Diversity in Clubland: A Safe Space for Glamour

The article investigates the presentation of self, in the diverse, glamorous and camp world of the nightclub. An analysis of what constitutes the self and of how the self is visually presented, is discussed in relation to the two different perspectives of masquerade and glamour. This constructs a dual analysis in which the alluring persona presented in a club environment, contrasts with the stigmas associated with the marginalized persona, presented in everyday life. The glamorous veneer of the clubber masks the suffering endured when they are confronted by day to day demands. Butler (1990) explores the idea that the presentation of the gendered self is essentially a social performance constructed to communicate a physical and sartorial message. In this article social performances are examined in photographs of clubbers; a diversity of drag queens and people who play with gender boundaries and camp within a safe environment. It strips away the glamour that disguises humdrum existences and exposes some of the heartbreak beneath the constructed images.