Miss Brasil Gay Juiz de Fora: os trajes típicos e suas mulheres imaginadas de 2017 a 2019

Abstract

Miss Brasil Gay is a beauty contest that selects the most beautiful female illusionist in the country since 1977, every August, in the city of Juiz de Fora, created by hairdresser Chiquinho Motta. The event is divided into two main phases and this text seeks to understand the “ethnic costume” stage, which corresponds to the representation and appreciation of the cultural aspects of Brazilian states by the misses. Outlining the analyzes among the years 2017 to 2019, a survey was made of the videos, photographs and reports related to Miss Brasil Gay that circulated on the official platforms of the event (Instagram, Youtube and Facebook), and also in the virtual collection of the electronic newspaper “ Access ”. The material found was explored through the theories of gender and sexualities along with a bibliography connected to national costume and costume design. We also held a dialogue with the idea of carnival, which was an important image for the pageant. At first, we classified “ethnic costumes” into three main categories (costume design, fantasy clothing and ethnic/national costumes) based on what was paraded through the missions on the catwalk, defining them through their forms, performance and materials. In this way, we understand that in the contest, regional identities were not always in the foreground, but, yes, that build the image of a gorgeous woman. In this way, we identified that the femininities present in the contest are built within what is understood as glamor for these subjects, translated into recurring elements such as shine, rhinestones, crystals, etc. Then, we observe the role of stylists within Miss Brasil Gay, since their imaginary and know-how often define what will be presented by the misses in this stage, plotting imagery narratives that move through both traditional characteristics and images of global women. Finally, we understand through the parade of “ethnic costume” within Miss Brasil Gay that identities, be they gender, sexuality, nation / region, as a social construction, forged through images, signs and symbols, defining boundaries and imaginary, but at the same time, destabilize when they are not repeated from a pre-established order.