Cox, Fiona E. (2013) Dressing the part : costuming of lesbian identities in contemporary film and television. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This thesis examines lesbian costuming and dress in contemporary British and American
film and television, offering analyses of sartorial constructions of gay female identities in
modern media. It uses close textual analysis and interviews with producers and consumers
to examine the production, texts, and reception of selected representations, outlining current
social rituals of lesbian style. Interviews were held with Cynthia Summers, Lesley
Abernethy, Niamh Morrison, Catherine Adair, Janie Bryant, Tina Scorzafava and Mary Claire
Hannan about their designs. Spectators answered questions and responded to photographs
and a transcript. The thesis argues that the modern-day designer of lesbian costuming is
subject to a contradictory triangle of demands, encompassing the need for costume to
support character, resistance to stereotypes, and the recognition and perceived positive
politics of identifiable lesbianism. Chapters covering Lip Service and The L Word;
Desperate Housewives, Deadwood, and Mad Men, and Gillery’s Little Secret and The Kids
Are All Right examine differing results of these pressures. The thesis argues that while
anxiety over ‘butch’ stereotypes and heteronormative mainstream demands for assimilation
play a part in the overwhelming ‘femininity’ of many examples, an increase in lesbian
visibility has also paradoxically instigated a shift away from specificity in media
representations through dress because lesbianism is no longer seen as a ‘story’. It suggests
that lesbian authorship and using real-life lesbian styles as costume inspiration may offer a
way out of the stereotype vs. ‘authentic’ imagery impasse without erasing recognisably
lesbian iconography. Finally, the thesis concludes that the production, text and reception of
contemporary lesbian images at times comprises a complete circuit of communication, with
production decisions and everyday practices of lesbian dress both echoing and informing
one another.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1993 Motion Pictures
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Lesbians in motion pictures, Lesbianism on television, Lesbian culture, Lesbians -- Identity, Lesbians in popular culture, Clothing and dress in motion pictures, Clothing and dress on television
Official Date:	June 2013
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Film and Television Studies
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Bruzzi, Stella, 1962-
Sponsors:	Warwick Postgraduate Research Scholarship (WPRS); University of Warwick. Humanities Research Fund (HRF)
Description:	Abridged version.
Extent:	ix, 317 leaves : illustrations.
Language:	eng

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