The Politics of Presentation: Fame, Masculinity, and the Queer Creator Economy

We explore the vibrant world of femme queer creators with our special guest, Thabiso. We dive into how femme aesthetics, fashion, makeup, and performance have shaped online queer culture and driven revolutionary visibility in South Africa. We'll also unpack the growing trend of femme creators adopting masculine or androgynous looks, driven by factors like safety, desirability, mainstream appeal, or algorithm bias, while addressing femmephobia within and beyond queer spaces, where femme expression is often ridiculed, policed, or fetishized. We discuss the pressures of respectability politics, as brands favor masc or neutral queerness, pushing creators to tone down for sponsorships. In South Africa, where visibly femme queer bodies face high rates of violence, changing one's look can be a survival tactic, raising concerns abou cultural loss of femme driven style and innovation Join us as we envision a future where femme queerness is celebrated and safe spaces are built to uplift it. Join the channels memberships for additional content:    / @thatorampedi   🔵 Thato Rampedi ● https://www.instagram.com/thatoramped... ● https://www.tiktok.com/@thatorampedi?... 🔴 Lebo Rampedi ● https://www.instagram.com/lebo_ramped... ● https://www.tiktok.com/@rampedilebo?l... ●    / @lebogangrampedi   🔵 Mpho-Mpho (Mammi Dearest) ●   / _mammi_dearest   ● https://www.instagram.com/_mammi_dear... ●    / @mammidearest   🔴 Caiah (Adeola) ● https://www.instagram.com/caiah.m/?hl=en ● https://www.tiktok.com/@caiahmeek?lan... ●    / @caiahm   🔵 Lethabo Maluke ● https://www.instagram.com/lethabo_mal... ● https://www.tiktok.com/@lethabomaluke... 🔴 Hlomani Nkatani ● https://www.instagram.com/hlomani.sa/... ● https://www.tiktok.com/@hlomani.sa?_t... 🔵 Kagiso Mogola ● https://www.instagram.com/kagiso.mogo... ● https://www.tiktok.com/@kagiso.mogola...