Customer Reviews

Mema's House, Mexico City: On Transvestites, Queens, and Machos (Worlds of Desire: The Chicago Series on Sexuality, Gender, and Culture)

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Annick Prieur did a terrific job putting Mema's house in a wider societal, psychological, and ultimately human context. Her analysis is almost always sharp and intelligent. The multitude of small stories around which she builds her argument are often funny, sometimes painful, but never pathetic. This is one of the best and most captivating academic works I have on my bookshelf.

The only thing I found somewhat lacking was a broader historical context. (For example, I was surprised not to find Chauncey's Gay New York in the bibliography, because parallels with the New York situation of 100 years ago can easily be drawn).

The relative lack of a historical setting leaves some questions unanswered. The vestidas are largely able to construct their identity through fairly recently developed technologies (hormone pills, oil injections, and, of course, cheap cosmetics). With this in the back of one's mind, it's fair to ask whether Prieur's vestidas existed in Neza thirty years ago. If so, how different were they? With reduced possibilities to pass convincingly as a woman before technology makes spectacular changes possible, how did Mexican (Neza-an) men conceive of themselves and of their sexuality? Were the extravagant, but only recently 'constructed' vestidas actual vectors in a changing attitude towards sexuality and/or views towards masculinity and femininity?

Mema's house is an excellent description of the life styles of several homosexual men in Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, one on Mexico City's poorest suburban areas. Although the book contains information compiled during the late 80's and early 90's, it is still a very valuable source of information concerning the acceptance and the intolerance of homosexuality in this social context. The author has an admirable ability for synthesis and clarity in her writing.