Lesbian Styles in Cinema
Vicki Karaminas author Judith Beyer author
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Edinburgh University Press
Published:30th Jun '25
Should be back in stock very soon
While there are a great many books on the Hollywood star system and its costuming, and a number of books on queer cinema, the role of lesbian dress styles in constructing lesbian characters has yet to be the subject of a discrete, detailed book study. Lesbian Styles in Cinema examines how dress constructs lesbian characters as a form of representation and visual communication in film. By focusing on a set of independent and studio films that highlight lesbian dress practices, from Leontine Segan’s Madchen in Uniform (1931) and other lesbian classics such as Donna Dietch’s Desert Hearts (1985) to the Wachowski sisters Bound (1996) and Rose Glass’ Love Lies Bleeding (2024), this book unpacks the role of sartorial codes in producing narratives of lesbian subjectivities, representation and desire.
Karaminas and Beyer’s Lesbian Styles in Cinema is a book that I would have loved to have written, or at least, have been part of its writing. It’s theme – the variation and meaning of lesbian styles in mainstream and independent cinema from the 1920s – is engaging, enjoyable and indeed very topical. In times when queer sexualities and genders are increasingly being pressured and questioned, a book like this plays a significant role in showing the richness and multitude of lesbian representations on screen, whilst also unveiling the very meaning and force that these representations hold in celebrating and illuminating diverse lesbian styles and identities. For anyone interested in the relation between (queer) cinema and the history of lesbian styles, this is a definite and pleasurable must read. * Louise Wallenberg, Professor of Fashion Studies at Stockholm University *
ISBN: 9781399511018
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
192 pages