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Marquise
considers taking male hormones, “I have thought about
taking hormones. I look like a 16 year old boy. Guys grow up and
guys get facial hair. Puberty has got to hit sometime.” Her girlfriend,
Aniche will support her choice, “If she decides to do it or not,
I’m still with Marquise. But, I just think that it’s too extreme
for me. I still do like a woman.” Marquise retorts, “It’s not
like I’m going to cut my breasts off. I’ll just get some facial
hair.” Aniche isn’t so sure. “Breasts with facial hair? That’s
wrong,”
Aniche
tries to explain that Marquise’s masculine appearance may give
people the wrong idea about the dynamic of their relationship,
“We go thru feminine things together, but other people don’t get
it because this is how Marquise looks.” Marquise says with laughter,
“I eat her muffin, she eats mine. We are still lesbians.”
This
exchange is a good example of the conflicting intricacies of Aggressive
sexual and gender identities that comes up again and again in
the film. All of the women are adamant about their womanhood and
lesbianism, but equally insistent upon their masculine physical
appearance (some of them can and do pass as men in their daily
lives) and their dominant sexual roles.
Two
of the Aggressives are celebrities of a sort. Raji is recognized
on the street for her appearance on a Ricki Lake episode
titled “Straight Women Who Can’t Resist Lesbian Studs” and is
a frequent winner at the balls where she displays her ability
to pass as a man (her ball trophy display case takes up most of
her apartment). Kisha is a model who was discovered on the street
in Greenwich Village and is trying to make the transition from
underground fashion circles to the mainstream fashion industry.
Kisha
explains, “Aggressive is your strength, your courage, your whole
aura,” and it is fascinating to watch her bring her queer and
androgynous sensibility to her work as a model. In terms of how
she sees herself, she tells us, “I’ll wear the pants in the relationship. Being
Aggressive basically is about who wears the pants. I’m aggressive.
I’m femme aggressive. I’m a beautiful aggressive woman.”
Kisha
is one of the few women in the film who is not in dire
financial straits. We see her driving a motorcycle, asking girls
out to expensive dinners, and sporting a stylish wardrobe. While
she works as a messenger for a delivery service, she is also earning
money for her modeling.
The
other women in the film speak openly about their lack of money
and how it motivates so many of their life choices. Tiffany and
Octavia sell drugs, and Marquise joins the Army for the sole purpose
of getting a college education.
In
its stark portrayal of the poverty and discrimination they face
and their creative responses to it, the film is much like Jennie
Livingston’s documentary about drag culture in Harlem, Paris
is Burning. But it feels more intimate and less concerned
with the idea of performance as a tool of survival.
At
the end of the film, when Peddle gives us a “where are they now”
update on all of the women, it impossible not to feel a real concern
for their welfare and a personal connection to each one of them.
Visit
the official
website for more information,
or
purchase the film by emailing matt@7thart.com
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