Blog Roll

In working on this project, I not only consulted related scholarly literature but also blogs of individuals who identify as queer and blogs that are about queer subjects.  I specifically sought blogs that discussed body image, fashion, and femme identity.  I found these blogs on the blogging website Tumblr.com.  I thought that Tumblr blogs were particularly interesting because they were easy ways for people to share not only content they created but also content created or submitted by other users.  It is also a good site to examine for examples of users using their own images to authenticate and testify to their queer identity construction or critique stereotypes of queer identities.  Tumblr is also a site of community formation around various topics such as queer identity, fat activism, politics, and various fandoms.  People share and comment on items posted by other users.  People follow each other and sometimes form friendships and even relationships through blogging.  Tumblr blogs focused on topics are also sites of community building and identity critique.  These blogs are usually run by one or more users who then posts items, usually images, that other users submit.  These submissions can be personal photos or photos from media such as advertising campaigns, magazines, films, or television.  I found most of the blogs that I followed because they were connected to topic tumblrs or had items shared by other blogs that I followed.  So without further ado, here is a list of tumblrs that I followed using my personal tumblr (gingerdaydream.tumblr.com).  These tumblrs inspired my own construction of my identity as well as inspiring and informing this project.

• fattiesinlove.tumblr.com 
  This tumblr is run by E and A who describe themselves as "E is the blonde, A is the brunette. We live together in Center City, Philadelphia, and spend a good deal of time dorking about the city, trying out new restaurants, and sometimes planning and executing comic book type stories." They blog about queer things, comics, their relationship, fat activism, feminism, and other topics.
• jessiedress.tumblr.com This blogger describes her blog as "fatshion, productive rage, shiny things, feminism, gender/identity politics, body hair, queer musings...queer, fat, glitter, femme." She posts photos of herself that question femme identity and gender because she has a mustache and presents a very femme gender performance.
• hisblackdress.tumblr.com/ Michael Spookshow describes his blog as "A look into the life & interests of Michael Spookshow. Expect all things dark, geeky, and weird. For those who always root for the bad guy." He is a cis male in a heterosexual marriage who believes that clothing should not be gendered. He regularly wears "women's" clothing such as dresses and skirts and posts photos on his tumblr and his other blog, hisblackdress.com. He regularly blogs about what he calls men's fashion freedom. I included his blog on this list because he is using fashion to question norms about proper gender presentation. 
• http://glitterlion.tumblr.com/ This blogger describes himself and his blog as "I am a black, queer, working poor, sex positive, body positive, fuck your slut shaming, Southern fried gent, organizer, and dedicated bacon lover. A fan of intentional & thoughtful language and communication that acknowledges varied lived experiences, i.e. don't forget about the intersections people! I love deep fryers, Xena/Buffy, and sweaty fun sexy times....In this space, you'll find super heroes, satire, biting wit, glitter, food, politics, emotions, grease, gifs, porn, gender fuckery, feminist/womanist thought, black folks, queers, scruff, bears, tight clothes, theory, shiny thangs, and more."  I really like the campiness that this blogger highlights as well as his focus on race and class. 
• femmetrash.tumblr.com Zie describes hirself and hir blog as "I'm a queer outlaw. a queer femme. a feminist. body positive. trans positive. a trash enthusiast. on "all things femme. all things trash" you'll find pretty girls, hot queers, heels, glitz, drag queens, smut, monsters and zombies, smarty talk, food pictures, gender fuckery, fucking, tom foolery, teaching stories, cocktails, respect for elders, hope for revolution, & lady lovin'."  
• queerfemmeslut.tumblr.com This blogger describes hir blog as "this blog contains mainly of: queer sex (you have been warned), art, interior design, hot people, vegan food, non-human animals, femme delights, and stuff i find funny. there is a small amout of kink since i haven't figured out how comfortable i am sharing that side of myself with others yet."  I decided to include this blog because it is not so much about fashion but does include many photos of queer bodies in the nude.  It is not safe for work.  I like this blog because it is specifically about queer sexuality.  
• queerswholooklikequeers.tumblr.com This is a topic blog which claims to post "all things queer."  Most of the posts are images that users submitted of themselves because they want to claim their identity and visibility as queers.  One critique of this blog is that most of the photos are of white people who look fairly androgynous and are not visibly fat or disabled.  This is likely due to the fact that the content is based on submissions.  
• theinvisiblefemme.tumblr.com This topic tumblr speaks to the problems of visibility for lesbians, bisexuals, and queer women who identify as femme and who's appearance conform to stereotypes of the feminine.  It proclaims that it is for "the lesbians who prefer to be a little bit more femme, this is your space to show the world your beautiful face.  We no longer have to be invisible!"  The blog features reblogged images of women kissing as well as user submissions. 
• laurenzuniga.com This is the site/blog/tumblr of awesome poet Lauren Zuniga who was the University of Oklahoma Women and Gender Studies Program Center for Social Justice Activist in Resident for the Spring 2012 semester.  She is a brilliant poet and shares her poems and thoughts about being part of the LGBTQ community in Oklahoma on her site which is why I included her in this blog roll.
• -androgyny.tumblr.com This blog is a topic blog which features both reblogged images and reader submissions of people who are androgynous in appearance.  A critique of this blog is that the people pictured are mostly very thin, very white, able-bodied, and conventionally attractive.  
• fuckyeahhardfemme.tumblr.com This blog is a topic blog which focuses on the subject of femme identity which does not fit stereotypes of femininity.  The blog description reads "a celebration of fabulous femme folks who look just as tough as they do fly and a plethora of hard femme inspirations."  I think this blog is very interesting because it is a critique of the femme identity that says that people who identify as femme can also identify as punk or "hard."  The blog features reader submissions and media images.
• queerfathungry.tumblr.com 
• tomboyfemme.com This is a blog that focuses on a style it calls tom boy femme.  I included it because it is a blog that is working on stretching and redefining the femme aesthetic.  It notes that tom boy femme is not about gender or sexuality but fashion.  The blog features both reblogs of inspirational images and reader submissions of readers wearing "tom boy femme" clothing.
• http://glitterpolitic.tumblr.com/ This blog is written by Erin and Ashley.  They define glitter politic as "self-love blown open."  They belong to a queer community in Canada with Jessica Luxery and Majestic LeGay and post about queer sex, self-love, and femme identity.
• http://tangledupinlace.tumblr.com/ This blog is written by Jessica Luxery.  She writes about herself and her blog "I'm Jessica Luxery. I'm a high-femme fatty who bleeds glitter and kittens in lace bonnets. I was born on a bed of frosting, with a can of hairspray and a jug of blush, to a young (but legal!) Elizabeth Taylor and your Lord and Savior: Freddie Mercury. My blouses are too low, my hair too high, but my heart is in the just right place. I talk about self acceptance, being queer, examining my whiteness, loving and worshipping my femininity and dreaming big."     Jessica's blog was one of the first blogs that I followed that focused on queerness, femme identity, and fashion.  She was a big influence to me on this project.  I found her blog through her fat activism.  She is married to Majestic LeGay and posts photos of herself with commentary.
• http://mmmajestic.com/ This blog is written by Majestic LeGay.  They describe themselves and their blog as "I'm Majestic. I write and post about style, sex, gender, relationships, whiteness, body politics, power and my journey of self love. I've got a limp wrist, a tender heart and a magnificently fat ass. I live for laughter, love, heavy petting, rhinestone brooches and bizarre spectacle. I combine my activism and art with theory and glitter in ways that are aesthetically bad ass and probably revolutionary. Coming soon to a high glitz sex riot near you. xo"  They are married to Jessica Luxery and live in Canada.  They were another large inspiration to this project.  They prefer gender neutral pronouns and frequently post images of themselves with commentary about what they are wearing and why.  They discuss queer masculinity and modern queer camp.
• http://dapperanddandy.tumblr.com/ This tumblr is a topic blog about vintage inspired masculine clothing.  This blog is literally a visual how-to of a type of queer masculine aesthetic.  The subtitle of the blog is "DIP ME INTO HONEY & THROW ME TO THE QUEERS WITH BOWTIES."  This blog questions gender norms because it features images of people who appear to be male, female, and of other gender presentations.  This blog features inspiration images and reader submissions of themselves in dapper clothing.
• http://riotsnotdiets.com/ This blog is written by Margritte who identifies as a queer femme.  She blogs about fat activism, queer things, and fashion.  She posts photos of herself frequently.  
• http://ourladyj.tumblr.com/ J is a trans woman artist, singer, and performer.  She posts photos of herself, information about her performances, and about trans activism.  
•  http://queerinnature.tumblr.com/ This blog is written by Charlie Reed.  They identify as third gender.  They post images of them self frequently as well as reblogging images of other queer people.  
• http://calloutqueen.tumblr.com/ This blog was written by Mark, a queer artist.  Her blog is still up, but she is gone.  She committed suicide in March.  I want to dedicate this post to her memory.  Her life and her memory are an example of the continued struggle to exist as a queer person in this society.  Her death touched many in the queer community on Tumblr and is symbolic of the relationships that can develop between people who have never met in the physical world.