Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Constructing the Queer "I": Performativity, Citationality, and Desire in Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

2005; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 3; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1207/s15405710pc0302_1

1540-5710

David Weiss,

Gender Studies in Language

Abstract Bravo's "reality" television series, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, has become a pop-culture phenomenon. Critical reaction to date, however, has accused the show of being condescending in its portrayal of its stars and (re)producing stereotyped gay images in general. This article examines how the language of Queer Eye constructs identities for its speakers that challenge these claims of stereotyping and deepen our understanding of the nature of sexual identity, gender identity, and sexual desire. Applying the notion of performativity to speech and sexuality, I analyze the utterances in Queer Eye that index identities and patterns of desire, focusing on the conflicting, fluid, and uncategorizable-that is, "queer"-ways that the use of such language enacts and constitutes its speakers' sexual identities.