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Materialism as Survival A look

into The house of Impossible


Beauties…
BY CORBIN GROSS
Introduction…

 Joseph Cassara’s novel The House of Impossible Beauties is a love


letter to the legendary drag house of Xtravaganza. The novel
follows the initial family that brought the house to attention, their
struggles with surviving in their world and trying to navigate the
pandemic that was the aids crisis.
Thesis…

 Materialism as a survival mechanism. Disenfranchised individuals


often need to find different ways to cope with the trauma that they
face. This is seen in the LGBTQ community where individuals are
more likely to abuse illicit substances and get into dangerous
situations. What we do best however is idolizing those who are Rich
and beautiful, look at how many drag queens impersonate Joan
Crawford, Judy Garland, Dolly Parton, Betty Davis and the list goes
on and on. What we see in these fabulous people is what is popular
and what the mass society deems as wanted. In 2019 its thick
legends (body curves honey) waist accentuating garments and
Gucci (even though its ugly)
Thesis Continued…

 What this has to do with the House of Impossible Beauties is that


these people did not fit into traditional binaries for the time that they
lived in and looking up to these beautiful, wealthy people, was an
aspiration for themselves because even if they stole it, or didn’t eat
for a month they where wearing channel and maybe they did not
fit in those binaries but they where wearing the “write” clothes and
they would hopefully pass in eyes of the hyper realistic world that
they are trying to survive in. In the documentary Paris Is Burning this is
brought up heavily because no matter where they came from or
what they did they where there and they could wear whatever they
wanted and “pass” they would also talk about how they would go
to the balls starving just to get the materials they needed.
Thesis Concluded…

 The importance of the materials in the ball scene and in the novel. Is
that it inspires, it inspires those at the ball and especially those who
are wearing them. It helps move them in a more positive direction
not only physically but mentally because they are able to see
themselves as they need to be seen, and that is what real power is.
This is why some of the material goods in the House of Impossible
Beauties are so important because they are able to be used to help
the characters like Hector’s jacket from “Paris”, and Angel’s bottle
of channel perfume and the real magic from the novel happens for
me is when these objects transcend the status of just being a bottle
of perfume and become symbols of love, power, progress and
personal growth.
Setting is Key New York is imagery
for Dreamers…
 The House of Impossible Beauties is based on a real drag house but
the novel could have taken place anywhere, well maybe not 1980’s
Kentucky. But the novel being set in New York is monumental
because New York is the American Paris, it’s the picture of success
they say that if you can make it here you can make it anywhere.
New York is the epicenter for American metropolitan life, it is one of
the richest cities in the entire world and it one of the best dressed
there is Bernie's, Saks, Tiffany’s and New York Fashion Week. New
York is the perfect place for bright eyed bushy tailed gays to dream.
Setting Continued New York is
imagery for Dreamers …
 What many people don’t think about is how gross New York is as
well. New York is so expensive that even the people in New York
cant afford to live there. According to best places.net which ranked
cost of living in America as 100 and everything under 100 was below
American average and they gave New York a score of 209.3. This is
why there is such a high rate of homelessness and needing to work
hard and if someone does not fit into the binaries society tries to
force on its citizens makes those peoples lives so much harder
because they are not able to afford it even more than those who
do fit into those binaries. They have to be put into situations to make
money so they can survive like how many of the girls have to
engage in survival sex so they don’t go even hungier or to get the
clothes they need to express who they are.
Setting Concluded New York is
Imagery for Dreamers …
 New York was perfect because of the complexities that comes
along with living in such a place because of the vast differences in
wealth and the overall disillusion that comes along with living and
trying to survive in such a place and trying to get ahead in a world
that one does not accept them because they don’t fit into their
binaries and two because they are fed this hyper realistic image of
what is acceptable and wanted knowing they could never afford
that.
Foreshadowing is everything and
everywhere…
 What Cassara is excellent at when writing is making you look back
on items and then start crying because he ripped your heart out
again.
Foreshadowing is everything and
everywhere continued…
 One of biggest moments that had me stop and literally drop
everything was when Daniel saved Venus’ life when she was being
attacked and what did Venus end up giving to him because it FIT
HIM BETTER, yah Hectors jacket from “Paris”.
 I lost it and started crying after I realized this because at the end of
the novel Daniel decides to become the new father of the house of
Xtravaganza and guess who’s jacket he already had, HECTOR’S
who was the original house father.
Foreshadowing is everything and
everywhere continued…
 The other side of one of one of my favorite scenes from the novel is
incredibly heartbreaking because it was Venus who was getting
attacked and what happens to VENUS! She is attacked and she was
murdered! FORESHADOWING SUCKS!
Foreshadowing is everything and
everywhere concluded…
 Foreshadowing in the House of Impossible Beauties is one of the
highlights of the novel and it seems to be one of the highlights of
Cassara’s work I am planning on going back in May and re reading
they book to make myself cry again because its like an onion there
are more and more examples that pop up literally everywhere.
Materialism as Survival…

 What the characters in the house of impossible beauties do like


many disenfranchised people do they idolize what they hyper
realistic society deem wanted.
 In the world of drag especially they have not always had they
mainstream love and acceptance that they do know RuPual’s Drag
Race could not have existed back in the 1980s because of the
mainstream culture would not allow it.
 Today drag queens are the ones who are idolized and instead of
them imitating they are the ones being imitated.
Idolization in Drag

 Drag queens have always imitated the same people who are the
worthy ones deemed great that’s why they need to model those
celebrities or famous rich women and this is brought to the new age
with the internet making this easier
Dreams that fall short in the
workplace…
 Many of those who come to new York are unable to make ends
meet for themselves, and often times this can lead to having to take
multiple jobs and that’s even if they are able to get work in the first
place. What can make this worse is if those working or applying for
the job Is someone who does not fit into the traditional societal
binaries. Like with members of the LGBTQ community who have
always had a harder time with leading a fulfilling career that could
sustain themselves and their families and according to Out and
Equal Workplace opportunities in 2017 nearly 53 percent LGBTQ
experienced discrimination that negatively impacted their work as
well as 27 percent of Trans Individuals being fired or not getting
positions because of their gender identity and this can be seen
when Angel had to hide who she was when she had to work.
Dreams that Fall short in the
workplace continued…
 The biggest issue that LGBTQ people face when trying to find work is
being forced to make a balance between portraying themselves in
a way that will get them a job or that promotion that goes with the
traditional boundaries. Or dressing and expressing themselves in the
way that they need and that feels right to them all because they
need to survive and that’s even if they can get their foot in the door
anywhere.
Dreams that Fall short in the
workplace concluded…
 Some people are unable to get their foot in the door anywhere and
have to make difficult decisions and put themselves in difficult
positions because they cant go against who they are and in certain
cases they have turn to dangerous and illegal careers like things in
the drug industry or being forced into nonconsensual sex work and
survival sex. This is seen everywhere in the LGBTQ community and
can be seen in the house of impossible beauties because of many
of the characters had to engage In prostitution to survive.
Difficult times and coping
mechanisms…
 At times things get complicated and everyone needs ways to
release and when being apart of a marginalized community things
get difficult. Finding those outlets are difficult and often times end
up being unhealthy.
Positive Coping Mechanisms…

There are some areas where marginalized people have positive ways
to express themselves places like drag shows, pride and with the classic
Balls that are known for being a place for anyone and everyone can
come and express who they are without judgement and to be seen as
they are and to be praised for who they are. One of the most beautiful
moments in the House of Impossible Beauties when we were able to
see the characters be authentically themselves and to see others as
well, this beauty can be seen in Paris is Burning as well.
Negative Coping Mechanisms…

 Its not all positive when dealing with difficult subjects like identity
and nobody has an easy time when learning how to express
themselves and sometimes people involve themselves in unhealthy
and dangerous coping mechanisms that make themselves feel
momentarily well but then worse and creating a dangerous cycle
that almost never ends well for those involved.
Negative Coping Mechanisms
concluded…
 When working through these difficult times and feelings it is easy to
fall into activates that are dangerous and this can be seen in the
house of impossible beauties when many of the characters in the
novel fall into these traps like survival sex and abusing drugs and this
often will end in tragedy like with Venus. The hardest part is
recognizing these behaviors so that changes can be made.
In Conclusion…

 When it comes with not being in the traditional binaries that our
society forces us into and being on the outside of that is one of the
hardest things that someone can live through, and survival is fleeting
so finding love for things like expensive items, good food, Places and
friends can take the edge off while trying to find an inside and
outside balance of who people are and who their society will let
them be. There is beauty in everything and even with this, because
there are impossibly beautiful things and people that are accepting
and there is still hope for a brighter and tomorrow. Its just knowing
where to look and finding the beauty people don’t recognize.
Works cited

 New York cost of living


https://www.bestplaces.net/cost_of_living/city/new_york/new_york
Frank sanatra new York
RuPual’s Drag race
“Homeless LGBT Youth in New York City.” Ali for Ney Center.
“2017 Workplace Equality Fact Sheet.” Out & Equal, 27 Feb. 2019,
outandequal.org/2017-workplace-equality-fact-sheet/.

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