Third International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

In recent years, television has made several steps toward featuring queer women in sexual relationships with other women. This paper explores female spectatorship and these representations, drawing on the works of Mary Ann Doane—who interrogates the female object, gaze, and audience of film—and bell hooks—who explores black female spectatorship through her own experiences as a black woman. Building on these studies of race, gender, and spectatorship, I address sexuality and recognize the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality as part of the spectator experience. Representation theory suggests we can expect that television and film acts as mirrors for society. Queer women may desire to see the tender moments and disputes of queer couples or the ordinary day-to-day activities of queer women—to only be disappointed in the representations that are offered. In this work, I analyze tweets from spectators of television shows such as Black Mirror, One Day At A Time, and Sense8, which have brought spectators especially relatable queer women to watch. Spectators who identify as queer, women, and/or as people of color may be able to negotiate what a scene portrays and what a character means to them with the help of their identities. A queer gaze inserts space of resistance for queer women and women of color fostering an interrogation of the production of queer representation and queer antagonism on television.