Cold War Femme

Lesbianism, National Identity, and Hollywood Cinema

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Film, History & Criticism, Performing Arts, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Gender Studies
Cover of the book Cold War Femme by Robert J. Corber, Duke University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Robert J. Corber ISBN: 9780822393788
Publisher: Duke University Press Publication: January 27, 2011
Imprint: Duke University Press Books Language: English
Author: Robert J. Corber
ISBN: 9780822393788
Publisher: Duke University Press
Publication: January 27, 2011
Imprint: Duke University Press Books
Language: English

In his bestselling book The Grapevine: A Report on the Secret World of the Lesbian (1965), Jess Stearn announced that, contrary to the assumptions of many Americans, most lesbians appeared indistinguishable from other women. They could mingle “congenially in conventional society.” Some were popular sex symbols; some were married to unsuspecting husbands. Robert J. Corber contends that The Grapevine exemplified a homophobic Cold War discourse that portrayed the femme as an invisible threat to the nation. Underlying this panic was the widespread fear that college-educated women would reject marriage and motherhood as aspirations, weakening the American family and compromising the nation’s ability to defeat totalitarianism. Corber argues that Cold War homophobia transformed ideas about lesbianism in the United States. In the early twentieth century, homophobic discourse had focused on gender identity: the lesbian was a masculine woman. During the Cold War, the lesbian was reconceived as a woman attracted to other women. Corber develops his argument by analyzing representations of lesbianism in Hollywood movies of the 1950s and 1960s, and in the careers of some of the era’s biggest female stars. He examines treatments of the femme in All About Eve, The Children’s Hour, and Marnie, and he explores the impact of Cold War homophobia on the careers of Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, and Doris Day.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In his bestselling book The Grapevine: A Report on the Secret World of the Lesbian (1965), Jess Stearn announced that, contrary to the assumptions of many Americans, most lesbians appeared indistinguishable from other women. They could mingle “congenially in conventional society.” Some were popular sex symbols; some were married to unsuspecting husbands. Robert J. Corber contends that The Grapevine exemplified a homophobic Cold War discourse that portrayed the femme as an invisible threat to the nation. Underlying this panic was the widespread fear that college-educated women would reject marriage and motherhood as aspirations, weakening the American family and compromising the nation’s ability to defeat totalitarianism. Corber argues that Cold War homophobia transformed ideas about lesbianism in the United States. In the early twentieth century, homophobic discourse had focused on gender identity: the lesbian was a masculine woman. During the Cold War, the lesbian was reconceived as a woman attracted to other women. Corber develops his argument by analyzing representations of lesbianism in Hollywood movies of the 1950s and 1960s, and in the careers of some of the era’s biggest female stars. He examines treatments of the femme in All About Eve, The Children’s Hour, and Marnie, and he explores the impact of Cold War homophobia on the careers of Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, and Doris Day.

More books from Duke University Press

Cover of the book Freedom Time by Robert J. Corber
Cover of the book Writing Taiwan by Robert J. Corber
Cover of the book Indigenous Development in the Andes by Robert J. Corber
Cover of the book Architecture at the End of the Earth by Robert J. Corber
Cover of the book From Two Republics to One Divided by Robert J. Corber
Cover of the book Laughing at the Devil by Robert J. Corber
Cover of the book Producing Bollywood by Robert J. Corber
Cover of the book Reel World by Robert J. Corber
Cover of the book Selling Modernity by Robert J. Corber
Cover of the book Reading for Realism by Robert J. Corber
Cover of the book Pleasure Consuming Medicine by Robert J. Corber
Cover of the book All in the Family by Robert J. Corber
Cover of the book We Dream Together by Robert J. Corber
Cover of the book Mad Toy by Robert J. Corber
Cover of the book Zapotec Women by Robert J. Corber
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy