Competition is a part of who we are. It is this ingrained mindset that manifests itself in various forms. Whether it be football, baseball or basketball, or even to things like spelling bee's, cooking or singing; competition can be found in most everything. Paris is Burning (Jennie Livingston, 1990) is a film about a unique competition in New York city. A competition that is based on fashion and glamour. The name of the competition in the film is called "The Ball." The Ball is not a typical fashion competition of the best dressed or which designs are better than another, though those things are a factor, but rather the Ball is based upon who looks like they could pass as one of the various categories within the competition. Pass? The competitors of this event are homosexuals and drag queens. There goal is to not only look fashionable but to also try to look as if they belong in the heterosexual world they live.
The Ball of Paris is Burning and its' various categories are examined by those who participate in the event. Along with the different categories that are examined there is an examination into the people who participate in the Ball and the hopes and dreams that they have. One particular member of the Ball is Dorian Corey. Dorian is an elder-statesman, so to speak, of the Ball and being a drag queen. Dorian's life experience as a drag queen makes her a type of wise sage. Her perspective seems calmer and introspective rather than the younger drag queens. But there is one thing that is common among all of those interviewed in the film, and that is of fame and fortune.
The Ball is a place where legends can be made. Certainly they may only be legends of the community of New York drag queens that take part in the Ball but none the less they are legends. By becoming a legend at the Ball there is the glory and honor of being the best and a level of respect that one can carry with them. For as much as the Ball is a niche event, the chance to win a trophy and be accepted by one's peers is very much a way of coping with the reality of living in a world where being a drag queen and being an outsider can be very cruel.
What may be one of the most fascinating aspects of Paris is Burning is the measure in which the different categories of the Ball are judged. Some of the categories that are featured are; dressing to go to school, military, opulence, street dress,town and country, work dress, among many other categories. One of the main points of being judged is whether or not the contestant looks as though they could fit into the outside world without getting noticed. The ability to pass as the opposite sex without being noticed is a desire that at times outweighs fame or fortune. But many of the contestants see the outside world and the manner in which "normal people" live as the acme in which to strive for. Jennie Livingston at times juxtaposes shots of workers and businessmen and women as they walk the streets of New York. These shots show the fashion and the standard in which many in the film are desiring to live. In the segment of the film on opulence the contestants who dress to be like those who are rich seems ridiculous. For in fact the ideas of opulence are garnered from fashion magazines and the media. Even though the dress and the mannerisms of the contestants may seem ridiculous it is not far fetched to be someone who has been raised with little to no chance of ever being opulent to want to act opulent.
Though the mask of opulence can be portrayed, the reality of actually being opulent is far off. For one participant in the Ball, Willi Ninja, there does seem to be some hope for success. One segment of the film is about Vogueing, a form of competitive dance that represents mimicking poses from Vogue magazine. The angles in which the competitors move their bodies are described as sharp knives. Competitors will move around each other vogueing but without touching each other. Willi Ninja is seen as the best and his desire to take vogueing to the world is fulfilled. Vogueing becomes a legit performance art and Willi is a spokesman for it. What the director Livingston is able to do is show that Vogueing becomes legit because the mainstream world accepts it. This is seen through the showing of a television news report on vogueing. The same media device in which those who participate in the Ball look to for acceptance becomes the device in which acceptance is affirmed.
As the American dream is talked about in the film the harsh reality of that dream is also seen. As Dorian says in one segment about clothing, even if you wear a designer label that symbolizes wealth it doesn't mean that you have wealth. Dorian's statement is a good allegory for which those in the Ball are living their life. It seems that the Ball means something but at the same time it means nothing. The Ball will continue to change but the desires of those who participate may never change. Dorian says at the end of the film if a few remember who you are then you left a mark rather than change the whole world. Dorian calls for enjoyment and if you find success then so be it. These words are reflective of the wise teacher of the biblical book of Ecclesiastes that says ,"A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work." Dorian's last words seem to reflect the resignation of what time can do to someone who has strived for acceptance in the straight world. If wealth is the goal then what is the goal for the wealthy? Maybe it is the lyrics to the song that is repeated throughout Paris is Burning; to be real.
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