An Examination of Femininity in a Modern Lesbian Relationship Schaust 1

Fitting a role in society becomes a natural life selection at the turn of adulthood.
Every living soul is beckoned to find a job, spouse, make a comfortable living and exist
among other human beings as a similar other; all while making drastic personal decisions
that depict a person within certain subcategories. These decisions such as ones choice
of religion, eating habits, political stances will offhandedly determine who a person is
and, in turn, either invite or alienate them from members of society and the beliefs each
of them owns. For many, coinciding with societys expectations can benefit them in
being seen as equals, which in turn can prevent as much outward discrimination against
them. Others within the minority that dont share these popular ideologies may struggle
to find acceptance, resulting in a political and personal objectification against them by the
larger society. French director Abdellatif Kechiche explores these themes in his 2013
film Blue is the Warmest Color original title La vie dAdle specifically embellishing
on the role of lesbianism and the process of coming out in modern society.
Entirely filmed in France and spoken in the native language, Blue is the Warmest
Color was only comprehended through English subtitles, however the pain and
frustration was effectively visible on protagonist Adles face throughout her self-
discovery process, which lasted roughly seven years. Her story begins at the age of
fifteen, still in the days of high school and surrounded by friends and family with narrow-
minded outlooks. She puts little effort into her daily appearance (displaying distraught
hair, no make-up and baggy clothes) yet is overwhelmingly viewed by her female peers
as one of the prettiest girls in their class. Many of the boys would shoot their eyes
towards Adle and her friends took notice, coercing her to make a move on one of these
boys. Adle was perplexed. Saddened by her current situation, she was unresponsive to
An Examination of Femininity in a Modern Lesbian Relationship Schaust 2
her family during communal meals. She buried herself under books in an attempt to
distance herself from classmates and flirtatious boys until she finally adventured into her
first heterosexual relationship. Adle initially acted resistant yet showed sparks of interest
as if trying to succumb to societys expectations of women only copulating with men.
This eventually led to one of her first sexual experiences, which she later regretted and
decisively cut all ties with her initial lover. Upon further viewing, it is revealed Adle
slept with this boy out of peer pressure from her female counterparts. She did this out of
fear, or as Judith Butler states in her essay Imitation and Gender Insubordination:
It is a compulsory performance in the sense that acting out of line with
heterosexual norms brings with it ostracism, punishment, and violence, not
to mention the transgressive pleasures produced by those very
prohibitions.
1

Later on, Adle discovers a blue-haired girl named Emma, a freshly graduated Fine Arts
student with a forecasting interest in women. Over months, these two develop a plutonic
relationship that evolves into something exclusive. Adle begins to find ways to express
herself with Emma, which results in Adles lessened form of depression. In Adle
discovering a new inner peace and unique love, a newfound cynicism arises from her
school friends. Suspicion from her female classmates eventually turns hostile when they
discover her romance with Emma, dismissing her with disgust as a fucking lesbo and
telling her to go eat pussy. This interaction is relatable to a part in Judith Butlers essay
where she states:

1
Judith Butler, Imitation and Gender Insubordination (p. 315)
An Examination of Femininity in a Modern Lesbian Relationship Schaust 3
In a sense, for Helms, gay men exist as objects of prohibition; they are in
his twisted fantasy, sadomasochistic exploiters of children, the
paradigmatic exemplars of obscenity; in a sense, the lesbian is even
produced within this discourse as a prohibited object.
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Open homosexuality was overtly shunned under false pretenses upon its early depiction,
as in Adles relationship with Emma. Time has improved their image, yet, as Adle fully
realized here, there are still those with the beliefs that women have a certain role to fill in
society.
Through the early struggles Adle faces, she learns valuable coping skills that
instigate a sense of feminist pride deep within her. Eventually, Adle and Emma can be
seen marching down the city streets passionately shouting for equal rights to be given to
gay and lesbian persons. McRobbie expresses a conceptual belief in relation to this scene
while discussing New French feminism in her essay The Es and Anti-Es: New
Questions for Feminism and Cultural Studies. She writes:
Whether they are with or against Lacan, there is a tendency in this work to
see women as relegated to some marginal or external zone, to some
outside place which is also the only place in which they can speak as
women outside the terms laid down by patriarchy.
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This sort of scene happens more than once and evokes a sense of newfound pride within
Adle due to the freedom never before felt while being with another person. Time passes
and Emma begins to use Adles beauty as inspiration for her art. These paintings are

2
Judith Butler, Imitation and Gender Insubordination (p. 312)
3
Angela McRobbie, The Es and Anti-Es: New Questions for Feminism and Cultural
Studies (p. 177)
An Examination of Femininity in a Modern Lesbian Relationship Schaust 4
shown to everyone with complete admiration as Adle slowly becomes a familiar figure
within the womens art scene. Through her minor celebrity and ambition to become an
early childhood teacher, a conflict evolves over how Adle is to display herself in
environments with differing standards on sexuality. Butler exposes this hazy foray of
homosexuality within her essay, writing:
If it is already true that lesbians and gay men have been traditionally
designated as impossible identities, errors of classification, unnatural
disastersperhaps amounts to the same, the very paradigm of what calls
to be classified, regulated, and controlled, then perhaps these sites of
disruption, error, confusion, and trouble can be the very rally points for a
certain resistance to classification and to identity as such.
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To Adle, her future career became more important than her future with Emma as both of
their lives began to unfold. A distance grew between them and Adle began to
sympathize with a heterosexual lifestyle due to her long hours spent inside a conservative
work environment. Adle hid the side of her that once gave her such pride and in
succession began seeing one of her male co-workers (Antoine) behind Emmas back. Her
lesbianism eventually became exposed to Antoine who reacts unfavorably; essentially in
coordination with Catherine Squires and Daniel Brouwers In/Discernible Bodies: The
Politics of Passing in Dominant and Marginal Media where they state:

Thus, when a person is accused of performing the wrong identity, it
prompts commentary and action not only from the state and dominant

4
Judith Butler, Imitation and Gender Insubordination (p. 309)
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groups who feel duped, but also from the marginal in-groups who see a
need to assert their identity and re-define the passer for their own
agendas.
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This exploration exposed the bigotry within people and brought shame upon Adle for
having done adulterous behavior behind Emmas back. Emma, playing off her own
suspicion, confronted Adle about her actions, which she denied. A verbal fight broke out
and Adle was eventually kicked out. Left on the streets, Adle was viewed as straight by
her former lover and a lesbian by her fling Antoine. Adle was left with no option but to
claim her true identity.
With luck, Adle was able to move beyond her lesbian exposure to Antoine. She
progressed into an elementary school teaching job as Emma evolved as an artist, both
growing apart from their inseparable past. Through her journey of personal discovery,
Adle aged from a teenager to a young adult while tasting the fruit of both genders. These
experiences shaped her, strengthened her and taught her empowerment through love all
of which assisted her process of coming out. The pride she expressed in her gender are
characteristically shared and expressed by writers Butler, McRobbie, Squires and
Brouwer. Now at peace in the end, they met once more (for closure) at Emmas art
exhibition. Adle could still be seen in Emmas paintings, again depicted as the
efficacious figure in Emmas earlier work.




5
Catherine Squires and Daniel Brouwer, In/Discernible Bodies: The Politics of Passing
in Dominant and Marginal Media (p. 302)
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Resources:
Blue Is the Warmest Color. Dir. Abdellatif Kechiche. Perf. La Seydoux and Adle
Exarchopoulos. Sundance Selects, 2013. Film.

Butler, Judith. "Chapter 20." Imitation and Gender Insubordination. 1991. Print.

McRobbie, Angela. "Chapter 11." The Es and Anti-Es: New Questions for Feminism and
Cultural Studies. London: Sage Publications, 1997. Print.

Squires, Catherine and Brouwer, Daniel. "In/discernible Bodies: The Politics of Passing
in Dominant and Marginal Media." Critical Studies in Media Communication.
(2002) Print.