Bell Hooks - Is Paris Burning?

• https://rachelatucker.com/hooks

  • In chapter nine of Bell Hooks’ book, “Black Looks,” she provides a critique of the documentary film “Paris is Burning” from a black feminist perspective. Hooks argues that the drag culture depicted in the film is not subversive as it claims to be, but instead, it fixates on whiteness. She asserts that the black and Latino drag queens in the film not only fail to critique the oppressive systems of white supremacy, capitalism, and patriarchy but actually seek to emulate them. Hooks also discusses the difference between the concepts of “ritual” and “spectacle” in relation to how black gay culture is portrayed in the documentary.

• voyeurism

• impersonation

• repersecutation

• Critics have expressed their concerns about the film, comparing it to a zoo where the participants are put on display for the amusement of others. One criticism is that the author of the film does not make an appearance, which creates an implicit bias as an outsider. Although the filmmaker’s opinions are not directly stated, they can be inferred from the way the film is shot. The author’s perspective is that of an outsider, specifically a white lesbian, which raises questions about transparency. The transparency of the author’s positionality and focal point is an issue that is being discussed. Additionally, the fact that the author is a white lesbian from Yale University brings up the issue of privilege and the ability to capture and portray these experiences on film. The handling of the “Death of Venus” performance in the film is also a topic of discussion. Ultimately, the individuals participating in the ball culture are conforming to white culture, so even when viewed by white audiences, there is no sense of rebellion against their own culture. This is why the film is seen as both progressive and reactionary.

• Q. Does the fact that the author is a lesbian make a difference?

• Q. What if the plot of the film was decided by the people at the ball?

• Q. How does the initial critique tie into the overall discussion?

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• There are connections between the concepts discussed in Disidentifications and this film. One question raised is whether the actions of the individuals in the ball culture can be seen as a form of disidentification. It seems that they are incorporating and reforming elements of white culture but only temporarily mimicking it, as they return to their own identities once the ball is over. This raises the question of whether there is a core identity that cannot be fully assimilated and whether this conflicts with the idea that identity is socially constructed. The film also explores the motivation behind not fully assimilating into white culture, suggesting that there is a desire to maintain one’s original identity.