Susan Sontag's But I M A Cheerleader

Susan Sontag states that “the essence of camp is love in the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration”. (pg. 1) This essence is everywhere in “But I’m a Cheerleader”. The entire film runs on a potentially true storyline by making it artificial. This is done by having the film lack seriousness. “Camp is an art that proposes itself seriously, but cannot be taken all together seriously because it is “too much”” (pg. 4). I believe that this phrase perfectly describes “But I’m a Cheerleader”. Everything in the film is exaggerated to the point of being ridiculous and unbelievably. At first the overall plot of the story seems plausible. Yes, kids can get sent to conversion camp by their parents. However once Megan reaches the camp, it becomes clear to the viewer that this will be a story of satire and humor rather than one of forced change and struggle. …show more content…
In “But I’m a Cheerleader” many of the visual elements of the film represent genitalia. Almost all of the activities that the male character partake in have some sort of phallic imagery, or reference to sex. For example, when Mary is showing them how to properly use a vacuum, the motion is interpreted by the rest of the characters as sexual. When Mike is showing the male characters how to work on a car, there is a cutout of a wrench and two wheels that resembles a penis. In addition, when the guys are playing war there is a cutout of one soldier about to shoot another that looks like he is about recieve oral sex. The film also demonstrates camp in terms of clothing. The guys are dressed in an all blue outfit: a shirt and super short booty shorts that show off their body. The girls are dress entirely in pink outfits, with short