Ballroom Culture and Its Expressive Vocabulary

Vipavec, Rok (avtor), Stopar, Andrej (mentor), Blake, Jason Frederick (komentor)

Ballroom culture was developed by Black and Latinx LGBTQIA+ individuals in the late 1960s and early 1970s in Harlem, New York, as a powerful response to countless instances of racism, queerphobia, and violence, both within the broader LGBTQIA+ community and society at large. They carved out safe spaces where queer people of color could freely explore their gender identity, sexuality, and find a sense of belonging and family. Within these spaces, a culturally rich ecosystem emerged, along with a unique and vibrant language. These creative and carefully crafted expressions reflect the distinct experiences of the Ballroom community and are grounded in the gender system and performativity, thereby serving as means both for identification within the community and for navigating the harsh terrain of the outside world. Over time, Ballroom vernacular made its way into mainstream use due to its growing presence in mainstream media. Words like slay, realness, shade, and others, can be seen plastered all over social media, printed on clothing, and heard in everyday conversations. However, many individuals who use such expressions are unaware that at the root of this language lies a long history of discrimination, racism, and violence, all of which sadly remain prevalent in today’s society. Furthermore, the community’s resources and culture are constantly being appropriated, with false ownership claimed, and credit rarely given. This thesis aims to shine a spotlight on a community that has long been marginalized, ostracized, and erased by the white heteronormative society. In addition, I have compiled a glossary of Ballroom slang and conducted interviews with local Kiki Ballroom members to raise awareness of the culture’s rightful ownership and to provide a local perspective rooted in appreciation. The glossary entries are further categorized by their phraseological units, their linguistic characteristics are analyzed, and their treatment in both general and specialized dictionaries is also examined. This thesis serves as an homage to the remarkable resilience, creativity, and authenticity of a culture that has left a permanent beauty mark on the face of this planet.

• Jezik: Angleški jezik
• Ključne besede: Ballroom culture, House(s), Balls, Black and Latinx queer communities, LGBTQIA+, slang
• Vrsta gradiva: Magistrsko delo/naloga
• Organizacija: FF - Filozofska fakulteta
• Leto izida: 2025
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-176077
• Datum objave v RUL: 21.11.2025

Sekundarni jezik

• Jezik: Slovenski jezik
• Naslov: Ballroom kultura in njen izrazit jezik

Izvleček

Ballroom kultura se je razvila konec 60. in v začetku 70.let 20. stoletja v Harlemu v New Yorku kot močan odziv latino- in afroameriških LGBTQIA+ posameznikov na številne oblike rasizma, kvirfobije in nasilja, tako znotraj širše LGBTQIA+ skupnosti kot tudi v širši družbi. Pripadniki te kulture so zato ustvarili varna zavetja, kjer so lahko temnopolte kvir osebe svobodno raziskovale svojo spolno identiteto, spolnost in našle občutek pripadnosti, skupnosti ter družine. Znotraj teh varnih prostorov se je razvil bogat kulturni ekosistem s posebno, izrazito govorico, ki odraža edinstvene izkušnje skupnosti ballroom in temelji na spolnem sistemu ter performativnosti. Ti ustvarjalni izrazi so ključnega pomena za identifikacijo pripadnikov skupnosti ter za njihovo soočanje z ovirami zunanjega sveta. Zaradi vse večje prisotnosti v množičnih medijih je jezik ballrooma sčasoma prešel tudi v širšo rabo. Izrazi, kot so slay, realness, shade itd., so danes pogosto prisotni del na družbenih omrežjih, natisnjeni na oblačilih ali pa jih slišimo v vsakdanjih pogovorih. Vendar se številni posamezniki, ki te izraze uporabljajo, ne zavedajo, da za njimi stoji desetletja dolga zgodovina diskriminacije, rasizma in nasilja – pojavov, ki so žal še vedno prisotni v današnji družbi. Poleg tega si številne skupnosti nenehno prisvajajo elemente te kulture in ji redko kdaj priznajo njene zasluge ter lastništvo. Namen magistrskega dela je zato v ospredje postaviti ballroom kulturo in njeno skupnost, ki jo je bela heteronormativna družba dolga leta potlačevala, izključevala in skušala izbrisati. Empirični del naloge vključuje glosar sleng izrazov ballroom kulture in intervju z dvema članoma kiki ballroom scene v Sloveniji, z namenom ozaveščanja bralcev o legitimnem lastništvu te kulture in obogatitve naloge z lokalno perspektivo. Gesla v glosarju so dodatno kategorizirana glede na frazeološke enote, prav tako pa so preučene njihove jezikovne značilnosti in obravnava v splošnih ter specializiranih slovarjih. Magistrsko delo predstavlja poklon kulturi, ki je s svojo kreativnostjo in pristnostjo pustila globok pečat v svetu.

• Ključne besede: ballroom kulutra, hiše, balli, latino- in afroameriške kvir skupnosti, LGBTQIA+, sleng