Now You See Her - by Anne Crémieux (Paperback)

About the Book

""Over the past thirty years, queer women have been coming out of the media closet to more significantly enter the mainstream consciousness. This book explores the rise of lesbian visibility since the 1990s with in-depth historical analyses of representation in sports, music, photography, comics, television and cinema. Each chapter is complemented by an interview: soccer player and coach Saskia Webber, singer-songwriter Gretchen Phillips, photographer Lola Flash, cartoonist Alison Bechdel and filmmakers Jamie Babbit and Anna Margarita Albelo, discuss the societal transformations that shaped their careers. From the "riot grrrl" movement of the early 1990s punk scene to screen representations of queer culture (The L Word, Orange is the New Black), this book discusses how lesbian presence successfully infiltrated several patriarchal strongholds, and was transformed in return."-Provided by publisher"--

Book Synopsis

Over the past thirty years, queer women have been coming out of the media closet to enter the mainstream consciousness. This book explores the rise of lesbian visibility since the 1990s with in-depth historical analyses of representation in sports, music, photography, comics, television and cinema. Each chapter is complemented by an interview: soccer player and coach Saskia Webber, singer-songwriter Gretchen Phillips, photographer Lola Flash, cartoonist Alison Bechdel and filmmakers Jamie Babbit and Anna Margarita Albelo discuss the societal transformations that shaped their careers. From the "riot grrrl" movement of the early 1990s punk scene to screen representations of queer culture (The L Word, Orange Is the New Black), this book discusses how lesbian presence successfully infiltrated several patriarchal strongholds, and was transformed in return.

Review Quotes

"Now You See Her is a comprehensive look at how lesbians and queer women have both influenced and been impacted by American culture. Anne Cremieux's detailed record offers a nuanced perspective and intersectional overview that's long overdue. From athletics to art to performance in music or on screen, Now You See Her accurately reflects the ways in which LGBTQ+ women have experienced themselves and each other."-Trish Bendix, author and journalist, former editor-in-chief of AfterEllen.com

"How wonderful to have this gift from Anne Crémieux, a book as generous in its scope as in its attitude. Richly informed by lucidly deployed theory and brilliantly responsive to the particularities of a wide range of media, Now You See Her is also a celebration of the exuberance, diversity, gorgeousness and importance of lesbian visibility. Anne Crémieux is not afraid to confront awkward questions or political complexity-porn, trans, butch, negative images, they're all here-but, with its inspiring interviews with a range of practitioners, this is above all a book full of joy."-Richard Dyer, professor, film scholar and gay critic, Now you see it: studies on lesbian and gay film, The Culture of Queers

"This ingenious and spirited exploration of modern lesbian culture from the 70s to the present links representation to culture to politics with knowledgeable ease. Cremieux has created a scholarly guidebook, alternating her analyses with interviews and reviving a powerful sense of lesbian life at a moment when it's in danger of disappearing. Now You See Her deserves to be assigned to every gender studies class... and every Girl Scout troop, too. I am grateful."-B. Ruby Rich, author and film critic, Chick Flicks: Theories and Memories of the Feminist Film Movement and The New Queer Cinema: The Director's Cut

About the Author

Anne Crémieux is a professor of American studies at the English department of the University of Montpellier Paul Valéry. Her writings focus on the representation of minorities in American popular culture. She is a founding member of Le 7e Genre, a film club that focuses on questions of gender and sexuality.