Campus Events

In 2004, roughly 25 makeover-themed reality shows aired on U.S. television. By 2009, there were more than 250, from "What Not to Wear" and "The Biggest Loser" to "Dog Whisperer" and "Pimp My Ride". In "Makeover TV", Brenda R. Weber argues that whether depicting transformations of bodies, trucks, finances, relationships, kids, or homes, makeovers depict a self achievable only in the transition from the 'Before-body' to the 'After-body' filled with confidence, coded with celebrity, and imbued with a renewed faith in the powers of meritocracy. The rationales and tactics invoked to achieve the After-body vary widely, from the patriotic to the market-based, and from talk therapy to feminist empowerment. The genre is unified by its contradictions: to uncover your 'true self,' you must be reinvented; to be empowered, you must surrender to experts; to be special, you must look and act like everyone else. Based on her analysis of more than 2,000 episodes of makeover TV, Weber argues that the much-desired After-body speaks to and makes legible broader cultural narratives about selfhood, citizenship, celebrity, and American-ness. Although makeovers are directed at both male and female viewers, their gendered logic requires that feminized subjects submit to the controlling expertise wielded by authorities. The genre does not tolerate ambiguity. Conventional (middle-class, white, ethnically anonymous, heterosexual) femininity is the goal of makeovers for women. When subjects are male, makeovers often compensate for perceived challenges to masculine independence by offering men narrative options for resistance or control. Forgoing a binary model of power and subjugation, Weber's treatment of the makeover show is as appreciative as it is critical. She contends that the makeover television show is a complicated text from which we can learn much about cultural desires and fears as expressed through narratives of selfhood.

Contents: What is queer film history? -- From pansies to predators, queer characters in early American cinema -- Discreet charms, queer filmmakers in classical Hollywood -- "Those wonderful people out there in the dark", queer audiences and classical Hollywood cinema -- Fear and loathing in postwar Hollywood -- Exploitation or art?, queer films beyond Hollywood -- Hollywood and the sexual revolution -- Producing pride, queers make movies -- Out of the closet and into the art house -- A matter of life and death, AIDS, activism, film and video -- Hollywood is burning, new queer cinema -- Queer eye for the straight Hollywood executive -- Queer independent film at the turn of the millennium.

In this eye-opening and timely film, young pop culture icon Olly Alexander explores why the gay community is more vulnerable to mental health issues and opens up about his own long-term battles with depression.The outspoken frontman of British band, Years and Years, Olly is a powerful voice on mental health, bullying, and LGBT rights. He has broken taboos with music videos that celebrate queer identities, and spoken openly about his own sexuality and ongoing struggles with anxiety. In the film, he talks about homophobic bullying, eating and anxiety disorders, and what can be done to address them.

"An unblinking behind-the-scenes story of fashion-obsessed New Yorkers who created 'voguing' and drag balls, and turned these raucous celebrations into a powerful expression of fierce personal pride"--Container.

A young man sets out find out exactly what happened to his brain to turn him into a different person. At 21, Chris was a burly, rugby-playing straight man--but then an accident triggered a series of events in his brain and as he recovered a new Chris emerged. Today he still lives in the same Welsh village but is now a slim gay hairdresser interested in fashion and interior decor. This radical transformation has caused family rifts as relatives struggle to accept his new identity--many doubting his story about how it happened. The documentary follows Chris in his search for answers, talking to medical experts and others who have experienced similar personality changing events when they least expected it. Will Chris be re-united with his family? Can he find out what happened inside his head? And, now settled with a boyfriend, can he be sure that he won't "get better" and revert to his old self?