Cheerleader Masculinity

561 Words3 Pages
For this essay, I will be critically examining the homosexual and lesbian characters in the film But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) whilst making reference to the historical representation of sexuality in popular media. First, I will briefly discuss the plot for But I’m a Cheerleader and then go on to talk about the reaction it received amongst critics and gay audiences. I will go into detail about how sexuality is represented in the film and how it is treated whilst referencing past representations of sexuality in film. The social construction of gender will be discussed regarding the film and in relation to theorist’s arguments as to why homosexual men and women have been studied and the reasons behind it. Current representations of homosexual characters in popular culture will briefly be discussed.…show more content…
The film stars Natasha Lyonne as Megan, who gets sent to True Directions, a camp that helps patients escape their homosexual lifestyle. Her character is a high school cheerleader who gets sent away by her parents for conversion therapy to help cure her of being a lesbian. Both the main actresses of the film are open about their sexual orientation, Natasha Lyonne, and Clea DuVall, who plays the role of Graham, being openly lesbian. As But I’m a Cheerleader is a satire it is very stereotypical and over the top with both the homosexual characters and straight characters. The director, Jamie Babbit, is an open lesbian and this was her first feature film. She was inspired to make the film after she read an article on conversion therapy. Through her film she wanted to explore and show the social construction of gender roles and heteronormativity. In terms of cinematic style, stereotypical gender roles are highlighted through the use of colour in set design and costumes by using pinks and blues. I will discuss this is further detail later on in this
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