Research project “I want to be a lesbian icon"

In 2009, Rachel Weisz stated, "I want to be a lesbian icon." Unlike what had been the case for many of her lesbian icon predecessors, Weisz was not a lesbian, nor did she see lesbian iconhood as a threat to her heterosexual image. Instead, it merely marked a new stage in her career; a new market to expand to.

This project investigates how the lesbian icon status has shifted from an audience-driven phenomenon into a marketing strategy for mainstream (heterosexual) stars. Placing industry and audience in dialogue with each other, it explores who gets to be a lesbian icon and how this particular aspect of their stardom is constructed. By situating these developments within larger frameworks of queer visibility politics, political economy and changing understandings of sexuality, the project aims to expose some of the ways in which the industry navigates the relatively new, but increasingly emancipated, queer female market, and ultimately shed light on the possibilities and limitations of the queer politics of visibility within commodity culture.