Looking for a Better Chair: The L Word and Learning How to Sit

Author

Beans Fernandez, The Graduate Center, City University of New YorFollow

Date of Degree

6-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Program

Women's and Gender Studies

Advisor

Matt Brim

Subject Categories

Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | Film and Media Studies | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies | Women's Studies

Keywords

lesbian; queer; media; phenomenology

Abstract

In the 20 years since the initial airing of Showtime’s The L Word, the series has garnered a massive following among the sapphic and queer community and has cemented itself as a staple of queer media canon. Beyond the basic queer plotlines, though, The L Word captures lesbian and queer identity, politics, and livelihoods while using a seemingly superficial medium to portray queer bodies in a way that brings it to mainstream and cisheteronormative culture. Further, queer media like The L Word is able to guide members of the LGBTQ community into a queer consciousness and existence.

Recommended Citation

Fernandez, Beans, "Looking for a Better Chair: The L Word and Learning How to Sit" (2024). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/5800