Don’t worry everyone – just another white woman here to discuss race in Paris is Burning – exactly what you asked for, right? I’d like to compare Contreras’s ideas on New Queer Cinema with hooks’s ideas of Paris is Burning. Where hooks explains why she is bothered by the images of the black people in this film, Contreras writes on 121,
“If, for example, we detach, however imaginatively, the concept of masculinity from men, we draw upon the ability of queer people to fashion and refashion identities and practices that may only superficially resemble heterosexual constructs.”
Contreras, 121
Contreras is able to detach the identities of the human beings in play for new realities, where hooks finds it important to validate the identities they already have. But Contreras isn’t right to do so; as what would these people be without their identities? I can’t imagine being anything but a cis-white heterosexual in the 90s, as one is apparently only allowed to have one “abnormality” that makes them different. They can be gay, or black, or Latinx, or trans, but not all of them; and Contreras doesn’t seem as aware of the worship of whiteness that hooks has a problem with. Contreras writes, “In the film, not one person is marked visibly as white. The only white images are quick edit clips of rich New Yorkers walking on Park Avenue, glossy magazine photographs, and the cast of TV’s Dynasty. But that can’t be true if the queens “voguing” are trying to emulate white women.
To me, Contreras problem is the same problem with Madonna’s appropriation with Voguing. Is it better that it has become popularized? That it is out in the wold for “white culture” to see? Contreras writes, “Madonna represented a commercial manifestation of this ‘new multiculturalism,” (126). I’m not going to lie and say that I didn’t struggle with both of these articles; I would really love to discuss further about representations of whiteness and how they pertain to camp/drag.
Maddie's Blog for Film, Gender, Sexuality Class 
It is quite important to validate the identities of all humans. Without these identities, we would all be lost in an abyss of bitterness and confusion. I like how you mentioned that they could have chosen any identity as long as it was only one. There was no allowance of a cross over or intersectionality of any sort. After reading your post I realized that I disagree with Contreras on a number of topics. And for your question of whether it is good or not to have representation of voguing even though it was appropriated, I would have to say no. Madonna should be seen as unoriginal but instead became famous.
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The last sentence of your blog referring to whiteness, camp, and drag interested me. I feel that camp and whiteness are very opposite. Camp is the embellished portrayal of real-life whereas whiteness is indicated (from the eyes of the people in Paris is Burning) as the social norm. Camp comes directly from the community that is depicted in the film and it is a response to whiteness which I find fascinating. Did you happen to see photos from the Met Gala last year? The theme was ‘Susan Sontag’s Notes on Camp’ and I was fascinated with a lot of the outfits, especially Lady Gag and Billy Porter. Since black queer people from this community weren’t able to truly be what they idolized, that is where camp originated but I feel like people have lost the origin of camp.
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I feel like I read Contreras’ response differently than, it appears, a lot of people have. Perhaps it’s because I’m coming from a white perspective, but I never read him as invalidating identities. For me, when I read Contreras and when I watched Paris is Burning, I the idolization of whiteness as an indicator about what our society is. Our society praises white-ness, and while that’s not a good thing it’s something that we can’t ignore. Of course, neither Contreras’ article nor Paris is Burning discussed this directly, so perhaps I’m coming at it from a perspective that already thinks critically about it. I agree with hooks in that we need to validate identities. However, I think it’s important to point out the fact that society favors people who are white, cis, and straight. Could both Contreras and Paris is Burning dug a little deeper and really examined what it meant when whiteness was idealized? Of course. But I think the intent on showing that people strive towards what is successful in this world (which tends to be white, cis, and straight) is there, and we as viewers need to question why it is that people are desperate to fit in with what society says is the ideal.
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Super interested in the idea you presented on vogue. It’s such a shame that a niche culture often needs to be appropriated in order to gain traction. I guess that comes from the fact that white culture still holds most of the social and literal capital in society. I would say that in theory a culture being “appropriated” and popularized for the world to experience isn’t a bad thing. However, when a culture arises as a defense mechanism against the dominant (white) culture, to have that dominant culture feeding on what was created in spite of them later on feels wrong.
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I loved your post. I think it’s very interesting to explore the variety of opinions regarding race in Paris is Burning. Hooks’ comment about “worshipping at the throne of whiteness” really struck me as I was reading the article, and to hear Contreras’ differing stance was fascinating to consider, though I did feel that the emulation was more out of status than actual admiration. Another of our classmates talked about how pretending to be white serves to grant admission or privileges of the dominant class. Since every other group and every “abnormality” is treated with less respect and saddled with greater struggles, to “pass” as being a part of the norm is to hopefully gain the same status.
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