WGS 5580: Queer Fashions: History, Culture, and the Industry
(Cross-listed with AMD 5580).
Credits: 3. Contact Hours: Lecture 3.
Focus on analyzing the dressed and undressed body of individuals in the queer and trans communities in various cultural contexts with a focus on material culture. Examine concepts related to gender and sexuality and the changing definitions and representations of individuals who identify in the queer and trans communities focusing on appearance, fashion, and the body. Historic and current representations of fashion, styles, and appearances will be analyzed and discussed. Attention to how sexuality and gender intersect with and shape other identities including race, ability, body size, and class. Examine the complex structures, systems, and ideologies that uphold discrimination and unequitable distribution of power and resources as related to the course material. Attention will mostly be given to North American perspectives. We will use material culture to explore how objects related to fashioning the body reveal lived experiences about the owners and consumers. Offered even-numbered years. Meets U.S. Diversity Requirement. (Typically Offered: Spring)