Westernizing Queerness

Abstract

https://soundcloud.com/stephen-thomas-578008375/westernizing-queerness

While reality media programs have existed since around the 1940s, the first platform to generate mass viewership toward stigmatized and marginalized social groups and their individual stories was the American talk show, this environment formed a beginning step in showcasing real people facing real issues. The rise of reality TV began with MTV's series The Real World, premiering in 1992. This show led the way to creating platforms which have a major effect on cultural condition and consumerism, with shows like RuPaul's Drag Race. Reality TV tends to be viewer-based, and works to target specific groups in order to generate higher ratings and profitability. For my thesis, I will challenge how queer representations on television, specifically RuPaul's Drag Race, have generated a cultural shift toward those interpretations of social bias toward marginalized groups, specifically queer identities.