Proposal: To expand the definition of femme in order to highlight the sexism within the queer community by further discussing the femmephobia / femme invisibility / femme erasure that occurs as a result of this inner community sexism. The femme erasure is largely due to the rejection of heteronormative roles, the view of feminine as inferior, and the popular emphasis on female masculinities. Also, we plan on separating femme from butch, as the butch-femme association promotes the idea that femme is only an identity when there is a butch counterpart.
Bibliography
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Dahl, U. (2015). SEXISM: A FEMME-INIST PERSPECTIVE. New Formations, (86), 54-73. doi:10.3898/NEWF.86.03.2015
Musser, A. J. (2016). Queering the Pinup: History, Femmes, and Brooklyn. GLQ: A Journal Of Lesbian And Gay Studies, (1), 55.
Walker, J. J., Golub, S. A., Bimbi, D. S., & Parsons, J. T. (2012). Butch Bottom–Femme Top? An Exploration of Lesbian Stereotypes. Journal Of Lesbian Studies, 16(1), 90. doi:10.1080/10894160.2011.557646