Out of sight, out of mind? Theorizing femme narrative

Abstract

This article addresses the issue of femme subjectivity in relation to a range of theoretical and cultural texts. It considers the lasting legacy of Havelock Ellis's construction of the feminine invert, particularly in terms of the importance of the gendered gaze in producing sexual location. The article traces dominant and resistant femme narrative, and asks how we might begin to think through femme subjectivity and identity differently. It is argued that, unlike the contemporary butch, the femme cannot be positioned as the lesbian flâneur. Instead, possibilities are suggested that might be opened up by considering the femme as `passante', particularly insofar as she eludes her biographer's gaze