The Babadook ultimately tells an LGBT narrative of being cast to the shadows, manifesting identities in closets and, to live up to modern stereotypes, wearing all black. In a piece about the Babadook meme, he wrote: While the original Tumblr post was intended to be funny, many writers and professors have pointed out that The Babadook’s underlying themes could be seen as resonating with the gay community.ĭean Eastwood, founder of the men’s gay lifestyle magazine HISKIND, wrote about the similarities between the Babadook’s troubling history and what many men go through when they’re dealing with coming to terms with their own sexuality, eventually coming out. The arguments for The Babadook’s queerness A debate, it should be noted, that continues today. When Taco-bell-rey posted the photo, the result was an ongoing debate about whether or not the Babadook actually was gay. The Babadook meme was just big enough - and strange enough - that the joke caught on with people right away. Part of the reason June became the time to celebrate the Babadook’s chosen sexuality is because the month is dedicated to Pride, an ongoing celebration of the queer community. This physically hurt to make /xwP8ogaDNV- alexis June 5, 2017 “So proud that Netflix recognizes the Babadook as gay representation.” The caption on that post - a one-line sentence about what this could possibly mean - cemented the Babadook’s fate. ![]() Tumblr user Taco-bell-rey uploaded a screenshot showing The Babadook listed as one of the films available in the LGBTQ section of Netflix. Like many good memes, it all started with an innocent Tumblr post. ![]() The movie brought writer-director Jennifer Kent a new wave of success and acclaim, but it had another, odder effect on the culture, when an apparent clerical error turned its central monster into a defining figure in queer online culture. The 2014 horror movie The Babadook follows a monster, simply called the Babadook, as it terrorizes a single mother and her son in their new house. It has been updated throughout and republished for Pride Month. Speaking to EWin 2019, she had this to say on her horror creations resurgence as a mascot for the LGBTQ community "I’m still trying to work that one out… It’s quite perplexing, I feel it’s really quite beautiful, but I still have no idea why.” While the interpretations of LGBTQ meaning in The Babadook may not have been Jennifer Kent's original intention, they still speak for the richness of the central metaphor of The Babadook's ending.This investigation into how The Babadook became a gay icon was originally published in 2017. ![]() Surprisingly though, creating an iconic piece of LGBTq cinema wasn't Jennifer Kent's plan when she made The Babadook.įor her part, Jennifer Kent found Mister Babadook's sudden status as a queer icon surprising but incredibly positive. It's certainly easy to draw parallels between Amelia's mental health struggles and many experiences LGBTQ viewers have. It's led many to wonder if there are deliberate LGBTQ themes or a hidden meaning/message around queerness in The Babadook. The Babadook has been embraced as an LGBTQ icon, with the story's theme of embracing uncomfortable emotions resonating with queer audiences.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |