7.2 Drag History: Paris is Burning and the Ethics of Cultural Appropriation

Documentary Overview: Paris is Burning is a 1990 documentary film directed by Jenny Livingston. It explores the lived experiences of drag performers and their respective "houses," which function as drag families.
Geographical and Historical Context: The film is set in New York City, New York, during the Reagan era (late 1980s to 1990).
Political Atmosphere: This era was marked by a tense political climate, specifically the HIV/AIDS epidemic. President Ronald Reagan is noted for not taking the epidemic seriously for a significant period, despite it harming marginalized populations. The documentary showcases the communities that formed during this crisis.
Community Spotlight: The film primarily spotlights Black and Latina queens and the queer-of-color communities they established in the New York underground scene.

The Ethics of Exposure: While historically celebrated for revealing an underground scene that was largely hidden, the film carries significant ethical implications. Critiques center on the act of "exposing" a marginalized community to the mainstream.
Compensation and Victimization: A major ethical concern is whether the queens who served as documentary subjects were properly compensated for sharing their stories. Many of these stories involved profound trauma and difficult personal histories.
Professional Responsibility: The speaker emphasizes that filmmakers, journalists, and reporters have a moral obligation to ensure subjects are fairly compensated and "properly looked after" when their lives and stories are placed on a massive platform for public consumption.

Subversive Space: While the drag scene was incredibly subversive, performers often emulated the "status quo" or roles considered "normal" or "normative."
Aesthetics of Wealth: Queens recreated the aesthetics of high fashion and wealth using:
- Stolen goods.
- Found items.
- Handmade pieces.
- Secondhand goods.
Economic Barriers: During this period, drag was not a viable career path. Systemic marginalization meant many performers lacked traditional jobs or societal support, resulting in very limited incomes. This "ingenuity of necessity" allowed them to perform respectability and wealth despite the lack of resources.

The Chloe O. Davis Article: Recommended reading before watching the film, Davis explains that contemporary queer vernacular is deeply rooted in Black queer culture and African American Vernacular English (AAVE).
Mainstream Explosion: Language from the ballroom scene has entered mainstream culture. Examples of terms provided by Davis include:
- Throw shade.
- Read.
- Vogue.
- Dip.
- Slay.
The Ballroom Scene: This is the specific term used to describe the drag subculture showcased in Paris is Burning.
Mainstream Appropriation: Mainstream society often takes notice when marginalized creative communities produce art and joy under pressure. This leads to "trickle-down" trends where subcultural ingenuity is adopted by the broader public.

The Song "Vogue": In 1990, the pop star Madonna released the song "Vogue," which she derived from the New York underground ballroom and dance clubs.
The Dance Craze: Madonna utilized the dance and linguistic vernacular of Black and Latinx gay and trans ballroom culture to create an international craze.
Appreciation vs. Profit: While Madonna is often considered a "gay icon" and was bisexual/queer herself, she benefited from the spotlight and significant profit. Meanwhile, the originators of the culture continued to live without social acceptance or adequate resources.
The Limit of Representation: The speaker notes that while bringing queer culture to the mainstream is "something," representation alone is never sufficient for actual liberation.

Definition of Black Vernacular: Chloe O. Davis describes it as a system of words, expressions, and tonalities created to articulate the unique experiences of Black people and their culture.
Linguistic Function: This language is deployed for survival, protection, and affirmation.
Linguistic Code: The expressions within the Black gay and queer community represent a nuanced linguistic code that is unavailable in standard English.
Discrimination and Racism: The historical marginalization of Black vernacular—labeling it as "improper English"—is rooted in systemic racism.
The Problem of Use: When members of the mainstream use these terms without understanding the history, they are often misusing or misappropriating a language meant for survival.

Centuries of Commodification: Blackness has been defined as the standard of "cool" in America for at least a century. Forms of Black culture that have been commodified, objectified, and commercialized include:
- "Hipster" and "Jive" culture (1920s).
- Jazz.
- Rock and Roll.
- Rap.
- Hip Hop.
Divorce from Meaning: Terms get divorced from their roots. The speaker uses the example of "wine moms in Minnesota" saying "slay all day" to illustrate how language is stripped of its context of survival when it hits the mainstream.
Systemic Disenfranchisement: Despite the creative output, Black LGBTQIA+ people continue to face silencing and disenfranchisement within a racist system of oppression.

Language Creation: The Black gay and queer community is described as the "vanguard of language creation in America since the beginning of the twentieth century."
Critical Consumption: If one is to appreciate drag or adopt its vernacular, they must be critical of the history and ensure they are acting respectfully toward its origins.
The Queen’s English: Chloe O. Davis is a prolific Black queer educator who published The Queen’s English: The LGBTQIA+ Dictionary to document these terms and their histories.

Diversity: How does Paris is Burning highlight diverse perspectives and communities?
Contemporary Differences: How does the portrait of drag in the late 80s/early 90s differ from 2020s expectations (e.g., the influence of RuPaul's Drag Race)?
Timelessness: The speaker notes the timelessness of fashion (e.g., mullets, mustaches, and denim shorts appearing both in the film and in modern queer spaces).
Slang Identification: What specific terms or slang from the documentary are still in use today, and were any of their origins surprising?