Paris Is Burning is a masterpiece directed by Jennie Livingston. The director has brought the then less talked-about queer and LGBTQ+ community and brought it to the big screen to not only educate people about balls but also to make them realize the heartbreaking condition of this community back in the 1990s.
This film is a sensational film not only because it provides the viewers a historical context of the LGBTQ+ community, but also because of the way it has influenced pop culture over the years. For audiences back in the 1990s, the concept of balls, reading, and vogueing was novel and not a lot of people knew about it. The concept was so well-liked, that it immediately caught on in popular culture. The ballroom scene inspired Madonna’s Vogue, while the film helped to spotlight the work of choreographer Willi Ninja, and won the grand jury prize at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival. It’s impact on current pop culture can be clearly seen to this days with works such as RuPaul’s Drag race and POSE gaining mass popularity.
The culture has been so ingrained in our daily lives that sometimes we unknowlingly use phrases such as ‘Slay’, ‘work’, ‘yaass queen’, etc. which were a part of the ball culture.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/24/burning-down-the-house-debate-paris-is-burning

I believe that the reason why ball culture became such a hit in popular culture is because it sybolises a safe space. It stands for a place where people forget their problems of the real world and enter a place where they are accepted for who they are and even appreciated for it. This film highlights this transition particularly well and thus was instrumental in improving the deplorable condition of the LGBTQ+ community. I reccomend watching this video from the movie which goes into detail about what balls stood for in the LGBTQ+ community.

Paris is burning is a movie that has influenced generations and will do so in the future. Despite arising some controversies regarding the appropriation of the black gay subculture, I believe that the role this movie has played in popular culture cannot be disregarded.