Gender Euphoria: Photography, Fashion, and Gender Nonconformity in The East Village

Abstract

This thesis investigates the link between art and fashion photography in the work of Peter Hujar and Nan Goldin, both of whom commented on the nature of gender identity. There is an extensive body of fashion-inspired images by both of these East Village photographers that falls into this category. The pictures they produced of gender-nonconforming individuals serve to comment on the restrictive nature of gender identities represented in fashion photography, and also to elevate the status of those pictured to that of fashion models. The unique cultural context of the East Village served as the perfect location for both photographers to explore their interest in gender identity and expression, as the East Village of the 1970s through 1990s was home to a large population of gender-nonconforming individuals. By examining these artists’ work in their cultural context, and comparing it to examples from fashion photography contemporaneous with their photographs, the connection between art and fashion photography is illuminated. Ultimately, this thesis seeks to demonstrate the importance of these photographs in the history of the East Village, and their lasting influence on society.