Role Models by Esther Newton
ROLE MODELS
Esther Newton: The Actress
Female Impersonators and Performers
Identification with Professional Performers: Female impersonators, specifically stage impersonators (refer to Newton 1972: 1-19), have a strong identification with professional entertainers.
Idols: Their idols typically include female entertainers, though street impersonators often prefer to model themselves after movie stars rather than stage actresses or nightclub performers.
Knowledge and Conversation:
Stage impersonators exhibit greater familiarity with the nuances of theater and nightclub language than street impersonators.
Example from Kansas City: Stage impersonators actively engage in discussions about stage and nightclub personalities, while street impersonators lack the knowledge to participate.
Self-Identification:
Many stage impersonators view themselves as nightclub performers, similar to “straight” performers, indicating a serious commitment to their art.
Critique of Unprofessional Conduct: When stage impersonators critique each other's behavior as 'unprofessional', it highlights their adherence to show business norms, using familiar vernacular from the industry (e.g., "break a leg", admonitions against whistling backstage).
The Distinction Between Professional and Street Performers
Personal Reflection by a Stage Impersonator:
Emphasizes a consciousness of performance with distinct differentiation from others seen as less serious about performance. An impersonator states:
"I am more conscious of being a performer… most… appearing [in shows] are just doing it… because it's something they can drop in and out of… primarily my interest… is there as a performer, as an entertainer…"
Qualities of Stage Impersonators:
They are concerned with billings, publicity, lighting, stage effects, timing, and stage presence.
The standard measure of quality is 'talent', reliant on established performers which serve as their role models in their performances and lives.
Impersonation as Medium:
Stage impersonators are essentially nightclub performers using impersonation as their medium.
Many stage impersonators present a less glamorous appearance off-stage, claiming drag is merely a mask from female performers, while their ethos is rooted in general show business norms.
Aspiration to Legitimacy:
The goal for many stage impersonators is to "go legit" in the mainstream entertainment industry, aiming for roles in movies, television, or high-status nightclubs, either in drag or in men's clothing.
Majority view street performers as diluting the profession and hope to see them barred from performance spaces for upgrading the craft.
T.C. Jones: Acclaimed among impersonators for performances on Broadway and in reputable clubs.
Esther Newton: The Drag Queen
Self-Perception within Society:
Impersonators categorize themselves at the bottom of the show business hierarchy socially. Their self-image is depicted in three circles:
Inner Circle: Impersonators (drag queens)
Middle Circle: Ordinary gay men
Outer Circle: Straight individuals
This illustrates a layered societal structure where impersonators regard themselves as a unique subgroup.
Relationship with Sexual Identity:
Some impersonators publicly deny their homosexuality (many are married, some with children). However, this is often perceived as a "cover".
Insinuations about sexuality arise when discussing participation in feminine presentation, suggesting an inherent connection between femininity in performance and sexual identity.
Roles in Homosexual Subculture:
The female impersonator's role links directly with drag queens and camp in the gay lifestyle, marking a significant cultural intersection.
Definitions:
A Drag Queen is a homosexual male who regularly dresses in female clothing, while a Drag Butch refers to a lesbian who habitually adopts male attire.
Drag and camp symbolize aspects of homosexuality, although participation in drag may not be universal among all homosexuals.
The Dichotomy of Masculine-Feminine in the Homosexual Subculture
Sartorial Expression:
The contrast between the masculine and feminine roles is expressed through clothing choices that reflect an inner debate about identity versus societal representation.
Various external factors (e.g., sartorial mismatches) can serve to highlight one's inner identity, often leading to layered perceptions of identity that can shift in different contexts.
Opposition Play:
Internal Mechanism:
Wear feminist undergarments beneath masculine clothes highlighting the dichotomy.
Stage impersonators might wear male undergarments while presenting in full drag as symbolic of the underlying male presence.
Opposition of Identity:
At performances, interactions become more pronounced as the impersonators navigate between their apparent outward female persona and their male identity, creating comedic contrasts through verbal and physical actions (e.g., revealing a fake breast).
Implications of Gender Presentation and Identify Transformation
Hormone Treatment:
Many impersonators have experimented with hormone treatments or body modifications to enhance their embodiment of femininity.
Disapproval from stage impersonators regarding 'hormone queens': they assert the essence of impersonation lies in the masculine foundation that should not migrate into different sexual identification.
The status of gender reassignment operations is contentious, often leading to ostracization by the gay community if the individual persists in engaging with gay culture.
Drag as a Symbol of Identity and Social Commentary
Natural versus Achieved Roles:
Drag challenges the notion of naturally inherited gender roles and poses sex-role behaviors as constructed performances subjected to societal interpretation.
This juxtaposition leads to two broader narratives: one framing homosexuality as an aberration to traditional roles, while the other undermines the rigidity of the sex-role system itself.
Ambivalence of the 'Drag Queen':
The term embodies stigma attached to homosexuality, creating a dichotomy between pride within a subculture and stigma from outside viewpoints.
Use of label varies significantly with contextual acceptance among peers versus in broader society.
Negative Perceptions and Social Pressure:
Homosexuality's dual nature of sexual object choice and deviant presentation contributes to the stigma where deviation from expected gender roles compacts the representation of identity.
Camp and Its Cultural Role
Differentiation Between Roles:
Not every female impersonator is camp; the drag queen focuses on masculinity's relation to femininity, while camp emphasizes transformations and the philosophy of incongruity in identity.
Camp figures are often integral to forming group identities and cultures within homosexual subgroups.
Themes of Camp:
Incongruity: Juxtaposition of opposing forces.
Theatricality: Style over substance; emphasis on presentation techniques.
Humor: Acknowledgment of life's absurdities through laughter.
Examples of Camp and Humor as Identity Tools
Creative Transformations:
Instances of unintentional versus intentional camp illustrate the social constructs of masculinity and femininity (e.g., a football player in drag).
Camp Situations:
Engagement with humor allows for navigating the social stigma, illustrated through performances that address tender subjects humorously (e.g., discussing tragic representations in film).
Notable Insights and Conclusions
Social Commentary through Performance:
Successful Camp Experiences: Enhancing community through humor and performance fosters dialogue around identities that deviate from societal norms.
Recognition of the interplay between personal and collective identity amid external perceptions showcases the inherent complexity of drag and camp within the homosexual community.
Reflective of Cultural Shifts:
Camp symbolizes the shift from internalization of stigma to a socially empowered acceptance integrating humor and satire to reflect deeper societal connotations.