The Aggressives
Tuesday, 03. November 2009. 03:42 by admin
- This striking and illuminating documentary explores and exposes the secret subculture of New York lesbians living as “aggressives.” Often mistaken for men, these women range from pretty tomboys to the blatantly butch, boldly creating their own identities outside of society’s established sexual categories. Stripped of pretense, they lead us to fashion shoots and prison cells to reveal their wor
Description
This striking and illuminating documentary explores and exposes the secret subculture of New York lesbians living as “aggressives.” Often mistaken for men, these women range from pretty tomboys to the blatantly butch, boldly creating their own identities outside of society’s established sexual categories. Stripped of pretense, they lead us to fashion shoots and prison cells to reveal their work lives, love lives and social lives, including the underground “ball” scene where lesbians compete for lead “AG” status. The resulting documentary is the culmination of five years spent uncovering the “no apologies” lifestyle of six self-defined aggressives as they define their dreams, share their most intimate secrets and reveal… More >>
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:41 am
“The Aggressives”
Aggressive Women
Amos Lassen
In the poor sections of New York City, there is a group of lesbians that is a unique, secret and separate subculture of the lesbian community. They are the aggressives and the subject of this fascinating documentary by Daniel Peddle. Six women of color, twenty-something in age, identify themselves as members of this group. Throughout the film they try to identify who they are but we quickly see, as is usually the case in some subcultures, they have quite a hard time reaching a comprehensive definition. We all realize that no such definition is necessary bur the stories they tell are what that matters.
This is an honest film as it strips these women down to their stories and we, in turn, learn about who they are and if they are members of a certain gender community. Their stories are fascinating and each woman has a unique personality. We learn a great deal about them as they speak.
We follow the lives of Kisha, Marquise, Flo, Tiffany, RJ and Octavia around their neighborhoods and into their bedrooms. We meet their lovers and we go to their clubs and even go to prison with them. They all love the masculine lifestyle and they live by their own rules with no apologies. They proudly bend gender with great strength. The message we get is that they are who they are–they are women who look like men but they maintain that they are, above all, women.
They show us how not to let labels run our lives and that is important for one to be who he/she is and to be comfortable with that. Because the aggressives live outside of the norms of society, they are often misunderstood. This is not a film about women who want to be men–rather it is a film about people who want to be people. It seems to me that all of us compete with each other to a degree and, in affect, this is how we survive.
We see a world we are not familiar with from within and we see the world as a stage upon which we all play a part.
Rating: 4 / 5
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:22 am
I got wind of this documentary when it first came out but was skeptical that anyone could faithfully portray the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and class for this often-antagonized segment of our society. I first saw the documentary as part of a film festival session and was floored. I now own a copy.
In these women’s lives, I saw pieces of myself at various stages of my coming “in” process. I saw pieces of my friends who exist across all dimensions of the gender-sexuality continuum. I saw, possibly for the first time, how the people who love us negotiate their own contradictory feelings about who we are and how we should live our lives.
There is simply…no comparison for this work. Of course, people have tackled these issues before with grace (e.g., Cheryl Dunye’s Stranger Inside, Laurinda D. Brown’s Strapped, Lisa C. Moore’s does your mama know?, forgive me for those I have not mentioned). However, this is the first piece of work I have witnessed that 1) has provided a variegated view of “the black butch,” 2) faithfully addressed the challenges of economic mobility faced by women who, captured in the racial tangles of urban America, are easily dismissed because of the ambiguous gender space they occupy, and 3) with sensitivity and a creative curiosity, captured the fluidity of gender and sexual identity across time and space.
In The Aggressives documentary, we are able to witness the complexities of negotiating a place for self in a world that has no checkbox for you but instead demands you fill in the blanks. Thank you, Daniel Peddle, for your contribution to a gaping hole in our collective consciousness.
Rating: 5 / 5
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:12 am
As a heterosexual woman that is open minded and interested in learning at least a little bit about everything I can, this dvd was interesting, entertaining, educational and eye opening. I was very intriqued with the care it took for many of the women in this documentary to simply try to ‘be’, who they are. They just want to live their lives. One young woman, demonstrated that she was not sure really whom she was, and some of that is society’s fault for constantly trying to put labels on people. The other women seemed quite sure of who they were, it was just a matter of mastering and conquering it. Excellent documentary and I am glad that it was created. From the interesting standpoint- it kept moving. It jumps from person to person, showing you little glimpses into their lives. From the entertaining standpoint, you were able to see what the Aggressives in this movie do, in order to prepare for a show and some of them really did pass the test regarding being able to appear ‘masculine’. From an educational standpoint, it allowed the world to see that these people do exist, they have a right to exist and their lives are not walk in the parks but they feel that their struggles are worth it. Kudos!
Rating: 5 / 5
November 3rd, 2009 at 1:17 pm
I was fascinated by this documentary and have watched it twice. I see more each time i watch it. Its worth purchasing if like me you are trying hard to understand the gender conflicts in our society and the reasons why we are so hell bent on catagorising ourselves. To each their own and i make no judgement of sorts just my own opinions. This documentary was well done.
Rating: 4 / 5
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:42 pm
I rented Aggressive and I wish I would have bought it. The film was real depiction in the day and life of butch women. This movie is ideal for curious women and those just entering the life style.
Rating: 4 / 5