emmanuele, Blanchard, Camperio-Ciani, & Bancroft, 2010). Sexual orientation exists in various forms, it differs in the way it is viewed by different cultures, and researchers propose different perspectives to explain the emergence of an individual 's sexual orientation. In the discourse of sexual orientation,

“The Monster and the Homosexual” is written to give the reading audience a sense of a background on the history homosexuality has gained through culture in society and how people are bearing a comparison behind a homosexual and a monster. Some individuals view homosexuality as immoral and nefarious, similar to how one would describe a monster. Although not biased, homosexuality is an alteration to the typically known heterosexual relationship, and that seems to be the reasoning behind why homosexuality is considered as relentlessly as monstrous activity (739). Benshoff brings forth the reasoning in his article by stating, “Some people have always considered anything that opposes or lies outside the ideological status quo intrinsically monstrous and unnatural” (738). “The Monster and the Homosexual” provides the readers with several circumstances in which the comparison of homosexuals and monsters is apparent, whether in the form of symbolisms or in some instances, such as The Gay Agenda, the comparison is more straightforward without the use of symbolism (737). Overall, the argument of Harry Benshoff’s article, “The Monster and the Homosexual,” is to unveil a side of the ongoing comparison of homosexuals and monsters that some may have not

The homosexual community is one of the most misunderstood and degraded cultures in today’s society. Homosexuals are usually the brunt of much of the misunderstanding and, as a result, have most of the unban legends and denigrating jokes that are found in modern tradition centered on themselves. Two legends stand out above many others; the myth of “Gerbiling”, which describe a supposed cruel and exotic practice of gay men, and “The Gay Roommate”, in which a gay man sexually assaults his heterosexual roommate in a college dorm. Both of these legends exemplify the fact that, through misunderstanding or fearing a culture, you can create horrible monsters out of average men.

He argues that psychologists as early as Freud have determined the importance of a person’s sexual identity in defining a person’s psychological make-up and then points out that it is impossible for a reader to divorce their sexuality from a reading of any text, that a reader brings to a text the entirety of his experiences and identity and therefore, he brings his sexual identity to the reading of a text also. I use the male pronoun at this point in this paper because the author of the article examined the homosexual male reader, which is separate from either the heterosexual identity and also separate from a lesbian identity because "the homosexual male, in spite of his ‘difference’ is still a biological man, and very importantly, he is a socially constructed man, with all that this implies for phallocentrism and patriarchy" (73). Therefore, it can be seen, a reader can neither divorce their sexual identity nor their gender identity from a reading of a text; in fact, because these factors play a major role in a reader’s psychological make-up, they also play a major role in a

Seeing that these are the only two moments that actually seemed to tackle conversations outside of heterosexualism, I am still trying to understand how readers are meant to think of sexuality in “My Beautiful Enemy.” I have since tried to apply Sara Ahmed’s work, specifically her reading titled “Queer Feelings” and Adrienne Rich’s work on Compulsory Heterosexuality. Both authors note moments of manipulation for women, in such a way that these moments cannot afford to be diluted from a larger scope. They are undeniable parts of a whole, and at their most dangerous, they are seen in conjunction with the mask of progressiveness. For Ahmed this manipulation is framed as “repetitive strain injuries” (RSIs) “Through repeating some gestures and not others, or through being orientated in some directions and not others, bodies become contorted; they get twisted into shapes that enable some action only insofar as they restrict capacity for other kinds of action.” (145). For Rich this manipulation is the general way all bodies are conditioned to expect an innate heterosexuality and the specific violence this allows women to be subjected to during every phase of their lives. “One of many means of enforcement is, of course, the rendering invisible of the lesbian possibility, an engulfed continent which rises

While the men share a homosexual orientation, gay men were divided by social hierarchies (professional, street, and fairy drag queens), age, gender, and race. The age division is revealed in the assertion that the community places “an extreme value on youth.” The gender division is highlighted when men state, “men far outweigh gay women in the gay life.” As far as the racial division, this aspect is emphasized in Newton’s statement that she met only a few gay black men leading her to claim, “I assume that they tend to be confined to the ghetto.” This study of female impersonators in America is largely a study of white drag queens. While this work is underdeveloped in discussing race, it leaves the field wide open for discussion of black drag queens in the

This chapter talks about the development of gay and lesbian identities. According to Mary McIntosh, gay identity developed in the 17th century with the development of molly houses in England. The molly houses created a way in which homosexaulity can be recongizeded by expression through clothes, language, gesture, buildings, etc. D’Emilio believed that homosexual identity (men and women) developed in direct response to capitalism and wage labor. He argues the that the family shifted from unit of production to a unit of emotional satisfaction and happiness. In addition, the need to procreate decreased with the labor of children no longer being necessary. This led to a change in sexual relations within marriage. Furthermore, lesbian identity

The typical portrayal is obviously very heteronormative. This was a time of the beginnings of the LGBT movement, so it’s not as if this just wasn’t a mainstream concept yet. It was willfully left out. The Kinsey Scale was a test created by Alfred Kinsey in 1948 that was used to determine whether someone was homosexual or heterosexual, and to what degree as well. Many would consider this to be ahead of its time, not only addressing issues like homosexuality, but also bi- and pansexuality, which some people still struggle to conceptualize.

Comic books have recently become a way of representing and expressing ideas on human sexuality. Politically InQueerect #2 by Dylan Edwards and Liliane and Muesli in Beyond Shades of Queer by Leanne Franson both tell a story with non-heterosexual characters to portray different views on sexuality. Franson’s comic contains many humorous panels that involve a cat or a dog interacting with a human being. She is concerned with the categorization of human sexuality based on sexual behavior and orientation. On the other hand, Edward’s comic has different characters that interact in a friendly and entertaining way. He creates a story to voice his concerns about the political issues and experiences that homosexuals have. Nevertheless, rather than writing a polemic or an op-ed, both authors use the comic book medium to convey their opinions about the experiences that the gay community has and the issues it faces. Representing non-normative sexuality in such a manner makes it easier for one to examine these issues from a different perspective and to agree with the beliefs of both authors.

If a girl begins to demonstrate some signs of male characteristics, she is referred to as a ‘tom-boy’. It is like a taboo to show such kinds of signs in a girl. On the other hand, if a male does not have masculine features, he is seen as an outcast. All of these perceptions are obtained from the media, and especially televisions and movies. According to Mehta and Hay (2005), media houses have for a long time helped to construct and reinforce stereotypical ideas about masculinity and men. From what is portrayed in the media, it is possible for people to dismiss others on the basis of whether they have masculinity or are feminine (Ferrey, 2008).

Sexuality is an issue that has been widely discussed and has often been misunderstood by society. It has often been a misconception by members of the heterosexual community that all lesbians want to be men. Through applying common sense, it can be understood why people may think gay women want to be men when looking in on the lesbian community, some lesbians prefer to express themselves and their sexuality through the way they dress and act; their short hair, masculine clothing, wearing no make-up and their macho