Notes on ‘Camp’
Quick Summary
Susan Sontag's essay "Notes on 'Camp'" defines camp as an aesthetic sensibility that values extravagance, irony, and flamboyance, often bridging high and popular culture. It subverts conventional notions of taste by prioritizing "style" over "content" and "aesthetics" over morality.12
Camp embraces artifice and affectation, finding value in the absurd and outrageous. The phrase "so bad it's good" captures the essence of the camp aesthetic. In marginalized communities, particularly within queer culture, camp serves as a powerful form of resistance and self-expression against the mundane status quo.1
Examples of camp classics include films like What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and Showgirls, and celebrities such as Liberace, Bette Midler, John Waters, and RuPaul. The concept of camp has roots in the 19th century and is closely associated with queer culture, exemplified by figures like Oscar Wilde and the ballroom scene in Harlem.1
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