Pansies On Parade: McDermott & McGough’s ‘Velvet Rage, Flaming Youth And The Gift Of Desperation’
Art

Pansies On Parade: McDermott & McGough’s ‘Velvet Rage, Flaming Youth And The Gift Of Desperation’

In 2016, the figure of the dandy has fallen somewhat out of fashion. It is, of course, a throwback to an earlier decidedly gay–rather than queer–aesthetic. The hypermasculine clone image still goes strong, probably due to its reliance on the safety of masculinity. But the troubling “gender inversion” of the fairy leaves the aesthetic–much like Jack Halberstam’s discussion of Brandon Teena’s gender performance in In A Queer Time And Place–as an anachronism. Continue reading