18 Best Paris Is Burning Quotes From The Iconic Documentary
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'Paris Is Burning' is an iconic 1990 documentary revolving around New York City's ball culture.
The documentary film sheds light on the challenges faced by gay and trans people. It portrays the ways in which the ballroom scene is liberating for the community.
The phrase 'Paris Is Burning' might stand for the hot competition faced by the participants of the Paris DuPree's ball. However, it might also be linked to Hitler asking 'Paris brennt?'
to know if Paris has burnt or not. 'Paris Is Burning' is available on Netflix, depending on the location of the subscriber.
The goal of realness as explained in 'Paris Is Burning' is to blend in the 'straight' world while facing the challenges of belonging to a different racial backgrounds and sexual orientations. It highlights the new culture that these people have formed through ballroom, voguing and performing drag.
If you like the 'Paris Is Burning' quotes, do check out the LGBT quotes and Drag Queen quotes.
Iconic 'Paris Is Burning' Quotes
Here are some 'Paris Is Burning' quotes that lets you into the culture of drag queens and other exceptional people from the community who are represented in the documentary.
1. "I am Pepper LaBeija, the legendary mother of the House of LaBeija."
‒ Pepper LaBeija, 'Paris Is Burning'.
2. "I just rule it now, with a soft glove."
‒ Pepper LaBeija, 'Paris Is Burning'.
3. "It's like crossing into the looking glass in Wonderland. You go in there and you feel, you feel 100% right of being gay."
‒ 'Paris Is Burning'.
4. "We're not going to be shady, just fierce."
‒ 'Paris Is Burning'.
5. "But when you're gay, you monitor everything you do. You monitor how you look, how you dress, how you talk, how you act."
‒ 'Paris Is Burning'.
6. "To be able to blend, that's what realness is."
‒ 'Paris Is Burning'.
7. "There's people that sit home all day. They have potential. Okay? I mean they go to the balls and they prove that they have potentials on actually selling a garment."
‒ 'Paris Is Burning'.
8. "If money wasn't so important in the world today...to survive. I guess I wouldn't want anything but what I have now. But since money does...I hope that the way I look puts money in my pocket."
‒ Octavia St. Laurent, 'Paris Is Burning'.
9. "I want to be a complete woman, and I want to be a professional model behind the cameras in the high fashion world."
‒ Venus Xtravaganza, 'Paris Is Burning'.
10. "I want everybody to look at me and say 'There goes Octavia'..."
‒ Octavia St. Laurent, 'Paris Is Burning'.
Dorian Corey Quotes From ‘Paris Is Burning’
Here are some quotes from the film that have been said by Dorian Corey, who was one of the most iconic drag queens and a fashion designer. Read on for inspiring quotes by Dorian Corey.
11. "When they're undetectable and they can walk out of that ballroom into the sunlight and onto the subway and get home, and still have all their clothes and no blood running off their bodies- those are the femme realness queens...and usually it's a category for young queens."
‒ Dorian Corey, 'Paris Is Burning'.
12. "Black stars were stigmatized. Nobody wanted to look like Lina Horne. Everybody wanted to look like Marilyn Monroe."
‒ Dorian Corey, 'Paris Is Burning'.
13. "Shade comes from reading. Reading came first...Reading is the real art form of insult."
‒ Dorian Corey, 'Paris Is Burning'.
14. "I always had hopes of being a big star. But as you get older, you aim a little lower. Everybody wants to make an impression, some mark upon the world. Then you think, you've made a mark on the world if you just get through it, and a few people remember your name."
‒ Dorian Corey, 'Paris Is Burning'.
15. "Shade is I don't tell you you're ugly but I don't have to tell you because you know you're ugly…and that's shade."
‒ Dorian Corey, 'Paris Is Burning'.
16. "In real life you can't get a job as an executive unless you have the educational background and the opportunity. Now, the fact that you are not an executive is merely because of the social standing of life...In a ballroom you can be anything you want."
‒ Dorian Corey, 'Paris Is Burning'.
17. "If everybody went to balls and...did less drugs, it would be a fun world, wouldn't it?"
‒ Dorian Corey, 'Paris Is Burning'.
18. "I come from the old school of big costumes, feathers and beads. And they don't have that anymore. Now it's all about the designers. And, it's not about what you can create, it's about what you can acquire."
‒ Dorian Corey, 'Paris Is Burning'.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 'Paris Is Burning' quotes, then why not take a look at transgender quotes, or Be True To Yourself quotes.
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English
Rajnandini RoychoudhuryBachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English
With a Master of Arts in English, Rajnandini has pursued her passion for the arts and has become an experienced content writer. She has worked with companies such as Writer's Zone and has had her writing skills recognized by publications such as The Telegraph. Rajnandini is also trilingual and enjoys various hobbies such as music, movies, travel, philanthropy, writing her blog, and reading classic British literature.
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