In this essay we will be discussing subcultures and how they are seen as outsiders. We will consider how the position of the subculture is critiqued socially, because of how their sartorial choices and artistic practices, challenge the norms of everyday society. The subculture that will be discussed is hippie drag queens, by using the group The Cockettes as example. Subcultures represents ‘noise’ (Hebdige, 1979:59), thus said it is a disturbance in society which starts with real events and progresses to their rendition in media as seen with the Cockettes. Subcultures foundations are based on them being different from the norm, by not only the way they may dress, but the way they view their lives and how they live it. They don’t see a reason
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Even though the 1960’s was a time of experimentation, people or groups who stepped out of the line of social acceptance were critiqued, the Cockettes were one of them. It was the subcultures stylistic innovations which first attracted the media, the Cocketes gave birth to a new vision of drag (Figure 2). Their clothes opened a door into a new fantasy. Their outfits were not merely outfits, but art. “We completely communicated through drag” affirmed Fayette Hauser (Pinchetti, 2014). They dressed in bizarre outfits with lace, fur, sequence, chiffon and to top it off, gaps of exposed skin was given the finishing touch of glitter. This style gave them a sense of freedom, it directs attention to itself; it gives itself to be read. This is what distinguishes the visual ensembles of spectacular subcultures from those favoured in the surrounding cultures (Hebdige, …show more content…
His was made when they spontaneously jumped on stage at the Palace Theatre during the Midnight Film screening, their joyful half naked performances were legendary, and the Cockettes were propelled by the height of the avant-garde (Figure 3). People were entranced by their vision of sexuality. These were the times of pioneering communal living, peace, sexual liberation, attracting some of the country’s most colourful freaks (Pinchetti, 2014), even though people were amused by their performances, because of the time they lived in, they were still out of the bounds of social acceptance, thus making them outsiders to most. Their radical style and ways placed them outside the box and thus they were critiqued for it. They challenged the norm of everyday society.
The Cockettes did not merely stray from the socially acceptable path of style or manner, but they strayed from socially acceptable sexuality. The Cockettes celebrated free love and sexual experimentation (Pinchetti, 2014). Most of the group were bisexual, having poly-amorous relationships with whomever entered The Cockette house. The erased the limits between male and female, opening a new view within the gay liberation
Even though the 1960’s was a time of experimentation, people or groups who stepped out of the line of social acceptance were critiqued, the Cockettes were one of them. It was the subcultures stylistic innovations which first attracted the media, the Cocketes gave birth to a new vision of drag (Figure 2). Their clothes opened a door into a new fantasy. Their outfits were not merely outfits, but art. “We completely communicated through drag” affirmed Fayette Hauser (Pinchetti, 2014). They dressed in bizarre outfits with lace, fur, sequence, chiffon and to top it off, gaps of exposed skin was given the finishing touch of glitter. This style gave them a sense of freedom, it directs attention to itself; it gives itself to be read. This is what distinguishes the visual ensembles of spectacular subcultures from those favoured in the surrounding cultures (Hebdige, …show more content…
His was made when they spontaneously jumped on stage at the Palace Theatre during the Midnight Film screening, their joyful half naked performances were legendary, and the Cockettes were propelled by the height of the avant-garde (Figure 3). People were entranced by their vision of sexuality. These were the times of pioneering communal living, peace, sexual liberation, attracting some of the country’s most colourful freaks (Pinchetti, 2014), even though people were amused by their performances, because of the time they lived in, they were still out of the bounds of social acceptance, thus making them outsiders to most. Their radical style and ways placed them outside the box and thus they were critiqued for it. They challenged the norm of everyday society.
The Cockettes did not merely stray from the socially acceptable path of style or manner, but they strayed from socially acceptable sexuality. The Cockettes celebrated free love and sexual experimentation (Pinchetti, 2014). Most of the group were bisexual, having poly-amorous relationships with whomever entered The Cockette house. The erased the limits between male and female, opening a new view within the gay liberation