Beverly Hillbilly: Fat, Queer, and Pink in the Shadow of Appalachia

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Mary Nease (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Haeun (Grace) Bang

Abstract: All my life I’ve lacked a sense of belonging. As a fat bisexual woman with a tenuous grasp on gender growing up in the South, I've always felt like I'm too much or not enough. It's exhausting trying to meet unachievable double standards rather than being celebrated for who I am as I am. This collection seeks to honor my personal identity using western wear as a method of expression. Queer country music feels like home to me, echoing and validating my feelings of alienation stemming from my lived experience as a queer rural Southerner. My fondness for the genre led me to incorporate western wear into my body of work. Without intending to, I found myself making something subversive. I am certain that I am walking the first exclusively plus size collection in the annual student fashion show. I tailor western wear as a woman and express my fluid movement between the binary of masculine and feminine. My textiles are hand-dyed to suit my personal color palette because the industry cannot match my needs. I don't want to be a revolutionary, but I have to break the mold to express my existence in a space that would otherwise exclude me.

Additional Information

Publication
Honors Project
Language: English
Date: 2022
Keywords
Fashion, Appalachian, Apparel, Design, Plus Size, Westernwear, Americana, Southern

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