Our Favorite Images of Feminine Gender-Benders
In response to Lady Gaga’s drag performance on the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, drag king comedian Murray Hill stated, “There is barely any visibility for FTM, drag kings and lesbians on television. There is a huge imbalance. For Lady Gaga, the biggest pop star in the world, to go on TV with millions of people watching in drag as a man and then to actually say ‘lesbian and transgender’ live is undeniably powerful and creates change. She ups the visibility big time and gets the language into the mainstream.” But, Lady Gaga, as her alter ego Jo Calderone, wasn’t the first or the last femme star to blur the gender boundaries in mainstream media. Here are some of dapperQ’s favorite images of gender-bending femme stars:
Scarlett Johansson
Cindy Crawford
Michelle Pfeiffer
Chloe Sevingny
Marlene Dietrich
Diane Kruger
Kristen Stewart
Sigourney Weaver
Josephine Baker
Lady Gaga as Jo Calderone
Hillary Swank
Jessie Matthews
Sofia Coppola
Katharine Hepburn
Fan Bingbing
Barbara Streisand
Olive Thomas
Christy Turlington
Christy Turlington
Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista
Cate Blanchett
Amanda Moore
Sara Quin, Tegan Quin, Amanda Palmer, Amy Cook
Natalie Portman
Victoria Beckham
Tilda Swinton
Emma Watson
Glenn Close
Janet McTeer
Ciara (left and right)
Aug 22, 2012 @ 12:16:24
Hmmmmm… not crazy about seeing the term “femme” appropriated on a queer site. Couldn’t you just say “drag….?”
Aug 22, 2012 @ 12:22:19
Let me explain further — these stars don’t identify openly as Femmes, nor does Lady Gaga, (as far as I know), and as a queer Femme, I would prefer that the term not be appropriated, especially on a queer site, especially given the low visibility of Femmes. Sure, these women/stars are doing drag and gender-bending, and that’s cool and hot, but that does not make them Femmes.
Btw, Femmes are gender warriors too!
Aug 22, 2012 @ 12:37:59
As a femme of color myself (I wrote this), I totally understand and agree with us not having much visibility. I often find myself frustrated having to explain to many of my peers that “femmes” in the “queer” sense of the word face many obstacles too. (BTW, I think you might like a discussion going on right now on Autostraddle).
The word femme translates to “woman.” From that perspective, this term can be applied to anyone who identifies as such regardless of where they are on the spectrum. Thus, the meaning is contextual. There is evidence that mainstream society uses the term femme to mean feminine, as in femme fatale.
The word femme as slang for feminine is not unique to our community, just as the word butch can be used to describe a straight woman or gay man. In fact, we wrote a quirky piece on a business called Butch Bakery, owned by a straight man, that offers “masculine” cupcakes. And, on a popular t.v. show last week, three of the straight female characters called themselves “fierce, fab, and femme.”
My intent was not to decrease the visibility of “queer” femmes, and, as such, did not use the word “queer femme” to describe them. As a lesbian identified femme, I feel quite comfortable using the term in many contexts and do not feel that it steals from my own identity or takes away from the fact that we need more positive “queer femme” role-models.
Aug 23, 2012 @ 05:01:10
Great collection of photo shoots, whatever term ya’ll feel comfortable using to depict these actresses, looking damn sexy is always a universal language.
Sep 10, 2012 @ 05:24:23
WHERE IS TILDA SWINTONNNN
XD
Sep 10, 2012 @ 09:20:42
Ask and you shall receive!
Sep 13, 2012 @ 17:48:57
…no Emma Watson?
Sep 13, 2012 @ 20:25:21
Emma Watson, you ask? Add, I shall! Keep em’ coming!
Sep 13, 2012 @ 21:58:50
Glenn close and Janet mcteer from Albert nobbs
Dec 28, 2012 @ 17:28:21
Can I just say Yum. Yum. Yum. Yummy. OMG. YUM!!
Thanks for putting all those pics together. Yum!!
Feb 06, 2013 @ 12:11:39
Free Winona!!! http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_le2w0w2Vvu1qz9qooo1_r1_500.jpg
Feb 06, 2013 @ 12:54:01
Everybody’s talking about Gaga breaking ground. Annie Lennox was doing it in 1984 at the Grammy’s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzpZJ05BfHI
Thanks to my friend StephS for the link!
Feb 08, 2013 @ 14:45:33
I love all of these. So many gorgeous, gorgeous ladies. I wish I knew why I find women in menswear so… sexy, for lack of a better term.
But I must ask: where is Annie Lennox? No one wears a suit better than Annie Lennox. She’s perfection.