inspiration: claude cahun

happy birthday, claude cahun. cahun was born on this day in 1894.

In many ways, Cahun's life was marked by a sense of role reversal, and her public identity became a commentary upon not only her own, but the public's notions of sexuality, gender, beauty, and logic. Her adoption of a sexually ambiguous name, and her androgynous self-portraits display a revolutionary way of thinking and creating, experimenting with her audience's understanding of photography as a documentation of reality. Her poetry challenged gender roles and attacked the increasingly modern world's social and economic boundaries. Also Cahun's participation in the Parisian Surrealist movement diversified the group's artwork and ushered in new representations. Where most Surrealist artists were men, and their primary images were of women as isolated symbols of eroticism, Cahun epitomized the chameleonic and multiple possibilities of the female identity. Her photographs, writings, and general life as an artistic and political revolutionary continue to influence countless artists, namely Cindy Sherman and Nan Goldin.

i think it's unsurprising that i have a very special place in my heart for claude cahun and their art. the 1920s are definitely one of my favourite eras in terms of film, art, fashion, architecture... pretty much all around aesthetically i find it most dear to me. one of my favourite artists working in that era was claude cahun. the playing with identity, the use of photography, art, and clothing to express those different identities... it always stuck with me.

que me veux-tu? (autoportrait double); claude cahun, 1929.

auto-portrait; claude cahun, 1925

i.o.u. (self-pride); claude cahun, 1929-30

"sous se masque, un autre masque. je n'en finirai pas de soulever tous ses visages."

"under this mask, another. i will never succeed in unearthing all of these faces."

LINKS:
claude cahun on wikipedia
thoughts about bahaus + gender
Inverted Odysseys: Claude Cahun, Maya Deren, Cindy Sherman edited by Shelley Rice
(someone, please buy me this book. three of my favourite people, artists, icons combined in one book!)

LINKS IN FRENCH:
De l'Éros des femmes surréalistes et de Claude Cahun en particulier par Georgiana M. M. Colville
Une héroïne impossible: Claude Cahun par Agnès Lhermitte

currently ooing and awing over: sassyfrass

while procrastinating on the internet during my lunch break, i stumbled upon a most wonderful thing... how to wear a fanny pack and other gay information: a fashion blog

not only is it a great homo fashion post, i am cited as inspiration/instigation for the post itself! a while back i commented that if i could be anyone's internet sugar mama, i would be jb's. we need to queer up the fashion blogging world!

if you are unaware of the awesomeness that is sassyfrass circus (aka jb) in general, i strongly recommend browsing their official website and/or tumblr. she makes awesome zines and posts about epic bike rides and all around happy times.

here are some of my favourite comics of jb's:

ah, the misguided "fat talk" discussions.


unfortunately this resounded with hundreds of people in the tumblr-sphere. it needs to be said. (for a definition of manarchists, click here)

and other awesome stuff jb makes, like zines and patches and posters for shows:

you can buy some of jb's zines here, if you're interested.

please excuse the brevity of this post seeing as my lunch hour ended... five minutes ago.

sharing the love,

exes and ohs - garconniere

what i wore today: homage to teddy girls

consider this an homage to a jacket, to a season, and to a stylish group of badass ladies known as the teddy girls.

after a week of intense heat at the very end of august (very unusual and quite historic for québec city) we have finally been blessed with a cool autumn breeze in the air. as much as i love summer, i must say sartorially fall has always been my favourite. it's so much fun to play with colours, layers, textures... ah, tweed, plaid, how i missed thee.

today was one of those lovely early fall days, and so i dug deep in my closet to fully enjoy the autumn air while i ran some errands. here's what i came up with.

.the outfit.

(i feel like i look a wee bit... stoned in this photo)


it's moments like these where i love volunteering in a thrift store; that saddle bag and pair of high waisted pants are my rewards.

.the jacket.

the shoulders! they are just the perfect cut for me.


and even the namesake is perfection; jules was a nickname of mine when i was younger.

this is potentially one of the best items in my closet; it can make a dress more casual, a short and pants outfit fancier, and fits me perfectly. i used to think the sleeves were too short but now i understand. when i found it years ago, i really did not appreciate the treasure i had found. i think i paid $2 for it in a thrift store in trenton, or was it peterborough? by any means, it didn't really suit my style back in 2004, but now that i am a bit older and a little less afraid of looking "serious", every fall i look forward to pulling it out and pairing it with new things. the combinations are really endless. here are two ways i wore it back in the fall of 2008.

.the inspiration.

teddy girls:


Teddy Girl, 1955. by Ken Russell






all photos by filmmaker and photographer Ken Russell

how can you see these photos and NOT want to look exactly like them? they have so much attitude, yet at the same time so much joy. i especially love how in the first and last photos, the boys are almost jealous of all the attention the teddy girls are getting, as if they wish they could be in their "club." sorry boys.

here is part of the essay that accompanied the publication of these images in picture post magazine:

These photos were taken in January 1955 in Walthamstow, Poplar and North Kensington: solidly working class areas of London. The girls photographed embody three of the great issues of the time; class, gender and youth. They are rejecting the drab costumes of class conformity and post-war austerity. They are pioneers for women looking beyond home for a place to be valued. They are young girls blazing a trail that will be followed by youth cultures for decades to come. But somehow Teddy Girls as a group remain historically almost invisible.

how great is that! pretty amazing if you ask me. i wish i could have known some of those teddy girls... hell, maybe some one you brits might have had a relative who was a teddy girl! ask around.

clearly i am not the only person to have ever been inspired by the style of these ferocious femmes. back in 2006, bust magazine had a teddy girls themed photoshoot that i enjoyed so much i scanned to share with friends. here are two:

now if only i could get someone to do my hair, the look would be complete.

what i wore today: femme tea party

pervers/cité is happening in montreal this week, and let me tell you i am wishing i could be there. yesterday, there was a femme tea party happening in montreal at parc jarry from two to five. seriously, how can you resist an awesome (bilingual!) invitation like this one:

Mixer for femmes of all genders and our friends! Come frolic in all your finery and enjoy a terribly refined afternoon of iced tea, cupcakes, games and a fabulous femme photoshoot. Rain or shine.

seriously. what femme is not reading that and thinking "AH I WISH I COULD HAVE BEEN THERE!"

if you're like me, and couldn't make it there, what would you have worn? instead of moping around about the fact that i couldn't meet up with some of my wonderfully sexy montrealer queers, like my friend jesse, i decided to get dressed up anyway, even though i just had a pretty dreary lazy sunday at home and running errands.

here's my outfit:

vintage hat + veil: emmaüs thrift store, qc
necklace: gift from meghan
shirt: zara, thrifted from le vestiaire
black shawl: le vestiaire
gloves: from le vestiaire
sandals: thrifted from village des valeurs, qc.


and then i had tea for one.

did any of my readers out there attend the femme tea party? i can't wait to see the results of the photoshoot! what did you wear? what kinds of conversations did you have? how gorgeous did everyone look?

oh yes! and i almost forgot, i have a little announcement: yeah, sure, i love writing about fashion culture from a critical feminist perspective here, but i like to write about other things, too! film, for one! shameless mag invited me to cover film fridays over there starting next week. i can't decide whether to start with the runaways or youth in revolt... comment there to make requests and all that jazz.

until then,

xo
julia

recommending reading browsing
pervercité - official website
fuck yeah femmes - tumblr
5 feminist conversations i'm over - number 6!

what i wore: perfect july dance outfit

photos by simon dumas

these were taken near dolores de hidalgo, as liliana, simon and i made our way in search of the san luis potosi desert in early july. it was so much fun to stop and take pictures along the way of our trip, and i'll share more of my favourites on flickr and perhaps here in the near future.

as i was dancing to the music blaring from our little rental car in the middle of nowhere, mexico, i realized that this is potentially my absolute favourite dancing outfit. and i remembered the very first time i wore it: june 2008, at pride in toronto. i had just purchased the skirt from a vintage store across the street at a very discounted price, and hadn't quite found a good way to accessorize it. the day before pride, though, at my best friend morgan's encouragement, i decided to go with a semi-rainbow theme, even though i often find it a bit... ridiculous. sequins, glitter, boas, i can go for and wholeheartedly endorse. even rainbow suspenders, or belts, etc. but a whole rainbow outfit? i wasn't sure it would work. but! in fact it's really just four bright colours.

what to wear to pride is always a big conundrum. there are a whole host of factors a queer must take into consideration:

1. hotness, of course. and by hotness i mean you gotta be sexy. clearly this definition/requirement changes for everyone, depending on tastes (style wise and sex wise of course). looking sexy, however is not nearly as important as...
2. feeling sexy.
   
3. practicality. this goes extra if you're in the dyke march or any type of parade you've gotta prepare yourself for lots of walking... and that ain't so easy in your favourite pair of 4 inch heels.
4. weather. pride in toronto falls at the end of june or early july, which is usually when it just starts to get to that smoldering summer heat us canadians long for during our excessively long winters.
5. and, of course, there is the stereotype that gay men are the harshest fashion critics. are you going to dress for yourself, or for them? (my vote is always to dress for yourself)
   

for me, this was definitely my pick for best pride outfit. it was great for the heat (although i really wished my hair had been a few inches shorter), for dancing in the parade, for flirting with cute queers, for seeing friends i hadn't seen in months and even years, and last but not least topping off the night dancing to a free hidden cameras show.

while in mexico, i realized that i still love and wear that outfit that i first wore exactly two years ago! but, with my long hair and glasses, i feel like i look a lot different.

aa dress (yeah i know, gift from an ex) worn as strapless top
vintage circle skirt from king of kensington
(i lived on kensington ave. for 8 months and managed to buy this skirt and one other dress... an incredible feat considering my affection for vintage, the selection on the street, and the fact that i was actually flush with cash during that brief time in my life)
vintage shoes from st. vincent de paul, peterborough
leather satchel from value village, ste. foy
wooden necklace from now closed vintage store, montreal

with some lovely ex-peterboroughites, melissa and muna, taking a break from the heat at pride 2008, toronto

OMG J.D. SAMSON
this doesn't really have anything to do with this post or my outfit other than
OMG I MET J.D. SAMSON AND TOTALLY FANGIRLED

so tell me! what do you wear to pride events? do you have a favourite outfit that you first wore years ago and can see yourself wearing years from now?

inspiration: body, identity, disguise and performance

unity ball, montreal, 1996 by pierre dalpé

gender, drag and identity as performance/costume have been weighing heavily on my mind lately. i mentioned in a few earlier posts how the longer my hair gets the more uncomfortable i am with how my gender performance is read. sometimes i really love the subversion of high-femme dress juxtaposed with no makeup, hair fussing, or shaving, but sometimes i think i'd like to be a bit more "in your face" with genderfucking. shave my head. wear more menswear. it might have something to do with my loves, in real life, in film, photography, and of course in fashion.

just this past week i watched an old favourite, hedwig and the angry inch, with a friend, and nearly rounded off my consumption of everything almodovar when i finally got around to seeing la mala educacion. i think i prefer almodovar's films focused on women, but i really enjoyed the film overall.

gael garcia bernal in la mala educacion (almodovar, 2004)

on top of those films, i was recently introduced to montreal-based photographer Pierre Dalpé's work. this past year he has been working in mexico, taking portraits of actors, friends, children, and parades. but for our purposes, let us focus in on his prior work: projects like Personae, Backstage, and Clothes-Minded.

My work deals with the interconnected relationships between the body, identity, disguise, and performance.

his beautiful black and white series really strike me with their beauty and the personalities of his subjects contained within the frame. aside from the fact that they raise questions about gender, performativity, drag, and trans identities, they are simply amazingly beautiful.

here are a few more images from his website, as well as some quotes about gender.

from clothes-minded:

peter, 1990

alex, 1990

there is a real respect and appreciation for his subjects that i think really comes across strongly in these pieces. one wonders, does dalpé also do drag himself? who are peter, alex, manny, julie and colleen? are these his friends, lovers, brothers in arms? are these portraits necessarily deep deconstructions of what "gender" is, or are they just a simple homage to the beauty of these people and how they choose to present themselves? so many potential questions, all triggered by beautiful photographs.

from personae:

saul, sarah and joanne, 1998

jeffrey and ultra, 1998

the forrest twins, 2008

his series personae, on the other hand, clearly makes references to diane arbus and plays more with performance and costuming than his other portraits. the theatrical staged aspect of these portraits really make you wonder about how much our every day gender presentation is... well, staged. interesting food for thought.

There is no original or primary gender a drag imitates, but gender is a kind of imitation for which there is no original. - Judith Butler, "Imitation and Gender Insubordination" in Inside/Out (1991) edited by Diana Fuss

Masculinity and femininity are like two dialects of the same language. Though we all understand both, most of us "speak" only one. - Esther Newton

Gender is not something that one is, it is something one does, an act… a “doing” rather than a “being.” - Judith Butler

to end things off, recently i have been poring over the pages of gender relations in global perspective, edited by nancy cook. one of my favourite readings so far has been leslie feinberg's "the giveaway," which focuses on how trans people have been treated by various native communities across north america, and the impact of colonization on those people (who are referred to as Two-Spirited). it is a really powerful text, i highly recommend reading it.

i think it is incredibly important for us to understand who benefits from imposing a rigid gender binary on bodies of all various presentations, especially in lieu of the news of recent medical interventions on young girls with "clitoris deemed too big" by doctors. once again we have to ask ourselves questions about why we are so obsessed with the idea that there are only two sexes, and in order to be socially accepted, we must fit into the very narrow definition of what is an acceptable woman or man.

but! that is another rant for another day, only slightly related to these wonderful images, films, and people. in the meantime, here are some of my favourite parts from leslie feinberg's piece, the giveaway. seeing as today is national aboriginal day, it's quite appropriate to talk about how much colonization sucks and how native people kick ass. reading the whole text really makes a powerful point about resistance and resilience.

The language used by the colonizers [steeped in hatred] to describe the acceptance of sex/gender diversity, and of same-sex love most accurately described the viewer, not the viewed. And these sensational reports about Two-Spirit people were used to further "justify" genocide, the theft of Native land and resources, and destruction of their cultures and religions.

What stunned me (about discovering the Two-Spirit tradition) was that such ancient and diverse cultues allowed people to choose more sex/gender paths, and this diversity of human expression was honored as sacred. I had to chart the complex geography of sex and gender with a compass needle that only pointed to north or south.

.... What was responsible for the imposition of the present-day rigid sex/gender system in North America? It is not correct to simply blame patriarchy, Chrystos stressed to me. "The real word is 'colonization' and what it has done to the world. Patriarchy is a tool of colonization and exploitation of people and their lands."

and of course, i wouldn't let you run away without more potential brain candy!

recommended readings:
Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity by Judith Butler
Gender Through the Prism of Difference, edited by Maxine Baca Zinn, Pierette Hondagneu-Sotelo and Michael A. Messner
Disciplining Foucault: Feminism, Power and the Body (Thinking Gender) by Jana Sawacki
Gender Relations in Global Perspective, edited by Nancy Cook

zines:
Genderbent #2, by Cherry Poppins (available for download at the link, thanks to the Queer Zine Archive Project)
Gender Trouble available in zine form (downloadable pdf)

gender and sexuality resource list

films/documentaries:
Paris is Burning (Jennie Livingston, 1990)
...And the rest is drag (King Crip Productions, 2009)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (John Cameron Mitchell, 2001)

as always, i highly encourage people to support your local independent book dealers! and check with your library; if the books you are looking for aren't available, ask them to order them for you.