Mother Camp: Female Impersonators in AmericaFor two years Ester Newton did field research in the world of drag queens—homosexual men who make a living impersonating women. Newton spent time in the noisy bars, the chaotic dressing rooms, and the cheap apartments and hotels that make up the lives of drag queens, interviewing informants whose trust she had earned and compiling a lively, first-hand ethnographic account of the culture of female impersonators. Mother Camp explores the distinctions that drag queens make among themselves as performers, the various kinds of night clubs and acts they depend on for a living, and the social organization of their work. A major part of the book deals with the symbolic geography of male and female styles, as enacted in the homosexual concept of "drag" (sex role transformation) and "camp," an important humor system cultivated by the drag queens themselves. "Newton's fascinating book shows how study of the extraordinary can brilliantly illuminate the ordinary—that social-sexual division of personality, appearance, and activity we usually take for granted."—Jonathan Katz, author of Gay American History "A trenchant statement of the social force and arbitrary nature of gender roles."—Martin S. Weinberg, Contemporary Sociology |
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User Review - urthona73 - LibraryThingAn interesting anthropological consideration of drag queens in the 1960s. A lot of it the information is dated, but it's interesting to see what parts continue to linger, particularly in the perceived distinctions made between the queens themselves. Read full review
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8th St American appearance applause backstage bartender beautiful behavior Bette Davis butch campy Carol Channing Carter Chicago clothes comic context costume covert homosexual crowd culture deviant distinctions drag queen drag shows dress emcee especially female impersonators feminine gay audience gay bar gay world girl glamour hair heterosexual homosexual community homosexual subculture humor impression incongruity interview jokes Kansas City laughs lesbian live look Mae West make-up male homosexual manager Marlboro masculine Mattachine Society moral Negro nellie never night nightclub owners parties Pearl Bailey performers person Phyllis Diller play problem profession professional refer Ronnie sex role sex-role sexual show business singer sings Skip Arnold Skip's slapstick comics social song stage impersonators status stigma straight audience straight world street fairies street impersonators style symbols talk theatre thing Tiger tourist club transvestite usually voice woman women York young
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Bibliographic information
| Title | Mother Camp: Female Impersonators in America Anthropology of modern societies series Phoenix book Phoenix edition |
| Author | Esther Newton |
| Edition | illustrated, reprint |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press, 1979 |
| ISBN | 0226577600, 9780226577609 |
| Length | 136 pages |
| Subjects | › › Photography / General Social Science / General Social Science / Sociology / General |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |