Camp is a concept that has been discussed extensively within the field of art history and popular culture since its emergence in the early twentieth century. It refers to an aesthetic style that combines elements of high and low culture, resulting in a look that is exaggerated, ironic, or humorous. Camp has been used to describe everything from drag queens to fashion designers to pop music videos. In this essay, I will explore how camp functions as both a subversion and celebration of gender norms.
Let's define what exactly "camp" means. According to Susan Sontag, "Camp is a certain mode of aesthetic experience, one that is perhaps best characterized as love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration." She goes on to say that it involves "a heightened, stylized mannerism, a theatricalization of experience." Camp can be seen in many different forms of media, including film, television, literature, and even fashion.
The Birdcage, a 1996 American comedy film directed by Mike Nichols and starring Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, and Hank Azaria, is often cited as a prime example of camp cinema. The plot follows a gay couple who must pretend to be straight when their son brings home his fiancé for dinner with her conservative parents. The characters are exaggerated caricatures of stereotypical masculine and feminine roles, with Lane playing Armand Goldman, a flamboyant gay man who owns a nightclub, and Williams playing Albert, his partner who dresses like a woman. Throughout the film, there are numerous campy moments, such as when they sing and dance together in a show-stopping number about the importance of being yourself.
Camp has also been used as a tool for subverting traditional gender roles and challenging societal expectations. In her book Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Jesse Tyler Ferguson writes that "camp is an important part of queer culture because it allows us to play with gender norms without having to conform to them." This means that instead of adhering strictly to binary gender roles, people can explore the full spectrum of gender expression through camp.
Drag performers use camp to push boundaries and challenge assumptions about what it means to be male or female. Drag queens often adopt exaggerated feminine traits while performing, such as wearing high heels, makeup, and revealing clothing, which challenges society's idea of what is acceptable for men to wear.
Camp can also reinforce harmful gender stereotypes if not used carefully. Many criticize the way that camp is often used to objectify women, such as in the case of the 2019 film Cats. In this adaptation of the musical, all the human characters are played by men, and many of the costumes feature exposed breasts and other features associated with hypersexualized women. This type of camp can perpetuate harmful ideas about women's bodies and sexuality.
Camp functions both as a subversion and celebration of gender norms. It allows people to explore their own identities outside of rigid binaries, but it can also reinforce damaging ideals if not used thoughtfully.
Whether something qualifies as camp depends on how it is received by its audience. As Sontag said, "What is most beautiful in virile men is something feminine; what is most beautiful in feminine women is something masculine." Camp allows us to play with these ideas and explore our own identities in new ways.
How does camp aesthetics function as both subversion and celebration of gender norms?
Camp aesthetics can be seen as both subverting and celebrating gender norms due to its combination of irony, exaggeration, and self-awareness. While it often exposes and satirizes social conventions through over-the-top displays of femininity or masculinity, it also reinforces traditional gender roles by presenting them in an extreme form that is meant to be humorous rather than challenging.