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Styled Out: Stealing from cinemaStyle and cinema go hand in hand, whether they influence the more theatrical of styles — in the vein of a Halloween costume, for example — but can usually be seen in the mainstream. It happens all the time: People want to emulate the characters they so admire, and us gays have had to grasp a little harder than most, as the idols we're offered come a little farther and fewer in between. Even 10 years ago, our visibility was sparse compared to that of "straight" films and queer movies were a concrete representation of who we were. The Incredibly True Adventures of 2 Girls in Love, starring none other than Laurel Holloman as Randy Dean, was one of the first tastes I had of butch lesbians and their stereotypical love affair with flannel.
As a community we got a bad rap because of shirts like these, but seeing as how this particular flick came out (no pun intended) in 1995, it's also a sign of the times. Evie's dull wardrobe choices aside, we get a good look at the popularity of a loose T-shirt paired with a large vest (very kd Lang at that time, no?) and the pairing of a cut-off button-down with loose jeans and beloved, worn in T's is something so very embraced by our very own, some still taking it to the now, almost 15 years later.
I don't know about you, but at the ripe age of 14, my only knowledge of the existence of Riot Grrrls came from mix tapes that my friend Ryan Michelle made for me, featuring bands like L7, Bikini Kill, and of course, Ani DiFranco. I didn't know who they were, but I knew that I wanted to be like them. Characters like Lucy, (played by none other than
Her pink hair, tiny tank-top and torn tights and jeans were the epitome of everything Riot Grrrl, and I would have fallen for her if I were Claude, too. Claude's the perfect insecure lesbian teenager in her over-sized clothing. Isn't that code for awkward or code for "I don't know what to do with this body and these attractions" as a gay youth? Either way, I'll have a soft spot in my heart for girls with technicolor hair for the rest of my life.
It's been mentioned before, but I pretty much lost and my mind when I saw Clea DuVall in But I'm a Cheerleader. It's no secret that the gays love their themes, and in speaking in a wardrobe sense, this movie takes the cake. Jamie Babbit used the color scheme of her clothing to get across a bigger message: The brown tones all of the straight people donned to show their mediocrity, and the bright, plastic unnatural tones worn by the queer teenagers being forced into conversion represent how fake the idea really is.
The movie, and Clea specifically, could quite seriously be named "my root" and when Graham was out of uniform, she was the ultimate in my eyes. Button-downs with jeans and lesbians have become like peanut butter and jelly. Throw in a couple of chokers and some black boots and you pretty much have a prototype. I think that Graham's fashion choices were totally reflective of 1999-2000 and I actually saw a couple of ladies at a gay club while visiting my sister in a small town this past weekend that still think Graham's late '90s look is a good idea, so take that as you will. In the here and now, I think that my favorite influence as of late is Babbit's second queer silver screen take-over in 2007's Itty Bitty Titty Committee. Anna shows us that you can break free from your everyday and embrace your inner revolutionary and take on the world. Her love interest Sadie is the queen of cool, and every lesbian I know felt a little pull on their now more grown up heart strings at the come back of ripped fishnets.
Hipster lesbians around the globe rejoiced at seeing a true and current representation of themselves on the big screen with cool sneakers, ironic eye-glasses and rad haircuts. I developed a swift and solid crush on Meat (Deak Evgenikos). Give me a dyke in a kitschy T-shirt and well-fit jeans, I'm happy to watch and happy to wear whatever you're showing me. It also brings out the political activist that is dying to break free. Who are your influences, past or present? Submitted by on November 25, 2009 - 11:00am. |
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News, Reviews & Commentary on Lesbian and Bisexual women in Entertainment and the Media
HIPSTER!
Ahhh! Someone tell me where
Ahhh! Someone tell me where I can watch The Incredibly True Adventure of 2 Girls in Love. I haven't seen it :( But I love All Over Me and But I'm a Cheerleader. And I agree that Leisha looks great :D
Go here for my view on all things lesbian: http://allthingslesbeau.blogspot.com
You can watch it on YouTube,
if you want to have a copy
then DL it from here
http://ls-lesbianmovies-gr.blogspot.com/2008/11/incredibly-true-adventur...
there are lots of stuff from this site that im sure you'll gonna love. :)
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Thanks, ladies! Go here
Thanks, ladies!
Go here for my view on all things lesbian: http://allthingslesbeau.blogspot.com
Ha.
Watching 'But I'm a Cheerleader' and just learning about my gayness at the tender age of 17 made me want a black buttondown and black jeans like Graham when they were about to go to the club.
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Because the Wind is High...it Blows my Mind.
Maybe. Maybe not
But I'm a cheerleader
Megan was my root. I remember thinking that she was so much like me, femme, a cheerleader, thinking that there's no way she could be a lesbian, because she's girly and besides everyone looks at girls that way, don't they? It was this major gestalt moment for me. I came out like two weeks later, I'm not even kidding. Of course, the girl I ended up dating was the one who had taken me over to her house to watch it, so maybe she had that in mind...
In other news, woo! 100th post.
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It took me so long to learn that I needed not so much to be loved, as to love- Jonathan Richman
It's not really a 'gay movie'
BUT
Foxfire. Legs' outfits (black skinny jeans, leather jacket and a dirty t shirt) pretty much ruined it for me. I stopped wearing skater pants (the obscenely oversized jeans that cover up sneakers) and started wearing real girls jeans, ts and various leather jackets with that all important I SLEEP IN THIS JACKET IN ORDER TO GET THIS LOOK wear and tear. Sixth grade, what a year.
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We've gone and made such fools of ourselves.
Hipsters
I'm confused
I didnt know there was something called lesbian fashion. Wouldnt that just be a way of stereotyping? Like because certain people wear certain clothing then they must be a lesbian? I thought stereotyping was bad.
"stop, you don't get to break my heart and comfort me too."
Flannel..
Is something I definitely partake in, though it's more mainstream-ed than anything. I have to say I took more life lessons than fashion sense from my mythical lesbians.
Question: Who is the delicious blonde in the chaos t-shirt??
tara subkoff
i remember her from freeway
"stop, you don't get to break my heart and comfort me too."
Watts aka Drummer Girl
Oh okay, so she's not gay. And I don't really want to dress exactly like her - fingerless red tasselled leather gloves, cropped oversized leather jacket and studded shoes aren't my thing, no matter how much I love the 80s. But she had her own boyish style among all the big-haired skirt-wearing girls and didn't want to be like them, and I will love Watts till the day I die.
This isn't cinema, but when I first saw Ellen Morgan, it was Season 4 and she was straight, and wearing boxer shorts, and a little light went off in my head. Of course, I didn't and still don't wear boxers, but the idea that it was so casually dropped in the scene was amazing.
totally
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looks like
"Lesbian Fashion?"
That terms is sort of vague-and is overall pretty stereotypical, is it not? I mean-When I got my dyke card I didn't get a uniform.
Personally, I like to dress in a lot of different ways. I like skirts and dresses with either a 50's or 70's influence. I also like skinny jeans and deep vneck t-shirts. I like wearing ties and button downs as well. I cannot wear heels, though. I try. I love them. I just can't wear them. That's just me.
http://ohiolezgirlinnyc.wordpress.com/
i agree
thats what i thought when i read this post
"stop, you don't get to break my heart and comfort me too."
Hackers, anyone?
Growing up in an Evangelical home (bordering on cult....), I was almost totally sheltered from mainstream media until 1995 when I finally was allowed to go to a public school. One of the first movies I ever saw was Hackers, and as soon as I saw Angelina's short haircut (etc etc), it was all over for me! I loved the idea of a tough, glam nerd...it basically became my point of fashion through graduation and beyond. I mean, combat boots? Yes yes yes.
I also have to say that dykes in Northwoods wear--a la bad John Candy movies--are toally irresistable. I find it impossible to say no to my wife when she is wearing a wool flannel and Carhartt overalls. :)
y/n?
I don't nessacarily think
I don't nessacarily think those movies have influenced me, but rather I saw who I already was/am in them. I still see myself in those movies.
Movies don't influence us, we influence movies. =D