Posing a Problem

In Eleganza 2008, student models crawled down the runway striking animalistic poses in what organizers described as the hottest, most notorious show on campus. A group of mostly black males with toned bodies followed. They battled it out for king of the land, clad in loincloths that left little to the imagination. For some wide-eyed prospective students, this was the first glimpse of Harvard’s student life, while other, more seasoned students were well prepared for the onslaught of provocative images Eleganza habitually provides.

In past years, the student-run fashion show and facet of Harvard Black Community and Student Theater (BlackCAST) has received criticism for this problematic portrayal of black sexuality. Yet, organizers of Eleganza 2009 refuse to be hindered by what they claim to be simple misunderstandings. Instead, Eleganza has decided to tackle even more sensitive and poignant issues. This year, the show will branch out in an attempt to include a positive representation of varying sexual orientations alongside its previous goals of racial diversity and body acceptance. However, some members of the Harvard community worry that the controversial show might again mishandle such sensitive and complex issues in its primary ambition to entertain.

A TENUOUS RELATIONSHIP WITH BLACKCAST



Ever since its inception 15 years ago, Eleganza has implored students to “walk the runway, redefine beauty, and change a life.” The fashion show was originally founded by Harvard’s BlackCAST, a student organization which, according to its constitution, “aims to stimulate interest and support in black theater on the Harvard campus and the immediate community.” Though the Eleganza board is selected through the BlackCAST election process, their involvement with the group has become increasingly nebulous.

“The past couple years the show has kind of been separate from BlackCAST,” says current BlackCAST president Camille I. Mason ’11. “I know past presidents considered letting Eleganza just become independent.”

As the show skirts the line between fashion show and entertainment production in a manner some have deemed tasteless, it remains uncertain how successfully Eleganza promotes the integration of diverse traditions and cultures into the arts—a mission it allegedly shares with BlackCAST.

There is some worry that Eleganza has placed too much focus on scantily clad models and provocative dancing and too little on being a celebration of the black community’s music and fashion.

“Over time, there has been a misalignment between Eleganza and BlackCAST,” says Christian I.C. Strong ’09, former BlackCAST co-president. “Originally Eleganza was a means to put African Americans on stage and present them in a positive light. In past years, other board members and I have seen that there is discrepancy between that and what we see onstage. It’s not something that past board members thought really represented BlackCAST. ”

But Mason deems the relationship between the two organizations unproblematic, though she acknowledges that in the past Eleganza used to be more about hip-hop and a celebration of black culture.

Mason says that in addition to putting black models on stage Eleganza provides the opportunity for people in BlackCAST to become involved in different capacities, including the more technical side such as set building and lighting.

“As far as I’m concerned it’s still aligned with BlackCAST’s mission,” Mason says. “Theatre and fashion might be two different worlds but there is a lot of overlap.

LOINCLOTHS ON THE CATWALK



Despite Mason’s disregard of the criticism leveled at Eleganza concerning its allegedly stereotypical depiction of black sexuality, members of the Harvard community continue to question the images the show presents. In past years, models have strutted down the Eleganza catwalk wearing little more than rose petals, provoking discussions regarding the objectification of women. But even as organizers attempt to cover the models up, some still question the legitimacy of a fashion show where clothes seem not to be the main attraction.

“It’s clinging on to the last strand it can to be able to call it a fashion show,” says Nathan P. Whitfield ’10, a student in Black Students Association who had previously expressed qualms with Eleganza after last year’s show. “I don’t expect them to be couture, not at all. It’s a college fashion show; they are going to cater to their audience. But a loincloth isn’t fashion—it’s purely entertainment,” Whitfield says.

In an open letter to the BSA and the Association of Black Harvard Women last year, Lowell House tutor Cameron Van Patterson expressed concern and prompted discussion amongst the black community regarding the show’s portrayal of black sexuality, stereotypes, and a departure from what Eleganza claimed to be—a fashion show.

“I was disturbed and disappointed by a portion of the show that featured students, many of whom are African American men, acting in animalistic ways that reproduce essentialist stereotypes about black male sexuality,” wrote Patterson, referring to the scene he called “King of the Jungle.”

“This aspect of the show left me wondering what was elegant or even alluring about this atavistic display of primitivism. Would such a performance be possible apart from the history and visual discourse of colonialism that gives it a certain currency?”

Former scene director Nicholas J. Navarro ’10 did not expect nor intend to incite the negative responses that the scene provoked. Instead of a racially charged image of black male sexuality, he envisioned the segment to be a theatrical representation of the planet on a fashion runway.

“It’s hard to prevent misinterpretations of what’s trying to be an empowering production because there are a lot of different ways in which people can interpret art,” Navarro says. “Eleganza is art in a dynamic form but it is ultimately up to the individual to interpret the production. You can’t create a bullet-proof plan to prevent people to misinterpret our ideas.”

This year Navarro has stepped into the role of executive producer alongside Denetrias J. Charlemagne ’11 and Alexandra N. Alves ’11. He hopes to further build the diverse community he claims Eleganza creates.

“At any school there is de facto segregation and exclusivity,” Navarro says. “It is important to promote a community of acceptance and diversity, and that’s what Eleganza does.”

MODELING SEXUAL ORIENTATION



This year, the organizers of Eleganza hope to expand their mission of promoting diversity in the arts by addressing the issue of homosexuality. The 2009 show is funded in part by a grant received from The Open Gate Foundation, managed by the Harvard Gay and Lesbian Caucus. The criterion for the grant’s award is rather open-ended, stating simply that it must go towards supporting student, faculty, and employee groups that further a climate of open discussion on issues related to sexual orientation.

According to Navarro, the show’s proposal laid out three ways it hopes to accomplish the grant’s requirement that it promote open debate about issues of sexuality. Throughout the theatrical narrative that accompanies three scenes—Dream, Nightmare, and Awake—the 2009 production team plans to incorporate allusions to the BGLT community.



“Essentially by incorporating contradicting gender normatives and gender reversal roles, and possibly a drag character in the show, [Eleganza] would stimulate discussion,” Navarro says.

Although Navarro insists that nothing is certain, scene director Kia J. McLeod ’10 says that in an “Alice in Wonderland”-inspired dream world the Queen of Hearts character will be in drag. The grant proposal also indicated that the set will feature elements of the gay and lesbian community such as a prominently displayed rainbow.

“All of Eleganza’s audience will know we are supporting the BGLT initiative and the Harvard Gay and Lesbian Caucus,” says Navarro, who also notes that producers hope to meet with members of BGLTSA before finalizing their choices.

Despite these indications of the show’s support of sexual diversity, Eleganza will not include any overt references to gay and/or lesbian couples or outright displays of intimacy. “They aren’t going to be holding hands or kissing each other,” Navarro says. “But we want to show that it is okay for two men to be intimate with each other.”

CELEBRATION OR CARICATURE?



In a fashion show where a diverse audience is responsible for interpreting a rapid series of thought-provoking images, it’s a difficult task to generate the complex representation that an issue such as sexual identity seems to require.

“It’s easy to take a stereotype and turn it into a commodified tool that is bite-sized and easy to digest rather than necessarily challenge the standard notions people have,” says Caroline Light, lecturer and director of studies in the Women, Gender and Sexuality department. “It’s a tough question: how do we incorporate everyone and not just treat everyone like little commodified pieces of diversity, particularly when it comes to representations of the gay and lesbian community?”

Light, who has never seen the fashion show, believes that the image of a drag queen might be particularly problematic. She suggests that the use of more sexual ambiguous models might be a more effective way of inciting constructive conversation.

“It’s a particular, commodified image of gayness,” she says. “There is something about drag queens in the popular imagination that runs the risk of becoming a sort of comedic thing to parody femininity and it’s not really about serious difference.”

Timothy McCarthy ’93, a lecturer in the History and Literature department, echoes this sentiment and warns that organizers will have to handle the issue of sexuality in a sensitive manner.

“Obviously, the inclusion of a few rainbow flags and a drag queen does not necessarily guarantee either sensitivity or representational equality,” McCarthy writes in an email. “But I am hopeful that the producers will think carefully about how to represent diversity so that this year’s Eleganza is a celebration rather than a caricature.”

LIGHTEN UP, IT’S JUST FASHION



In a show that straddles the line between pure entertainment and artistic expression, Eleganza organizers struggle to strike a balance between pleasing the crowd and appeasing the critics.

“Eleganza walks a fine line between being a show that is very appealing to an artistic world and being very appealing to a mass general audience,” McLeod admits. “But as a director I want to tiptoe that line. I want to bring an artistic vision but also appeal to audiences.”

This desire to be an entertaining spectacle spurs the tendency to include images that have been interpreted as troubling and offensive. “It’s hard because that’s what people find entertaining,” Mason says.

Whitfield, who reiterated the concerns Van Patterson voiced in his letter, calls on organizers to think more extensively about the images they choose to represent. Whitfield also argues that the fact that Eleganza is a fashion show does not preclude it from in-depth scrutiny or exculpate organizers from responsibility.

“People simply dismissed it as a fashion show,” Whitfield says. “But [organizers] are responsible for the images that [they] provide for someone. They need to be very aware of their control.”

However Mason, who in her role as BlackCAST president also acts as an unofficial liason to Eleganza, dismisses concerns about its problematic portrayals as too weighty for a light-hearted fashion show. “A little bit of controversy isn’t bad. I wish I could just shake people and tell them to stop taking things so seriously.” —Staff writer Erika P. Pierson can be reached at epierson@fas.harvard.edu.