Resource Link: Another Magazine Interview with Jennie Livingston 

Jennie Livingston’s Paris is Burning (1990) is a landmark documentary that introduced the world to New York City’s drag ball culture, offering a powerful look at issues of race, gender, sexuality, and identity. The film remains an essential cultural document and continues to resonate today. In a recent interview with Another Magazine (Jennie Livingston on the Complex Legacy of Paris Is Burning), Livingston reflects on the lasting impact of the film, particularly in the context of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the rise of trans visibility in media, and the influence of bell hooks’ feminist theory.

I found this interview fascinating and think it’s a great resource for anyone interested in the cultural legacy of Paris is Burning. Livingston provides candid reflections on the film’s impact, offering valuable insights into the shifting dynamics of queer representation in media.

One of the key aspects of the interview is Livingston’s critique of the commercialization of drag culture through shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race. While the show has brought drag into the mainstream, Livingston notes that it often prioritizes competition over the community-based, subversive nature of drag balls—something Paris is Burning captured so powerfully. For example, in the film, the legendary drag queen Dorian Corey explains how “Realness” in the ballroom was not just about looking glamorous, but about defying societal expectations and surviving in a hostile world. This theme of “Realness” as an act of resistance, where participants “pass” in categories like “Executive Realness”, becomes a poignant reminder of drag as a tool of personal empowerment, something that is often lost in more commercialized drag spaces today.

Dorian Corey

Livingston also discusses the rise of trans visibility in media, particularly through Pose, a series that highlights the lives of trans women of color in the ballroom scene. She sees Pose as a natural evolution of the culture depicted in Paris is Burning, as it centers the voices of trans women, who were somewhat sidelined in the documentary. The increased representation of trans people, particularly in the context of ballroom culture, is a powerful step forward and shows the continuing relevance of the themes in Paris is Burning.

Additionally, Livingston ties her reflections to the work of bell hooks, particularly her theories on love, liberation, and self-identity. In Paris is Burning, we see characters like Venus Xtravaganza and Pepper LaBeija struggling to assert their identities in a world that often rejects them. This theme of finding love and power through self-expression and community is one that hooks often discusses, and Livingston draws a direct connection between this radical form of self-love and the world she documented in the film.

Venus Xtravaganza 

Pepper LaBeija

Livingston’s reflections on the commercialization of drag, the rise of trans visibility in Pose, and the influence of bell hooks offer a compelling perspective on the continued relevance of Paris is Burning. The scene where Dorian Corey discusses the concept of “Realness”, and the empowerment found in defying societal norms, remains a powerful thread that runs through both the documentary and Livingston’s reflections today. It serves as a reminder that drag is not just about performance, but about survival, resistance, and claiming one’s space in a world that seeks to silence and erase.