The Black Lesbians Are White and the Studs Are Femmes: A Cultural Studies Analysis of The L Word

Abstract

Showtime's popular series The L Word follows the lives and relationships of a group of middle class, primarily white lesbians living in Los Angeles, California. Because there are so few representations of lesbians airing on cable television in the United States, we argue that the representations that do exist must be continually critiqued. People use popular culture texts, like The L Word, to learn about themselves and others. We conduct a feminist cultural studies critique of the text and argue it is heteronormative and privileges whiteness. We also include qualitative data from a focus group with viewers of the show to support our analysis.