Pepper LaBeija

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Pepper LaBeija (born November 5, 1948 in Bronx , New York City , † May 14, 2003 in Manhattan , New York City) was an American drag queen and fashion designer . LaBeija has often been viewed as 'the last queen of the Harlem dragballs'.

Life

LaBeija was born William Jackson in the Bronx . Although she still liked to dress as a man in everyday life, she preferred to be named with the feminine pronoun 'she / she'. In around 1971 she took on the role of the main character of the House of LaBeija, a group of drag queens, transvestites and other performers who were well known for their influence on the New York ball scene in the early 1970s. From this house LaBeija adopted her last name and looked after other drag queens under the same name. LaBeija remained the main character of the house for more than thirty years, and was affectionately known as 'the mother' during that time.

LaBeija competed in numerous drag balls and was known for her 'Egyptian Effect' runway performances. During her career she won more than 250 trophies. In order to earn money, she also worked as a producer of such drag balls and also taught modeling. LaBeija is best known for her appearances in the documentaries Paris is Burning (1990) and How Do I Look (2006).

Later years and death

LaBeija suffered from type 2 diabetes mellitus and became bedridden for the last ten years of her life; both of her feet have been surgically amputated due to complications with her diabetes. At the age of 54, Pepper LaBeija died in Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan after a heart attack. She is survived by two children, a son and a daughter.

Cultural influence

In the 1970s, LaBeija brought recognition of the African American subculture to the New York ball scene. She developed categories of competitions such as “White Woman Realness” and “Straight Realness”, in which the aim was that one would dress and behave adequately to the category so that one could be recognized as a real member of this target group on the street. As a result, the suppression of the social and cultural borders of the time was reduced, an intolerance that the LGBT scene not only experienced from outside its culture, but also took place within this subgroup. 

The 'Vogueing' dance style became well known in the ball scene in LaBeija's time and was recognized as a category of competition. In Paris is Burning , LaBeija described Vogueing as a kind of struggle and confrontation that would be resolved through dance. Vogueing hit pop culture right after that, and was featured by artists like Malcolm McLaren in Deep in Vogue , and mostly brought to the public by Madonna with her song Vogue in the 1990s.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Father Is Burning! Wheel dads in drag . In: Observer . June 16, 2003 ( observer.com [accessed July 12, 2017]).
  2. ↑ a b c Douglas Martin: Pepper LaBeija, Queen of Harlem Drag Balls, Is Dead at 53 . In: The New York Times . May 26, 2003, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed July 12, 2017]).
  3. ↑ a b From Times Staff, Wire Reports: Pepper LaBeija, 53; Queen of Drag Ball Scene in Harlem . In: Los Angeles Times . May 29, 2003, ISSN  0458-3035 ( latimes.com [accessed July 12, 2017]).
  4. ^ A b c Paris is Burning (1991) - Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 12, 2017 (English).
  5. ↑ "Listen, and You Will Hear all the Houses that Walked There Before: A History of Drag Balls, Houses and the Culture of Voguing". London: Soul Jazz, 2011 . In: tim lawrence . ( timlawrence.info [accessed July 12, 2017]).
  6. ↑ http://style.time.com/2013/02/08/stylish-tunes-top-10-songs-about-fashion/slide/madonna-vogue-1990/
personal data
SURNAME LaBeija, Pepper
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Jackson, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American drag queen and fashion designer
DATE OF BIRTH November 5, 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH Bronx
DATE OF DEATH May 14, 2003
Place of death Manhattan