Producing and Consuming Gendered Representations: An Interpretation of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

Abstract

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is considered to be one of Australia's "hallmark" consumption events. This paper draws from anthropological literature on carnivalesque festivals, postmodern streams of thought, and original participant observation data in order to construct a new theoretical interpretation of the Mardi Gras. The festival is a contested event with meanings associated with the carnivalesque and gay and lesbian politics, executed with an attention to serious political issues. Findings include insights about contemporary manifestations and embodiments of the carnivalesque, the "frivolous" approach to serious political issues and negotiating "Australian-ness" and the perils and pitfalls of marketing an oppositional sensibility. Findings are discussed in light of advancing a "spiral" model of appropriation and resistance with respect to oppositional gendered representations and meanings.