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Fitting a role in society becomes a natural n atural life selection at the turn of adulthood. Every living soul is beckoned to find a job, spouse, make a comfortable living and exist among other human beings as a similar other; all while making drastic personal decisions that depict a person within certain subcategories. These de cisions – cisions – such such as one’s choice of religion, eating habits, political stances – stances – will will offhandedly determine who a person is and, in turn, either invite or alienate them from members of society and the beliefs each of them owns. For many, coinciding with society’s expectations can expectations can benefit them in being seen as equals, which in turn can prevent as much outward discrimination against them. them. Others within the minority that don’t share these popular ideolo gies may struggle to find acceptance, resulting in a political and personal objectification against them by the larger society. French director Abdellatif Kechiche explores these the mes in his 2013 film Blue film Blue is the Warmest Color – – original original title La vie d’Ad èle – èle – specifically specifically embellishing on the role of lesbianism and the process of “coming out” in modern society. Entirely filmed in France and spoken in the native language, Blue language, Blue is the Warmest Color was was only comprehended through English E nglish subtitles, however the pain and frustration was effectively visible on protagonist Adèle’s Adèle’s face throughout her self discovery process, which lasted roughly seven years. Her story begins at the age of fifteen, still in the days of high school and surrounded by friends and family with narrowminded outlooks. She puts little effort into her daily app earance (displaying distraught hair, no make-up and baggy ba ggy clothes) yet is overwhelmingly viewed by her female peers as one of the prettiest girls in their class. Many of t he boys would shoot their eyes e yes towards Adèle and her friends took notice, coercing her to make a move on one of these boys. Adèle was perplexed. Saddened by her current situation, she was unresponsive to
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her family during communal meals. She buried b uried herself under books in an attempt to distance herself from classmates and flirtatious boys until she finally adventured into her first heterosexual relationship. Adèle initially acted resistant yet showed sparks of interest as if trying to succumb to society’s expectations of women only copulating with men. This eventually led to one of her first sexual experiences, which she later regretted and decisively cut all ties with her initial lover. Upon further viewing, it is revealed Adèle slept with this boy out of peer pressure from her female cou nterparts. She did this out of fear, or as Judith Butler states states in her essay “Imitation and Gender Insubordination”: It is a compulsory performance in the sense that acting out of line with heterosexual norms brings with it ostracism, punishment, and violence, not to mention the transgressive pleasures produced by those very 1
prohibitions.
Later on, Adèle discovers a blue-haired girl named Emma, a freshly graduated Fine Arts student with a forecasting interest in women. Over months, these two develop a plutonic relationship that evolves into something exclusive. Adèle b egins to find ways to express herself with Emma, which results in Adèle’s Adèle’s lessened form of depression. In depression. In Adèle discovering a new inner peace and unique love, a newfound cynicism arises from her school friends. Suspicion from her female classmates eventually turns hostile when the y discover her romance with Emma, Emma, dismissing her with disgust as “a fucking lesbo” and lesbo” and telling her to “go eat pussy.” This pussy.” This interaction is relatable to a part in Judith Butler’s essay where she states:
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Judith Butler, “Imitation and Gender Insubordination” (p. 315)
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In a sense, for Helms, gay men exist as objects of prohibition; they are in his twisted fantasy, sadomasochistic exploiters of children, the paradigmatic exemplars of “obscenity”; in a sense, the lesbian is even 2
produced within this discourse as a prohibited object.
Open homosexuality was overtly shunned under und er false pretenses upon its early depiction, as in Adèle’s Adèle’s relationship with Emma. Emma. Time has improved their image, yet, as Adèle fully realized here, there are still those with the beliefs that women have a certain role to fill in society. Through the early struggles Adèle faces, she learns valuable coping skills that instigate a sense of feminist pride deep within her. Eventually, Adèle and Emma can be seen marching down the city streets passionately shouting for eq ual rights to be given to gay and lesbian persons. McRobbie expresses a conceptual belief in relation to this scene while discussing “New French feminism” in feminism” in her essay “The Es and Anti-Es: Anti-Es: New Questions for Feminism and Cultural Studies.” Studies.” She writes: Whether they are with or against Lacan, there is a tendency in this work to see women as relegated to some marginal or external zone, to some outside place which is also the only place in which they can speak as women outside the terms laid down by patriarchy.
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This sort of scene happens more than once and evokes a sense of newfound pride within Adèle due to the freedom never nev er before felt while being with another person. Time passes and Emma begins to use Adèle’s Adèle’s beauty as inspiration for her art. These art. These paintings are
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Judith Butler, “Imitation and Gender Insubordination” (p. 312) 3 Angela McRobbie, “The Es and Anti-Es: Anti-Es: New Questions for Feminism and Cultural Studies” Studies” (p. 177)
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shown to everyone with complete admiration as Adèle slowly becomes a familiar figure within the women’s art scene. Through her minor celebrity and ambition to become an an early childhood teacher, a conflict evolves over how Adèle is to display herself in environments with differing standards on sexuality. Butler exposes this hazy foray of homosexuality within her essay, writing: If it is already true that “lesbians” and “gay “ gay men” have been traditionally designated as impossible identities, errors of classification, unnatural disasters…perhaps amounts to the same, the very paradigm of wh at calls to be classified, regulated, and controlled, then perhaps these sites of disruption, error, confusion, and trouble can be the very rally points for a certain resistance to classification and to identity as such.
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To Adèle, her future career became more important than her future with Emma as both of their lives began to unfold. A distance grew between them and Adèle began to sympathize with a heterosexual lifestyle due to her long hours spent inside a conservative work environment. Adèle hid the side of her that once gave her such pride and in succession began seeing one of her h er male co-workers (Antoine) behind Emma’s Emma’s back. Her back. Her lesbianism eventually became exposed to Antoine An toine who reacts unfavorably; essentially in coordination with Catherine Squires and Daniel Brouwer’s “In/Discernible Bodies: The Politics of Passing in Dominant and Marginal Media” where the y state:
Thus, when a person is accused a ccused of performing the “wrong” identity, it prompts commentary and action not only from the state and dominant
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Judith Butler, “Imitation and Gender Insubordination” (p. 309)
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groups who feel “duped,” but bu t also from the marginal in-groups in-groups who see a need to assert their identity and re-define the p asser for their own 5
agendas.
This exploration exposed the bigotry within people and brought shame upon Adèle for having done adulterous behavior behind Emma’s back. Emma, playing off her own suspicion, confronted Adèle about her actions, which she denied. A verbal fight broke out and Adèle was eventually kicked out. Left on the streets, Adèle was viewed as straight by her former lover and a lesbian by b y her fling Antoine. Adèle was left with no option but to claim her true identity. With luck, Adèle was able to move beyond her lesbian exposure to Antoine. She progressed into an elementary school teaching job as Emma evolved as an artist, both growing apart from their inseparable past. Through her journe y of personal discovery, Adèle aged from a teenager to a young adult while tasting the fruit of both genders. These experiences shaped her, strengthened her and taught her empowerment through love – love – all all of which assisted her process of “coming out.” The pride she expressed in in her gender are characteristically shared and expressed by writers Butler, McRobbie, Squires and Brouwer. Now at peace in the end, end, they met once more (for closure) at Emma’s art exhibition. Adèle could still be seen in Emma’s paintings, again depicted as the efficacious figure in Emma’s earlier work.
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Catherine Squires and Daniel Brouwer, “In/Discernible Bodies: The Politics of Passing in Dominant and Marginal Media” (p. 302)
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Resources: Blue Is the Warmest Color . Dir. Abdellatif Kechiche. Perf. Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos. Sundance Selects, 2013. Film.
Butler, Judith. "Chapter 20." Imitation 20." Imitation and Gender Insubordination. Insubordination. 1991. Print.
McRobbie, Angela. "Chapter 11." The Es and Anti-Es: New Questions for Feminism and Cultural Studies. Studies. London: Sage Publications, 1997. Print.
Squires, Catherine and Brouwer, Daniel. "In/discernible Bodies: The Politics of Passing in Dominant and Marginal Media." Critical Studies in Media Communication. (2002) Print.
