23 September 2012

A Book Review of Gaga Feminism: Sex, Gender, and the End of Normal by J. Jack Halberstam


An ongoing conversation among academics, especially those who play in such areas as queer theory, is that of the accessibility of language and concepts.  Are books, essays, and articles written for the academically elite, or should there be a wider audience who can (and/or does) engage with these texts?  J. Jack Halberstam seeks to interrupt the relegation of queer and critical discourse to the academy.  In his latest book, Gaga Feminism: Sex, Gender, and the End of Normal, Halberstam successfully weaves feminist discourse, queer theory, critical politics, and analyses of race, class, and the gay and lesbian movement’s push for marriage equality together using popular culture as an epoxy to which everything sticks.  Despite what I read as several minor flaws, the overall argument that Halberstam makes, that we need to “go gaga,” resonates loudly (as well he wants it to!). 

The first telling sign of Halberstam’s new book is its publisher, Beacon Press.  Perhaps better put, it is telling that Halberstam’s book is not published by a university press, which has been the case with all of his previous works.  The move to Beacon Press signals, to me, a desire to be read outside of academic circles and to further connect with his consideration of “low theory,” which he does well to establish in his last book, The Queer Art of Failure.  Adding to the accessible nature of the book, Halberstam begins the book by being exceedingly open with his gender identity and his life.  Whereas previously Halberstam has kept a distance from his work, this book smacks of the personal, giving it a personal touch that is carried through the entire text to emphasize the point, as he does toward the end, that the personal is political.  Halberstam is open about his evolving relationship to his gender identity and expression, the family he has formed with his partner, her two children, and the multiple (re)readings of him by those in his life.  He shares intimate and, some may say banal details of his life and, in doing so, creates a connection with the reader that forgoes the need to establish academic credibility through incessant citing or high rhetoric. 

Halberstam states this book “emerge[s] as a series of ‘what if’ questions” (p. xxiv), all of which culminate in envisioning a form of feminism motivated by Lady Gaga.  This feminism, gaga feminism, is one that is beyond borders and is meant to provoke, excite, push back, be loud, and generally go gaga.  Halberstam admits there are problems with Lady Gaga’s politics (most notably her commitment to the “born this way” rhetoric and support of gay marriage), but he insists that it is her performance, persona, and embodiment that motivate this articulation of feminism.  By calling on the spectacle that is Gaga, Halberstam is also calling on his readership to engage in a critical form of politics that looks to envision a new world out of the colossal mess that has become our economy as well as our relationships to sex, sexuality, and gender. 

Overall, Halberstam’s book is incredibly successful at helping the reader think of new possibilities.  More than anything, Halberstam encourages readers to embrace failure as a form of potential.  For example, Halberstam notes the social impossibility of queer identities and lives.  Therefore, rather than strive to reinforce a status quo that continues to denigrate queer lives and family formations (e.g., gay marriage), Halberstam advocates that we recognize the potential of queer families, relationships, and forms of kinship. It is out of this failure, then, that new possibilities emerge.  This is a notion Halberstam advances is The Queer Art of Failure, and puts to good use in Gaga Feminism

Gaga Feminism reads as part social critique, part academic cultural studies, and part call-to-arms.  Halberstam’s critique of gay marriage is powerful, easy to grasp, and builds on what Michael Warner wrote in his 1999 book The Trouble with Normal: Sex, Politics, and the Ethics of Queer Life.  In addition, Halberstam’s incisive comments regarding rom-coms, relationships between men and women, and how racial and class identities must be explored to provide a more in-depth understanding of the social impact of these cultural phenomena are concise and clear.  Echoing an over-used cliché, Halberstam has created a book that is very “now,” both temporally as well as in terms of the ideas he grapples with throughout the book. 

As I said at the outset of my review, the book has several minor flaws.  For example, for a book that attempts to move beyond the walls of the academy, I was surprised that Halberstam starts off discussing an interaction he had with feminist author Susan Faludi at a conference, after which he precedes to deconstruct her arguments.  While he makes a compelling case, I find the method of critique, as well as the location in which the example is situated, to be one with which not many outside of the academy will be able to connect.   Additionally, I was not overly compelled by Halberstam’s critique of the university toward the end of the book.  It seemed to come out of left field and, while I am familiar and sympathetic with the argument, it felt like a throw-away in this book.  Halberstam did not spend enough time establishing the importance, causes, or significance of deconstructing the academy, making it seem like a strawperson argument set up to help him get to his larger project: that we need to defy the status quo. 

Otherwise, I found the book compelling.  It is compact and is a quick and easy read, which speaks to Halberstam’s abilities as a writer given the intellectually difficult content being discussed.  Of much delight to me is the way that Halberstam enacts gaga feminism textually, floating from topic to topic, example to example with a form of child-like wonder and whimsy.  This book is playful yet intense, powerful yet approachable, and loud yet intimate.  I would strongly recommend it for folks who have found themselves, as I have, looking around and saying “so what the hell are we to do as a society now?”  Especially on the precipice of a national election that holds little, if any, promise for a “better future,” Halberstam’s book provides a potential strategy of resistance by advocating that we go gaga.  And I, for one, am down with this plan; Gaga it is!

09 January 2012

last woods walk before the semester...and then some baking!

Yesterday some friends and I took a last glorious walk with our dogs in the state park by campus.  It was an absolutely beautiful day, so of course we took our cameras.  


After we walked, my friend Maria and I went back to my place for some baking fun.  I found a recipe on Pinterest for pinapple upsidedown cupcakes and decided to make them.  The Student Affairs in Higher Education (SAHE) program, which is the program I am in, is having a cake party this week, so I figured I would get these done while I still had time.  They turned out AMAZING (both looking and tasting - we indulged in some extras...), so kudos to the people who pinned this!  


In other fun news, I start my career as a TA tonight and will be teaching Masters students for the first time ever!  If you believe in good omens, I got mine last night when I found out that one of my papers I submitted for the Gendered Borders and Queer Frontiers conference hosted at UW - Madison this March was accepted!  It is titled Police State: The Realities and Implications of Political, Racial, and Gendered Borders.  Now all I have to do is finish it up!  


But anyway - on to the pictures!
there were some fallen trees that looked cool with the bands of shade
i (obviously) played with this photo a bit, but i dig the b&w...
tree down!

we don't really want to know what is in that pipe methinks...
thought this was a fun shot too
eat your heart out
the pinapple go marching two by two, hurrah...hurrah...
mouth watering yet?
because they should be
ours were too until we finished the two remaining cupcakes - so good!

07 January 2012

because i am a nerd...

I just had to post this as proof of my legitimacy as a TA.  Now if only I could get all the books I order to come with this sort of invoice...then I would really need another bookcase!
"these books are supplied free of charge" = best. thing. ever.

05 January 2012

getting lost and finding our way

I have always had romantic visions of heading out for a drive in the Midwest, getting lost, and finding my way back to where I started.  Just me, my car, the pup, and the meandering road in front of me...

However, take into account the fact that I am a Nervous Nelly and my imagination sometimes runs away with me, and I have never really gotten lost...probably all those Children of the Corn movies...yikes!  However, this evening I went out and got lost with a dear friend.  The best part: we had our cameras in tow!  For those who have never been to the Midwest, there is something so awe-inspiring about wide open spaces.  These images don't do the scenery justice, but this is the beauty that is not 20 minutes outside of Oxford...just breathtaking.  We also happened upon some run down and dilapidated barns and farm equipment, which always make for great photo ops!  I hope you enjoy the photojournalism below, which I will let speak for itself from here on out.



this is one of my favorites - just put the camera on the ground and shot







i'm not a religious person, but this book sitting in the dilapidated barn seemed to be waiting for someone


this seemed like such a great shot when juxtaposed with the barn it was in


this bugger hung out and had a chat with us when we pulled over and took some pics...my friend named this cow moo...

04 January 2012

my latest adventure in horticulture

Full disclosure: I suck at keeping plants alive.  


Even those plants that people say you don't need to water or do anything to - yup; I kill those too.  


I share all this as a lead in to my great surprise that I have kept not one, but two plants alive for an entire semester!  I know, right - I am moving up in the world!  So much so that a friend of mine convinced me to take on the additional responsibility of raising some spider sproutlings.  The little buggers have been in water for about a two weeks and say hi to me each morning.  Seriously, they do - just look at the picture for proof!


i hope this is not a recipe for disaster...
We shall see if I can keep all FOUR plants alive through the getting-colder-everyday winter...send positive (and warm) vibes for my fauna friends if you can!

02 January 2012

the road to oxford is covered in snow

This morning I woke up to the one thing I have been waiting for, dreaming for, longing for all those years in the desert sun: snow!  

After a nice walk with the pup (her first in snowy weather) in the neighborhood across the street from me, I ran out to snap this picture.  I can't wait to see what the downtown area looks like!  I may have to head up there this afternoon or evening to see if all the twinkle lights that have been on for the holidays are still up.  If so, I am sure they will look just darling with the snow!

If I have said it once, I have said it a million times...I am so glad to be here.  

no traffic was held up in the taking of this photo

31 December 2011

time to make my intentions clear

Well, today is the day: New Years Eve.  For those not already in the know, I am uber indifferent to the very notion of NYE.  I don't really get the desire to celebrate the coming of a new day.  Shoot, I am up past midnight right now and I didn't feel the need to drink champagne and find someone to kiss.  Just plain silly.  


Regardless of my indifference, I picked up the fun idea to list some intentions (not resolutions, but intentions) for the coming year by a dear friend of mine.  I figure that, given I am midway through my first year as a doctoral student, this would be as good a time as any to give this a go.  I also figured I should share these to give myself some accountability.  I also have worked hard to make sure these are goals that can be measured (my friend Kevin would be so proud of me for writing SMART goals).  I figured this will be easier for me to judge my progress than having goals like "be a better person"...cause that seems (a) like an awful goal to begin with (better than what?  What was "wrong" that needed to become better in the first place? Why the desire to be "better" even?) and (b) it doesn't give me anything to work toward other than a vague shadow of a quasi-goal.  So, without further ado, here are some of my intentions...


1. Cook 90% of my meals.  I have done decently well at this during the past couple years, but find myself slipping at certain points.  Hopefully this will keep me honest, especially with me traveling for conferences.  
2. Purchase 75% of non-food items from secondhand/thrift/goodwill/craft websites and stores.  Here's to economies of scale and supporting individuals rather than conglomerates.  
3. Take Grrtrude on long morning walks during weekdays.  Sometimes this happens, but I need to wake up early on a regular basis so we can burn off some of her energy.  
4. Take Grrtrude on long afternoon/evening walks 2-3 days a week.  I'll admit it - I got real lazy after classes last semester.  Thankfully I don't have classes that end at 9:00p regularly, which means longer walks will be easier to do for the both of us.  
5. Exercise 2-3 days a week.  I am not counting my mile walk to and from campus as exercise either.  I am talking about going to the gym, running, or using BetCi, which is on the indoor trainer.  
6. Go camping once a month during the summer.
7. Write 3 letters each week.  If you want some real snail mail, send me your address!
8. Journal at least once a week.
9. Make a portion or all of any gifts I give.  I figure this will help me make gift-giving special.  Food, crafts, and/or some other fun things will be made for those who I love.  Get ready!
10. Carry my camera with me regularly.  I have a nice one, so I might as well use it, right?


Ten should be good for now - I have some others, but I gotta leave something to the imagination, right?  


And what am I doing for New Years Eve, you ask?  I am spending the morning reading (I hope to finish book #5, and start book #6, of the break), having a low-key evening with friends, and ringing in the new year by giving my Number One Grrl in my life, Miss Grrtrude Anne, a big kiss.  Let's hope her breath doesn't smell too much like dog treats...