X-mas Task #3: Historical Text Analysis & Research

Historical Text #1: 

Boy George seems to be in trial, representing homosexuals in the 1930's, in court; from a historical point of view as it was seen to be illegal to be openly gay in society at that time and the fact that there are ethnic minorities in the court would show Culture Club's positive values of equality for other ethnicities and LGBT groups. It seems to be that Boy George in travelling back and forth in time through the different locations of the court room, night club and the health club; at all of these locations the character of Boy George seems to be rejected by the people around him. This would represent LGBT groups as a whole in society when the song actually released and the different times that Boy George in shown in.

 This would follow J.S.Mill's views on tolerance and 'tyranny of the majority', even though the times changed the 'majority' did not approve and tolerate the minority, in this case Boy George, the lyrics also show this in the chorus "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?". Boy George himself said that "Until sexuality is a non-issue with them, it will be an issue with me. People have been calling me 'girl' and 'poof' since I was five - I didn't ask for that but eventually you have to ignore it or deal with it." (http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/do-you-really-want-to-hurt-me-1143223.html) it would seem that Boy George is trying to portray the lack of change for LGBT groups over the different time periods. The fact that before the locations change there is a close up on his sunglasses would connote him looking back and reflecting on what has happened to others before.

It is key to note that there are a number of close ups on the people in court and the judge's facial expression as they all seem to collectively disapprove and are shocked by his appearance.
Another thing to note is the costume and make up of Boy George; which challenged the way music videos portrayed men to be masculine, however Boy George is feminised through his costume and make up.

Boy George's hair is also important as he has dreadlocks in the video which is stereotypically a hairstyle for Afro-Caribbean men; which would promote Culture Club's equality views.
The long shot of the black women releasing Boy George from jail is significant part in the music video as is shows that he wants LGBT groups to be free or have freedom as he has in the music video.

Historical Text #2: 

It is key to note the fact that this version of The Wizard of Oz was made in 1939 when it was illegal to be gay, so it could be argued that the characters of the Wizard of Oz were suggestively homosexual as society was extremely homophobic. The repetition of "Lions and tigers and bears" are stereotypically animals that are associated with dominance and fear however when the characters are introduced to the cowardly lion he seems to try to be the alpha male that he's supposed to be however is proved otherwise as he is shown to be a coward. 


The fact that the Scarecrow, Tin Man, the cowardly Lion skip in the forest  with Dorothy in the long shot when they are male characters would again suggest that they could be gay. However it is also important to consider that the primary audience of the text are young children and the fact that it is a musical. The fact that the scarecrow says "It gets darker, before it gets lighter." sets an ominous atmosphere as the text is set in the forest, which would connote danger. The red shoes that Dorthy wears would connote her growing up and becoming a lady. The characters of the Tin Man and the Scarecrow get scared when they see the Cowardly Lion which would also suggest that they are threatened by the seemingly dominant male character, which could again suggest that they maybe homosexual. 

Historical Text #3: 

This historical text is a cover of a lesbian magazine called "The Ladder", the October 1957 edition. It is important to note that the magazine was published in the late 1950's, as homosexuality was still a major political issue, and which is why the messages about homosexuality were still subliminal as both legally and socially LGBT groups were not accepted. This magazine was released during the Homophile movement (gay rights movement) in the 1950's and 1960's.   


The image of the woman on the cover is a stereotypical 'butch' lesbian, as she has short hair and is wearing a shirt, during that period of time (and even today) women that took on male traits were stereotypically deemed as lesbians. The fact that the woman is holding a mask would connote her 'coming out' or in other words revealing her sexuality. The facial expression of the woman seems calm and happy whereas the expression of the mask is upset as there is a tear drop it on; this would suggest that the woman was unhappy not being able to express herself, and now she can and therefore feels better about herself. 


The fact that the publication itself is called 'The Ladder', would suggest that the primary lesbian audience should be able to climb higher, be successful and 'come out of the closet' without feeling oppressed like they were supposedly feeling when they concealed their identity. It is vital to note the fact that the cover of the magazine is in black and white because during the 1950's magazines were available in colour, it could have been published in black and white to add credibility to the serious topics that the magazine covered.