BCMCR Research Seminar –Gender and Sexuality: Launch of Bad Girls, Dirty Bodies by Gemma Commane
1600-1730 Wednesday 3 March
Online event: Please register on Eventbrite at this link; the online meeting link will be emailed out to those who sign up.

We invite you to the book launch of Bad Girls, Dirty Bodies: Sex, Performance and Safe Femininity.

Gemma’s first book ‘Bad Girls, Dirty Bodies: Sex, Performance and Safe Femininity (Bloomsbury 2020), Gemma Commane critically explores the social, sexual and political significance of women who are labelled ‘bad’, sluts or dirty. Through a variety of case studies drawn from qualitative and original ethnographic research, she argues that ‘Bad Girls’ disrupt heterosexual normativity and contribute new embodied knowledge. From neo-burlesque, sex-positive and queer performance art, to explicit entertainment and areas of popular culture; she situates ‘bad’ women as sites of power, possibility and success.

Gemma will be discussing themes from the book, with Dr Hazel Collie.

She is also joined by a special guest, Liselle Terret who will be talking about her recent work, as well as exploring Doris La Trine. Doris La Trine is one of the case studies in the book.

About the speakers:

Dr Gemma Commane is a Senior Lecturer in Media and Communications at Birmingham City University. Broadly the areas of her expertise span the fields of media and cultural studies and gender and sexuality. Her research interests focus on contemporary cultural studies, gender and sexuality, queer studies, sexual economies and entrepreneurship, dangerous femininities and ethnography. She is one of the founding members of Bean Flicks Birmingham’s only queer and ethical feminist porn festival. For more information see this link.

Liselle Terret aka Doris La Trine is a neuro-divergent feminist performance artist & director of NoT YoUr CiRcUs DoG CoLlEcTiVe. Nov 2019 saw her production, Not F**kin’ Sorry! (‘sexy, punk crip cabaret’) have a run at Soho Theatre, London. As Doris La Trine, she coined LipSick Neo-Burlesque (2007), whereby she uses burlesque as a dramaturgical tool to expose stories of misogyny. Flushed/ Climb Inside, is her signature piece, performing with Len, her golden toilet. In 2018, she curated and hosted Wickedly Wild Cabaret for WoW at Southbank Centre, & for Royal Court Theatre co-curated Take-Up Space Cabaret. In 2014 she co-founded the Performance-Making Diploma For Learning Disabled Adults at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Liselle is a senior lecturer at University of East London.

For more information see this link.