Alba Morollon Diaz-Faes (NOVA University of Lisbon)
According to Nancy Fraser, counterpublics are alternative discursive spaces where members of subordinated groups "invent and circulate counter-discourses" (123). Nowadays, the existence of counterpublics is almost inseparable from the Internet, where queer fairy tales are often produced and disseminated by independent creators. This paper will investigate how texts emerging from online queer counterpublics contest Disney-inflected fairy-tale narratives, particularly in relation to the representation of sexuality and gender. To this end, I will analyze Todrick Hall’s music videos and Jose Rodolfo Ontiveros Loaiza’s art pieces, which went viral on YouTube and Instagram, respectively. I will explore how these fairy-tale parodies expose the company’s cis-heteronormativity, how they challenge its cultural hegemony, and how they test the representational boundaries of the fairy tale.
Part of 08-01 Queering Disney [hybrid], Saturday, October 15, 10:30 am–12:30 pm