Tough as nails
Atlanta's Femme Mafia featured in 'Femmes of Power'
Jul 03, 2009 | By: DYANA BAGBY
http://www.sovo.com/2009/7-3/arts/feature/10320.cfmWHEN ULRIKA DAHL AND DEL LAGRACE VOLCANO decided to collaborate on a book of colorful images combined with intimate stories of femmes from around the world, they had a basic mission in mind — pay homage to the role femmes have played in queer history.
"I'm a femme, activist, writer, and femmes have been central to queer history," says Dahl, an anthropologist from Sweden.
But often femme women — those who enjoy wearing lipstick and eye shadow, stilettos and low cut dresses and who can pass as "straight" — aren't given their due and are even ostracized within the queer community, Dahl says. Knowing this history and the wide variety of femmes in the world, the duo came together to create "Femmes of Power: Exploding Queer Femininities," first published in the UK by Serpent's Tail in 2008.
