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Last month, Milly Shaw reviewed a book that has had a lot of attention since its summer release: Femmes of Power: Exploding Queer Femininities by Ulrika Dahl and Del LaGrace Volcano. It’s generated mixed reviews, a host of debates, and a series of events across the UK and Sweden.

But what has the reception to Femmes of Power been like for its two creators? Jane Bradley caught up with both Ulrika and Del to find out…

So, Del and Ulrika, what reactions to the book have you had so far?

Del LaGrace Volcano (DLGV): “The reception has been excellent. As far as the press goes it’s been gratifying that the majority of reviews have been quite reflective, rather than simply descriptive or critical. This indicates to me that people are actually reading the text and thinking about their own relationships to femme-ininity and feminism.

There have also been a lot of positive comments about the variety of representations in terms of race, age, size and location, which I’ve been happy about.”

Ulrika Dahl (UD): “Yes, I agree and I am also particularly happy that the folks in the book are pleased with it.

“This book is based in collaboration and for me what the folks in the book think is the most important – because far too often queers are spoken for and represented in ways that they are not happy with. Del has a long history of making stunning work with queer communities and the generosity and appreciation that we’ve received from the femme movement for now putting the spotlight on femmes in this book is priceless.

“I think the folks who have been willing to be photographed and interviewed for this book are total heroines for doing so - because not everyone can or wants to do that and it does make a difference – that much has been clear in reactions so far. The book is based in collaboration – all of the subjects in the book have approved how they are represented both visually and textually. We have had a number of panel discussions, performances, and so on in collaboration with femmes of power – and I suspect we will continue to do so.

The book is thus part of something bigger – making community and continued discussions about representation, queer politics, feminism and so on.”

In print and online, there have been plenty of positive reviews, but have you received any hostile reactions?

DLGV: “Funny how we humans always seem to focus more on the negative and hostile reactions than the positive and enthusiastic ones isn’t it?

There was one mixed mainstream review in Sweden where the reviewer seems to find the text amazing but the imagery and design ugly. That felt strange since accusations of ‘ugliness’ are so often used to control and shame women into accepting their subordinate position without resistance.”

UD: “What has been particularly great is that people seem to find the book both accessible and complex and that it really makes people think about why there is so much contempt for femininity. While it is informed by a lot of ‘high theory’ (if you want to call it that), ‘academese’ is not my first language either so I wanted to write for a broader audience.

While not necessarily hostile, some folks seem to think the book is about ‘labels’ as such – which is not the point at all, quite the opposite, we have really laboured to show a diverse range of positions.

So while many interviewers really want us to give a definition of femme and demand that we state what makes it differ from ’ordinary femininity’ (which many lesbians have explicitly rejected), that is sometimes hard to do and part of the point. This to me shows the contradictory way that ‘labels’ work – we both need them and hate them.”

In Femmes of Power Ulrika wrote about how the meaning of femininity is continually informed and changed by the mass-reproduced pin-up of mainstream media. Were there any particular famous faces or reference points which informed your own definitions of femininity?

DLGV: “If you are alive today then you will have ingested and absorbed the (mostly negative) cultural stereotypes of femininity whether you like it or not since we are all constantly bombarded with images of sexually available, eager to be objectified, young, slim or painfully thin, most often white, supposedly beautiful images of female bodies by the media, in advertising and even in our text books! These are my points of reference and resistance.”

UD: “Our subjects all work both with and against particular and culturally specific feminine ideals – they both celebrate and critique femininity at the same time. We have African-American femmes citing black burlesque and showgirl traditions, Latina femmes engaging with and tweaking stereotypes of the ‘chola’ and South Asian femmes like Jaheda who takes inspiration from the life of Phoolan Devi –India’s “Bandit Queen”.

These are not randomly chosen icons from mass culture – they are of personal significance to the subjects. What inspires me is the labour of tweaking and re-signification – that is, rather than reject femininity all together, the subjects of our book are part of changing the meaning of femininity in a sexist world and that empowers all of us.”

The visual portraits in Femmes of Power are potentially problematic. Do you think such works can attach too high an importance to surface appearance?

DLGV: “A consequence of the visual propaganda we have all been subjected to is that we automatically ‘read’ images of feminine women in a particular way and make assumptions about her gender, sexuality and availability for cultural consumption.

I don’t believe that words alone can provide an alternative way of visualizing what it means to be female, femme or feminine in today’s world.”

UD: “Yes, and it’s also important to know that this is a rare book because it gives equal weight to image and text – and very few publishers are willing to produce such books!

That said, if you read the text, you will learn that the ways that our subjects queer femininity is about a lot more than aesthetics or visuals – it is about who it is done for – that is, about desire and relationships, the activist and creative work that they do, and so on.”

The portraits in Femmes of Power are closely connected to a range of complex topics, and their nature as such means that the majority of readers will already be informed to some extent on gender and queer theory. To play devil’s advocate for a second, does this mean that you’re limited to preaching to the converted?

DLGV: “Well, here I disagree with you completely! The feedback I’ve received from non-queer, non-femme, non-gender studies aficionados indicates that Femmes of Power is doing much more than simply preaching to the choir. Having said that though I would add that one of the primary objectives of this book is to celebrate and validate queer femmes and those that consciously queer femininity.”

UD: “Yes, I too would disagree and my sense is that a lot of folks have found points of connection in this book.

I think we need to ask ourselves why we always have to bear in mind some imagined person who might not understand, and what’s at stake in always prioritising those readers rather than the ones who so rarely get to see themselves – or something like themselves – represented in a book of photography and text.

In a basic way, this book says: femininity can look like this and this too is a way of being queer. If it doesn’t work for you – then perhaps it can be a source of inspiration for how to articulate or represent yourself the way you want and even better, find others to talk about it with. If that is the case – part of our mission is accomplished!”

Femmes of Power: Exploring Queer Femininities is published by Serpent’s Tail and is currently available from Amazon.co.uk for £13.99.

Posted in: Books & Art, Exclusives |