Comments on: psst … post script, on eye candy

By: in praise of femmes: the architecture of identity

in praise of femmes: the architecture of identity — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:34:23 +0000

[...] the conference, I started a conversation about femme eye candy – remember this? I’ll get back to that in another post more fully, but the relevance is that Muse & I were [...]

By: Essin' Em

Essin' Em — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:42:52 +0000

What about "Femme does not equal feminine" or something like that?

I'll submit a photo :)

By: Natt Nightly

Natt Nightly — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:41:05 +0000

I agree that its not always easy to navigate the femme eye candy issue. Along that line, I wanted to share a few pics that V's given me permission to post. I think the second's my favorite in terms of sexy gender subversion. They're here, here, and here (Sin, this one I thought you might especially appreciate).

By: Carmen

Carmen — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:11:23 +0000

Dear Sublime Femme,

I do think the book is available in the US. It is in Europe, for sure…

About Sublime Mutations, and in general, all Del's work… what can I say? I'm a total fan!!

Thanks Muse for your tip on the phrase "femme not straight"

Cheers again!

By: SublimeFemme

SublimeFemme — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:08:33 +0000

You nailed it, muse: "we can create a femme style lexicon that can help spell out our visibility to all the attentive butches and queers that care enough to look closely." Well said!

Thanks, Carmen, for recommending Femmes of Power–it looks fantastic. Is it available in the US yet? What about representations of queer femininity in Del Lagrace Volcano's previous book, _Sublime Mutations_? Worth buying?

By: Holden

Holden — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:04:03 +0000

Some great comments here. I love the idea of Femme eye candy (as well as Butch eye candy). Anything that makes us all more visible and therefore more understood is a good thing. And this is a safe space for that to happen.

By: muse

muse — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:29:53 +0000

I love the idea of showing what about us is femme, not straight. the subtle signals we send, the ways that our femininity is subverted and queer and our own.

perhaps we femmes could submit photos of attire or style elements that, to us, are distinctly femme, and not just feminine. for me, that includes tattoos and piercings alongside pearls and other classic feminine elements, vintage-looking shoes with a subtle fetishy flair, and fishnets with almost everything. we can keep it arty, so it's not just pictures of pretty girls.

I love the idea of using this space to document the language of symbols that we use to communicate our gayness. we can create a femme style lexicon that can help spell out our visibility to all the attentive butches and queers that care enough to look closely.

p.s. "femme not straight" is borrowed from an awesome redheaded femme I saw dancing like mad at Cattyshack a few Prides ago. she had long straight hair down her back and a skirt and heels and a white t-shirt on which she'd scrawled the phrase in black marker. I was early in my understanding of gender and femmeness at the time, and I thought it summed it up perfectly: yes, I'm feminine, but don't misunderstand – I'm gay too. lately, I've been making myself t-shirts and buttons and stickers with the phrase. I love it. so thank you, radical visible redheaded femme. you made a big impact on me.

By: Femme Gender

Femme Gender — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:07:07 +0000

……and I myself will try harder not to be so lazy/shy too. I am as guilty as anyone else!

By: Carmen

Carmen — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:56:28 +0000

It is always difficult, even for femmes to make clear that there is a very strong and particular gender-bender attitude in our attire and look. I love the idea of the section being called "femme not straight". Maybe you could make it "Femme, not straight… honey" as part of a hot reply… But, of course, I'm just buzzing…

For images of real fierce queer femmes I would recommend Del Lagrace Volcano and Ulrika Dahl (2008) Femmes of Power. Exploding Queer Femininities, London: Serpent Tail, and also check Del's web page http://www.dellagracevolcano.com

Cheers!

By: SublimeFemme

SublimeFemme — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 04:24:37 +0000

Yes, please post pics of femmes and help fight femme invisibility! I’m all in favor of femme autonomy, but in this case I’d hate to see you segregate images of butches and femmes. Personally I think it would be more subversive and ultimately more inclusive to welcome a range of lesbian genders under the “eye candy” banner.