Camp is an aesthetic in which something has appeal because of its bad taste or ironic value.
A part of the anti-academic defense of popular culture in the sixties, camp came to popularity in the eighties with the widespread adoption of Postmodern views on art and culture. “Camp” is derived from the French slang term se camper, which means “to pose in an exaggerated fashion.”As part of camp, drag typically consists of feminine apparel, ranging from slight make-up and a few feminine garments, typically hats, gloves, or high heels, to a total getup, complete with wigs, gowns, jewellery, and full make-up. In the case of drag kings or female male-impersonators, the opposite is true and often involves exaggerated displays of traditional male sexuality. Camp has been from the start an ironic attitude, embraced by anti-Academic theorists for its explicit defense of clearly marginalized forms. As such, its claims to legitimacy are dependent on its opposition to the status quo; camp has no aspiration to timelessness, but rather lives on the hypocrisy of the dominant culture.
A part of the anti-academic defense of popular culture in the sixties, camp came to popularity in the eighties with the widespread adoption of Postmodern views on art and culture. “Camp” is derived from the French slang term se camper, which means “to pose in an exaggerated fashion.”As part of camp, drag typically consists of feminine apparel, ranging from slight make-up and a few feminine garments, typically hats, gloves, or high heels, to a total getup, complete with wigs, gowns, jewellery, and full make-up. In the case of drag kings or female male-impersonators, the opposite is true and often involves exaggerated displays of traditional male sexuality. Camp has been from the start an ironic attitude, embraced by anti-Academic theorists for its explicit defense of clearly marginalized forms. As such, its claims to legitimacy are dependent on its opposition to the status quo; camp has no aspiration to timelessness, but rather lives on the hypocrisy of the dominant culture.
Much like the closely related notion of kitsch, camp has traditionally been viewed as hard to define. The terms "camp" and "kitsch" are often used interchangeably; both may relate to art, literature, music, or any object that carries an aesthetic value. However, "kitsch" refers specifically to the object proper, whereas "camp" is a mode of performance. Thus, a person may consume kitsch intentionally or unintentionally. Camp, however, as Susan Sontag observed, is always a way of consuming or performing culture "in quotation marks."
Celebrities with camp personas include Adam West,John Waters, Pee-wee Herman, William Shatner, Elton John, Freddie Mercury, Boy George, Gary Coleman, Fabio, Richard Simmons, Jim Carrey, Dennis Rodman, David Beckham, Dame Edna, Divine (Glen Milstead), RuPaul, Man Parrish, Tiny Tim, Wayne Newton, Boy George, Liberace, David Lee Roth, David Hasselhoff, Bette Midler, Klaus Nomi, Graham Norton, Madonna, the Dixie Chicks, Toby Keith, David Walliams, Mr. T., Nick Rhodes, Chuck Norris and Brian Molko
Celebrities in the camp community who are gay icons include Diana Ross, Liza Minnelli, Dame Shirley Bassey, Elizabeth Taylor, Brigitte Bardot, Kylie Minogue, Bette Midler, Cher, Cyndi Lauper, Joan Collins, Madonna, Christina Aguilera and Joan Rivers.
Celebrities in the camp community who are gay icons include Diana Ross, Liza Minnelli, Dame Shirley Bassey, Elizabeth Taylor, Brigitte Bardot, Kylie Minogue, Bette Midler, Cher, Cyndi Lauper, Joan Collins, Madonna, Christina Aguilera and Joan Rivers.
edited from Wikipedia
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