Spectacular metamorphosis and an erotic device in the self-promotion campaign of a satellite television channel

Abstract

In contrast to the increased popularity of gay and lesbian representations in the visual media of the early 2000s, the imagery of androgynous, inter-sex and transgender subjectivities, particularly in television commercials, is conspicuously limited. This article distinguishes three main categories of cinematic (mis)representation of gender transgression: the opportunistic lipstick, the “authentic” lipstick, and the fabulous lipstick. It examines this classification through the analysis of a unique, self-promotional television commercial broadcast by Yes+, an Israeli digital television channel whose visual contents often transgress the limits of mainstream television. Although the discussed advert conforms to the commercial imperative to attract Israeli audiences by all means, it is much more polysemic than one might notice at first glance. This study problematizes the sensational aspects of this “spectacular drama,” embraces its diverse erotic identifications and re-examines the price of queer visibility in the age of exploitive striptease culture.

Keywords:

• television commercial
• metamorphosis
• queer
• transgender
• masquerade
• camp subculture
• Yes satellite television
• Mickey Buganim
• Israel

Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to the editors of Social Semiotics for their encouragement and support, the two anonymous reviewers of Social Semiotics for their insightful remarks, and Naomi Paz of Tel Aviv University for remarkable editorial assistance.