.houses are loose-knit, typically same s*x, confederacies of "children" who adopt a family name, usually swiped from a fashion designer, and adhere to rules set up by a presiding "mother" and "father".[11]
Members of the house led by Willi Ninja, for example, adopt Ninja as their surname; members of the house led by Angie Xtravaganza used the surname "Xtravaganza", and members of the house led by
Avis Pendavis use the surname Pendavis.[5][12][13] One theme in Paris Is Burning is that people of color, qu**rs and poor people face disadvantages as marginalized groups; to identify as all three may make one an outcast. Drag houses are:
..a whole new way of living, one that's highly structured and self-protective. The structure consists of system of houses where the young men function as apprentices. Reflecting a minority coping with hatred, the houses are associations of friends, presided over by a "mother", [...] that provide a substitute for biological families.[4]
Living under the "house parents" are:
..a big raucous band of "children": drag queens, butch queens, transs*xuals—mostly MTF but some FTM, a few non-trans girls and one or two straight guys. The smattering of girls and straight guys notwithstanding, the houses are, essentially, cabals of young black and Hispanic men obsessed with being fashionable and fabulous.[14]
House parents can provide wisdom, guidance and care for young people who otherwise might be homeless. A study of two houses in Newark, New Jersey used qualitative research methods (including participant observation and in-depth interviews):
Strategies employed by "house parents" have had an impact on the choices made by children of the houses regarding HIV risk behaviors. These strategies can be adapted for use by well-established community-based HIV prevention programs when they are comprised of staff who mirror the characteristics of "house parents" and engage in relationships that parallel this alternative family structure. In addition to providing a support system for their members, the houses "walk" (compete) against one another in "balls" judged on dance skills, costumes, appearance and attitude. Participants dress according to category in which they are competing, and are expected to display appropriate "realness".[4]
Dominated by hip hop fashion and music, these events are:
..a tradition dating back to the 19th century and going strong into the 21st. Balls continue to be held in bars or Masonic halls or other improbable venues. Across the country and throughout the five boroughs legends are still being born.[11]
Although some competitive walks involve crossdressing, in other cases the goal is to accentuate a male participant's masculinity or a female participant's femininity as a parody of heteros*xuality. Categories:
Butch Queen Vogue Fem/Female Figure
Performance – Use the vogue elements of hands, catwalk, duckwalk, floor performance, spins and dips
BQ Realness – Judged on participants' ability to blend in with male heteros*xuals
FQ Realness – Judged on participants' ability to blend in with females
Realness With a Twist (Twister) – Judged on participants' ability to blend in with heteros*xuals, then returning in vogue
BQ/FQ/FF Runway – Judged on participants' ability to catwalk, usually with a requested outfit or color
Bizarre – Judged on participants' creativity to design a costume based on a requested category
Labels – Judged on how many labels a participant is wearing and their authenticity
BQ/FQ/FF Face – Judging a participant's clean, smooth face
BQ/FQ/FF S*x Siren – S*x appeal in underwear (thongs, briefs or bikinis)
Commentator vs. Commentator – Allows aspiring (and current) MCs to showcase their ability to hype the crowd
Dipology – Like Vogue Femme, with spins into dips only
European Runway – Often a butch-queen category, featuring effects seen in a European fashion show
American Runway – Similar to European Runway, featuring butch queen, TransMen or Butches/Studs
Butch Queen up in Pumps – Similar to Labels or Runway, featuring high heels
FQ/BQ in Drag Female Figure Performance – Lip-synching to a female celebrity
Hands Performance – Vogue with hands only
Virgin/Beginners Vogue – Vogue category for participants who have been voguing for less than one year
Virgin/Beginners Runway – Runway for participants who have been walking for less than one year
Best Dressed
Legendary/Iconic Categories – All-star categories for legends and Icons only
Women's Vogue – Women Who Vogue All Around The World
