Gay Icons

Who are the most significant gay icons and how did they develop? What influence do they have on gay individuals and communities? This book focuses on the superstars, femmes fatales and divas of the gay celebrity pantheon—Mae West, Julie Andrews, Britney Spears, RuPaul, Cher, Divine, Sharon Needles and many others—and their contributions to gay culture and the complications of sexual and gender identity. The author explores their allure along with the mechanisms of iconicity.

Georges-Claude Guilbert is an American studies and gender studies professor at the Université Le Havre Normandie, France. He supervises several doctoral students, in gender studies and LGBTQ+ studies. He lives in Notre Dame de Bondeville, France.

Georges-Claude Guilbert
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 226
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2018
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7433-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3301-5
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments  v
Introduction  1
The Performers
Julie Andrews 17
Lauren Bacall 20
Lucille Ball 22
Tallulah Bankhead 24
Shirley Bassey 26
Marisa Berenson 30
Louise Brooks 31
Maria Callas 32
Naomi Campbell 34
Mariah Carey 38
Cher 40
Joan Collins 43
Joan Crawford 46
Miley Cyrus 51
Dalida 52
Bette Davis 55
Lana Del Rey 58
Catherine Deneuve 61
Marlene Dietrich 63
Céline Dion 67
Divine 69
Agnetha Fältskog 70
Mylène Farmer 72
Zsa Zsa Gabor 74
Lady Gaga 75
Greta Barbo 77
Judy Garland 79
Gloria Gaynor 83
Françoise Hardy 85
Jean Harlow 86
Rita Hayworth 88
Audrey Hepburn 89
Katharine Hepburn 91
Billie Holiday 92
Whitney Houston 94
Grace Jones 95
Eartha Kitt 98
Beyoncé Knowles 99
Amanda Lear 101
Madonna 106
Jayne Mansfield 110
Ethel Merman 112
Bette Middler 113
Nicki Minaj 117
Liza Minnelli 120
Kylie Minogue 122
Marilyn Monroe 125
María Montez 130
Sara Montiel 131
Agnes Moorehead 133
Sharon Needles 135
Vanessa Paradis 136
Marisa Paredes 138
Dolly Parton 141
Diana Rigg 143
Rihanna 144
Joan Rivers 145
Diana Ross 147
RuPaul 149
Sheila 151
Britney Spears 153
Dusty Springfield 160
Barbara Stanwyck 161
Meryl Streep 163
Barbra Streisand 166
Donna Summer 168
Gloria Swanson 170
Elizabeth Taylor 172
Lana Turner 176
Mae West 178
Conclusion  182
Chapter Notes  185
Bibliography  197
Index  205