As the year ends, and another birthday arrives at the end of the month, I have to reflect on what I’m doing here. Both in Los Angeles and more existentially.
I’ve stopped submitting myself for any acting work, partly because I just need to make more money right now, and partly because I have the luxury of an agent submitting for me.
But going out for the professional television auditions once again brings me back to why I started writing here. Butch is just something most people don’t understand.
I’ve auditioned in the last month to play an estranged military wife, a “newsboy hat lesbian” (I nearly got that one), five different Eastern European members of a women’s ice hockey team (because all scary butch women are written as Eastern European, apparently), a “burly girl”, and a big dumb friend, among a handful of other non-specific parts. Other than the military wife – which, as far as I can tell, I was only called in for because they were looking for short hair – all the parts were written to be played bigger, dumber, and uglier than I am. So bizarre.
And you know, I’m what they call a “character actor” – meaning more interesting and less beautiful than the romantic leads. On the whole, I don’t mind playing big and dumb and stupid. But I still really hate that that is how butch women and MOC characters are written, if we’re written at all.
If any of you have examples of great, smart, normal butch characters out there in the media/tv/film world, I would love to learn about them. I want to see more of what’s been done so I can position myself to fill the ever-widening gap.
PB,
Just started reading your blog, and am moved by what you are trying to do: build a successful acting career without relinquishing your own identity. “If any of you have examples of great, smart, normal butch characters out there in the media/tv/film world, I would love to learn about them.” Me too!
Have you heard of the clothing line, Saint Harridan? (Men’s-styled suits made to fit masculine-leaning women and transmen. Very hot stuff.) They just launched a kickstarter campaign a week ago and are already fully funded. I am addicted to watching their numbers go up, and to their videos and photo shoots… for exactly the reason you are talking about above: It’s just so rare to see positive, smart, sexy portrayals of butches. I guess I already knew that. But watching the Saint Harridan models brings it home. It makes me realize how even as we get used to seeing more queer characters in the mainstream media, they are typically gay men, or very femme women. I’m not at all used to seeing women/men like these butch and trans models on my screen. So thanks for what you’re doing. I look forward to reading more. If you want to check out Saint Harridan, it really is inspiring and keeps me hoping that the mainstream view of the gender spectrum will shift in our lifetime. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/marygoing/saint-harridan
Thanks for your words and work,
Liz
Thanks Liz – I appreciate the props, for sure. And yes, I’m a little obsessed with Saint Harridan and what Mary Going is doing. I contributed to the kickstarter (and my gf just put me in the running to be a model for them, but I’m terrible at self-promotion so getting the requisite votes will be a feat). But thank you so much for commenting and reading.