www.forbes.com: It's been a fabulous couple of weeks for Billy Porter. Kicking the year off with a slew of nominations for his role as Pray Tell on the groundbreaking FX series, Pose, the Tony Award-winning actor is bringing his best to the world stage. Though he didn't walk away with a trophy at the 76th annual Golden Globes last week, the revered actor is using his growing visibility to affect change beyond his roles on screen. "I keep saying I’m just grateful that I lived long enough to see this day where our stories are front and center and I get to be a part of it," Porter said after his Globes nomination.
4 comments:
Though I completely support Billy Porter and his barrier-breaking outfit, I think there is an overstatement by Porter about the influence that art and dressing on a red carpet break barriers. As a non-binary individual, I am all for more representation but I don't necessarily think that representation on a red carpet is going to do much. Most of the people watching the Golden Globes or going to the Golden Globes are like-minded liberal individuals whose mindset doesn't need to be changed in regards to being inclusive. Yes, I work with tons of people who misgender me and say transphobic things but there is a difference between breaking barriers and keeping people accountable. Most of the people who I work within the school of drama make an effort to be inclusive and aren't actively trying to offend me and other trans/non-binary students in the school but just need to be held accountable and reminded to be more inclusive in their language. They don't need a mindset change. I think a lot of times people think that their art is revolutionary but when it is just circulated in a community of like-minded individuals, it doesn't really change things/break barriers.
At first thought, my mind immediately wondered if there was even a need to write articles about cisgendered male actors who are dressing in a more nonconforming way. After a moment of thinking, I realized that while I'm accustomed to nonbinary and gender nonconforming dressing by both cisgendered and noncis people, there are still many people in the world who are afraid or aggressive about things like this. I recently just watched the show Sex Education on Netflix, and one of the characters had a storyline where he was able to grow and start dressing in a way that more expressed his true self. He was met with shock, but not aggression when he came in with his new look, and his family was supporting. While I really wish this were the case in all public high schools, often times things are not that accepting. I think that it is beneficial for people to be exposed to things that are different to them, but as Alexander said, I don't think that the conservative group of people who really need to be targeted are going to see this. The problem with our country right now is that neither side is really willing to bend and consume media that is universal, so we all have our opinions that never get challenged or see people who's stories are different. I don't really know how we can fix this, but I do think that if we want the world to become more progressive there has to be a way to get through.
There is no question that visibility and representation of people in minority groups is essential to shifting our perception of the norm in entertainment. I agree with the sentiment behind this article-- that unapologetic self-expression such as that embodied by Billy Porter is refreshing and significant-- but I wished that there was more emphasis on all the many more nuanced ways this result can occur. While Sam Ratelle does a fantastic job of dressing Porter authentically and visibly, I would not say that an outfit in itself can be called groundbreaking social change. There should be more emphasis placed on details such as the lesser known socially active designers who are being chosen by Ratelle to be worn by Porter, for example. This can help create real waves in the fashion industry so that designers outside of the standard European mainstream luxury brands gain recognition on a red carpet. At the end of the day, it is the person in the garments who is actually capable of “breaking barriers”-- their words, actions, and beliefs.
I love Billy Porter and I think his style is iconic so this article made me really happy. It was interesting to hear his stylist talk about their relationship and the kinds of things he wanted to wear. I think that it is important to have a solid relationship with anyone you are working with this closely and Sam Ratelle seems to really understand who Porter is and what style and clothing he prefers. I think that using clothing to send a political message, like what Billy Porter is doing, is something that has changed so much in the past 100 years. It used to be women wearing pants was a political statement and now it is so much more - it is people wearing times up pins, words on clothing, etc. I think that Billy Porter has come up with a way to make those statements in a very clear way without having clothing that is tacky or makes you forget about him and focus only on the statement.
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