Thursday, July 21, 2011

Gender Fuck Thursday: The Swinton

Tilda Swinton

There is no one, not on this planet or this galaxy, who so thoroughly embodies what I enjoy about Gender Fuck Thursday than Tilda Swinton. She exists in a universe that totally disregards the boxes we put ourselves into. She is the woman who fell to Earth, and I fucking love it. Part fiery goddess, part folk legend, part space alien, all delicious. We get sold cookie cutter perfection everyday and told to call it beauty. But Tilda defies any mold known to man. Delicate, yet fierce. Beautiful, yet strange. Talented, period. No, wait, exclamation point. There are not enough exclamation points.

Perhaps one of the most of many delightful things about Tilda is that she has crafted her public persona this way on purpose, yet not in a calculated way. In an interview and intergalactic photoshoot with W magazine, she said her red carpet style is a collaboration with her close friend Jerry Stafford, the creative director of a French production company and “It’s a game, and we have great fun with it.”

And her definition of androgyny is even more refreshing.

“People talk about androgyny in all sorts of dull ways,” says Swinton, noting that the recent rerelease of Orlando had her thinking again about its pliancy. “Cahun looked at the limitlessness of an androgynous gesture, which I’ve always been interested in.”

Her style inspirations include her male androgyny doppelganger, David Bowie, and her father, Maj. Gen. Sir John Swinton.

“From childhood, I remember more about his black patent, gold livery, scarlet-striped legs, and medal ribbons than I do of my mother’s evening dresses,” she says. “I would rather be handsome, as he is, for an hour than pretty for a week.”

Mission accomplished, Swinton. Mission a-fucking-complished.

[All photos by Tim Walker. Click any to expand.]

10 comments:

  1. idgiepug6:52 AM

    Thank you thank you thank you!!!!

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  2. Ahhhhh. I've had the biggest crush on Swinton for as long as I can remember! She's fucking amazing even in less-than-wonderful movies like Constantine. *swoon*

    p.s. My captcha is "decupp" O.o lol

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  3. I'm guessing the "Cahun" who Swinton references is Claude Cahun, a female performance artist of the 1920s->1940s.

    A review of her work with her partner Marcel Moore from an exhibit several years ago can still be found at: http://www.seattlepi.com/default/article/Radical-lesbian-artists-work-finds-a-new-1186607.php

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  4. Beebee11:08 AM

    She is so f'in amazing.
    Totally love her and her gendy-bendy ways.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Rosie1:29 PM

    i wanted to comment but I can't stop drooling...thanks Dorothy:)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Carmen SanDiego2:02 PM

    aaaah Swinton Swinton Swinton...
    fell in love with you watching Constantine when I was a teen, has been a fan ever since...

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  7. Anonymous11:28 AM

    When did gay become okay?

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  8. Anonymous2:56 PM

    She cray cray

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  9. April4:56 AM

    Oh. My. Gaaaahhhhhhhhh.....
    There are no words to express my immense gratitude for this photoshoot. Tilda is a mighty alien prince of awe-inspiring beauty.


    Oh, and Anonymous, I beleive the answer to your question is: 1863.

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  10. Yeah...no. Some of those pictures are WAY creepy! I can do with androginy and gender fuck, but Tilda Swinton ain't my cuppa tea!

    ReplyDelete