Paris Is Burning Page #6

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is basically

to get more movement

in your hips naturally.

Don't exaggerate it.

( instrumental)

Most likely, she'll get

what she wants.

You know, especially

if she's in a man's world.

She can still have

her equal rights,

but be able to manipulate a man

by using her feminine wiles.

She can't use it

by using masculine.

(man) Are they soft?

Looking from head to toe,

would you know?

Is this realness or not?

Let it be motherfucking hot.

Miss Octavia?

You don't feel this realness?

Where are you at, sister?

Oh, you're right there,

not bothered.

What you find-ah

What you feel now...

The more I want

The more I get...

(man) LaBeija.

Candy LaBeija.

Realness in the daytime,

darling.

She goes to school

as a woman.

Get into it.

Get into both of them

and see which one is realer.

Feel the flesh, or whatever it

may be. Is it soft or not?

It's soft.

Come, come, come.

Score Miss Octavia first.

Step forward,

accept your scores.

Ten, ten, ten, ten, ten!

Score Tennille.

What you feel now

I feel I need you...

Nine, ten, ten.

(applause)

Grand Prize, Octavia.

First Place, Tennille.

(applause)

There's people

who sit home all day.

They have potential, OK?

I mean, they go to the balls

and they prove that they have potentials

on actually selling a garment,

OK. But, they, like:

"Being that I have this potential,

the ballroom tells me..."

OK. "The ballroom tells me

that I'm somebody."

But when the ballroom is over

and you come home,

you have to convince yourself

that you are somebody.

And that's where they get lost.

( "Sweet Dreams [Are Made

of This]" by Eurythmics)

Sweet dreams are made of this

Who am I to disagree...

She's also in a magazine.

What's the name of the magazine?

Elle.

Paris Kathy Dupree.

(Dorian) There was a time

when you could have spent

a great deal of time

making outfits

and preparing for something.

Now they come very quickly

and the mood's changed.

Very quickly.

I come from the old school

of big costumes

and feathers and beads.

And they don't have that

anymore.

Now it's all about designers.

And it's not about what you create-

it's about what you can acquire.

What do you think?

Isn't that beautiful?

$559. How's that

for a simple dress?

If you have on a label,

it means that you've got wealth.

When it doesn't, really,

'cause any shoplifter

can get a label.

You can't come down the runway

in something for $14.99

or $49.99 and say:

"Well, I'm lovely,"

and expect to win.

OK. To describe...

Explain mopping. Mopping.

You go into a store

and... just look... for...

Look for whatever you want

to see, look for whatever...

Mopping is stealing.

General stealing.

However it's done,

it's stealing.

If you're working every day,

you're struggling

to buy this outfit.

When you walk,

you're like, "This is me."

And your facial expressions

as well as your means of

projection of your outfit,

it shows if you actually

stole it or you purchased it.

(woman) You can

actually tell? You can actually tell.

Faggots are stunting themselves,

regardless.

Make no mistake.

First, it comes... OK.

When it comes to a stunt,

it goes in three...

It goes in order.

It goes faggots,

then girls, then boys.

Because boys are the stupidest.

They don't know

how to do a stunt right.

Now, faggots will do

a stunt and I mean,

you will never catch up

with it until years later.

And then, I mean,

you'll be like, "Oh, sh*t!

This f*ggot pulled

this stunt on me!"

We went down there,

we had fun,

and we acted stupid

and came back.

But I think the best thing

we did was Roy Rogers.

That was fun. You would have

had something to eat!

'Cause... How much did you pay

for that sandwich?

I don't remember.

Maybe five dollars or something.

Around five...

Five dollars?

Make no mistake,

we got your five dollars back.

I had two double cheeseburgers,

two fries, a Coke,

a Sprite and an orange.

Chicken and chips.

I was going back and forth.

I lived on that line!

We got over around, say,

around $200 in food.

See, they put cheese

on the meat.

(laughter)

I hope, after this,

Roy Rogers does not change

how it has its food,

because if it does,

by this interview,

I will be so upset!

I will be so upset.

I will be swollen!

I'll be hurt, I'm telling you.

I really will be.

'Cause I mean it.

Where else can you go in,

get it done your way

and go out without paying?

(man) Carla Xtravaganza said,

will you please return

her black patent-leather shoes,

size seven.

There is a reward.

She want her pumps.

She said it's not going to work,

taking her shoes. Give 'em back.

Daytime, if they go out,

they're only going out

to try to hustle up

a quarter or two...

to get their things

for the ball, or go to a little job.

A lot of them have little jobs now.

They work. Don't think they're lazy.

In New York City,

you work or you starve.

You work or...

Some kind of work. Legal or otherwise.

But you have to work

to sustain yourself.

(man) The legendary

Tennille Dupree

and the father of

the House of Ebony, Max,

presents a night of living hell

and punishment

at the Imperial Elks Lodge,

160 West 129th Street,

which is right here.

Doors open at 5 a.m.

Grand March is at 7 a.m.

(woman) The balls are usually

later because of the fact

that we're waiting

for the working girls to get there.

(woman) And what is it

those girls are doing?

Well, they're making money

for the balls

or they're making

their costumes, their outfits.

Or, you know, getting it

together like that.

(woman) What's their

profession?

Usually showgirls.

Usually, they're,

you know, showgirls.

(woman) Uh-huh.

Anything else?

Well, it depends.

It depends.

I don't know a lot

of their professions,

but usually they're

showgirls. Usually.

The thing that helped me

make my most money

through the escort service

is being that I'm so little

and so petite and tiny.

Um, the blonde hair

and the light skin

and the green eyes

and the little features.

And the client's hands

would be bigger than my hands,

while they would

hold my hand or something.

You know, they like feeling

that they're with something

perfect and little

and not someone

that's bigger than them.

Because I guess that kind of

disturbs them.

Most all the drag queens

that are involved in the balls, they...

90 percent of them

are hustlers.

I guess that's how they make

their money to go to the balls

and get whatever

they need and stuff.

I used to hustle in New York

to make my money.

I was with a guy and he was

playing with my titties

till he touched me down there.

He felt it and he seen it

and he, like, totally flipped out.

He said, "You f***ing f*ggot!

You're a freak!

"You're a victim of AIDS

and you're trying to give me AIDS.

What, are you crazy?

You're a homo! I should kill you!"

You know, stuff like that.

And, like,

I was really terrified,

so I just jumped

out the window.

I grabbed my bag

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