New publication: “Sissy Style”
My latest article, “‘Sissy Style’: Gender, Race, and Sexuality in New Orleans Bounce Music” was just published in the latest issue of the Journal of Popular Music Studies. Not only that, but for the next 30 days, it is available to read for free without a subscription!
Drawing on interviews and fieldwork conducted in New Orleans, this article illustrates the ways in which gendered shaking styles have been adapted among its queer and trans participants and its role as kinetic community response to trauma inflicted by Hurricane Katrina. It demonstrates that shaking is an example of both a racialized and gendered performance and a performative act in which gender and racial identity are co-constructed. Finally, it considers the implications of twerking’s exposure on a national stage and how New Orleans bounce artists have reacted. Bounce music and dance are interconnected forms of expression; considering them together helps us to better understand the relationship between sound and gesture in hip hop.
