on Beautiful People and how you can still do new things with the sissy
I've been watching Beautiful People and loving it, so I was a bit troubled when I saw comments on afterelton rejecting it as just another example of sissy stereotypes. Because, yes, Simon is a sissy. Why does the show still feel new and happy-making to me?
I came to the conclusion that it's because Simon is the main character. The sissy usually isn't. Every sissy character I could think of live their lives in the shadow of straight or straight-acting characters; taking care of their wishes, participating in their drama. (Examples ranging from Marc St. James to The Birdcage and - of course - Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.) Gay male characters who live their own lives instead of someone elses are a lot more butch. (Kevin Walker, Jack Harkness, the Brokeback boys, etc.)
So to have a show with an unapologetic, flaming sissy as the star - yeah, that feels new. Especially since he's also 13. Gay kids don't tend to get their own TV shows either.
Add to this the fun, bizarre storylines and the lovely secondary cast (I have a long-standing crush on Meera Syal, for one thing), and it's a show that's definitely worth watching.
I came to the conclusion that it's because Simon is the main character. The sissy usually isn't. Every sissy character I could think of live their lives in the shadow of straight or straight-acting characters; taking care of their wishes, participating in their drama. (Examples ranging from Marc St. James to The Birdcage and - of course - Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.) Gay male characters who live their own lives instead of someone elses are a lot more butch. (Kevin Walker, Jack Harkness, the Brokeback boys, etc.)
So to have a show with an unapologetic, flaming sissy as the star - yeah, that feels new. Especially since he's also 13. Gay kids don't tend to get their own TV shows either.
Add to this the fun, bizarre storylines and the lovely secondary cast (I have a long-standing crush on Meera Syal, for one thing), and it's a show that's definitely worth watching.