f Lesbian chic, femme-ininity and feminist dialogue: Reflecting on The L Word

Showtime’s The L Word, which aired from 2004–09, attracted a broad audience in part by featuring a caricature of lesbianism that is heteronormatively appealing – femme, white and cosmopolitan. Drawing on queer popular culture and scholarship on The L Word, this article analyses several of the show’s scenes in order to challenge interpretations of the show as geared for the male gaze and of the lesbian chic as un-subversive. Strategic appeal of the lesbian chic ideal seductively brings viewers in, but once there, they encounter moments of feminist dialogue on identity politics, violence against women and representation as well as a queering of dominant representations of femininity.