A Village Voice article lumps Rachel Maddow, Ellen DeGeneres, comedian Julie Goldman and Top Chef chefbian Josie Smith-Malave in with today’s fashion-conscious, “kinder, gentler butch."
In our monthly series about local lesbian life, we stop by Los Angeles for surfing, the South of Nowhere girls, lezploitation and other Outfest antics.
In the first season, the show made significant strides toward including butch women in the cast and included characters grappling with the slippery notion of gender. But these positive developments do not come without problems, most of which comes down to the hair.
![The New York Times tackles "Butch Fatale"](/sites/www.afterellen.com/files/maddow.png "The New York Times tackles "Butch Fatale"")
![Too Much Otherness: Femininity on "The L Word"](/sites/www.afterellen.com/files/othernesslword-block.jpg "Too Much Otherness: Femininity on "The L Word"")
![It's All About the Hair: Butch Identity and Drag on "The L Word"](/sites/www.afterellen.com/files/butchhairlword-block.jpg "It's All About the Hair: Butch Identity and Drag on "The L Word"")
![Exploring "The Butch Mystique"](/sites/www.afterellen.com/files/butch-mystique-review-70x53.jpg "Exploring "The Butch Mystique"")
