Born to Vogue This Way
Matt Rettenmund at Boy Culture tipped me off to this genius, must-watch piece of vintage film from 1991.
Writes Robert Jeffrey:
"I performed to MADONNA's 'VOGUE' in the Summer of 1991 when my parents took me to Hampton Beach Casino in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. A business in the casino at the time gave tourists the chance to lip-synch to their favorite pop songs in front of a blue screen background, and I was lucky enough to partake that summer. "
Watch the last piece of "born this way" evidence, AFTER THE JUMP...
That little boy is overflowing with fabulous. Good on him.
Posted by: Mark | Jun 10, 2011 2:55:04 PM
That just made my entire life worth living.
Posted by: justme | Jun 10, 2011 2:55:19 PM
OMG - This is too funny! Further proof, we really are 'born this way'...
Posted by: Marty Peoples | Jun 10, 2011 2:57:22 PM
*better than Madge these days!
Posted by: macca | Jun 10, 2011 2:58:21 PM
yessssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!
Posted by: Hollywood, CA | Jun 10, 2011 2:58:44 PM
Born THIS way baby!
Posted by: Jerry | Jun 10, 2011 2:58:47 PM
really cute! What's great about it is obviously he sees nothing wrong in dancing that way since there isn't. Great show! :O
Posted by: John Simpson | Jun 10, 2011 2:58:58 PM
excellent....glad your folks were so excepting....bravo!!!
Posted by: Disgusted Gay American | Jun 10, 2011 3:05:13 PM
Kid was FABULOUS!
The only thing unsettling about the clip was seeing the WTC standing proudly in the background.
Posted by: TampaZeke | Jun 10, 2011 3:06:00 PM
Seriously...this is the greatest thing I've seen in a long time. This kid rocks my socks off!
Posted by: adam | Jun 10, 2011 3:08:26 PM
Amazing!
Posted by: Thomas | Jun 10, 2011 3:09:17 PM
You had better WERK!
Lovesit. My sister and I used to dance on the front lawn to David Bowie and Madonna tapes.
Yeah. That's right. TAPES.
:D
Posted by: Little Kiwi | Jun 10, 2011 3:20:03 PM
I have tried to play this clip many times. More often than not there is an "Oops" error message.
Great video though!
Posted by: Greg | Jun 10, 2011 3:20:06 PM
This is a gem of a video.
I remember when Vogue came out. How could anyone be gay and NOT fabulously dance to that video?!
Now all grown up, Robert is to drool for (see pic on his vimeo page).
@ Disgusted Gay American
You mean "accepting", darling.
thats all.
Posted by: suede | Jun 10, 2011 3:24:12 PM
such precision. he killed it.
Posted by: justin | Jun 10, 2011 3:29:00 PM
That was both embarrassing and mildly horrifying. The young Mr. Jeffrey in 1991 appears not to have realized how much of a fool he was making of himself. For that, a 9-year old boy can be forgiven. But a 29-year old man should know better.
Male homosexuality does not equate to effeminacy. To the extent that Robert Jeffrey thinks that his girlish dancing is a celebration of his pre-gayness, he is self-deluded. He is in the same camp as George Rekers and the other homophobes who equated being gay with being a "sissy boy."
Gay boys need to be reminded that they are every bit a boy as a straight boy. They don't need us propagating the very stereotypes that keep them down.
Posted by: David | Jun 10, 2011 3:29:37 PM
Hmm. I think you're overthinking it DAVID. If I had a friend that had a ridiculous gem of a video I'd want to see it. Take some high blood pressure medicine, have a glass of wine, and calm down—it's Friday.
Posted by: TyN | Jun 10, 2011 3:33:29 PM
Wow David - is sucking lemons making you bitter or something?
Posted by: SteveC | Jun 10, 2011 3:38:56 PM
@David:
"The young Mr. Jeffrey in 1991 appears not to have realized how much of a fool he was making of himself."
Surely, somewhere, you have enough self-awareness to understand that, in this conversation, this observation only applies to you?
Robert Jeffrey's nine year-old self was real, gay (not pre-gay, whatever the hell that is), a born sissy, and absolutely amazing. You're bitter and hateful. Sucks to be you.
I'll take a million beautiful prancing little girly boys over one nasty old queen any day.
Posted by: justme | Jun 10, 2011 3:40:36 PM
@David Shut up. Not everyone has your issues with being a big ole sissy. That kid was being himself. Good for him. Being a boy is about having a penis (at least from a physical perspective - not hating on the T in LGBT here)not about how feminine or butch that boy happens to be. Maybe its you who are propagating the sterotypes.
Posted by: JD Swell | Jun 10, 2011 3:44:02 PM
To steal a comment from the vimeo site: you are more awesome than I could ever hope to be.
Posted by: JH | Jun 10, 2011 3:47:36 PM
That is impressive.
Posted by: Complexmind | Jun 10, 2011 3:49:13 PM
David sharpens knives for Tracy Morgan.
Posted by: Dastius Krazitauc | Jun 10, 2011 3:52:04 PM
@David Thank you for saying that. As I watched this, I just thought to myself how sad and tragic it was to see a boy that young already gender-confused, no doubt due to negative feedback from society that caused him to believe that his attraction to males made him essentially a quasi-woman....and that his only choice therefore was to act like a woman and live vicariously through women, giving up any claims to masculinity and self-respect in the process.
Most boys like him grow into self-hating people with little to no self-esteem who have severe difficulty forming relationships or friendships with other men and ending up profoundly unhappy as a result.
Hopefully, we will change the culture sufficiently in the near future so that kids don't find themselves in such straits.....
Posted by: Rick | Jun 10, 2011 4:11:14 PM
Check the Vogue music video; the first person to "strike a pose" is not Madge but a beautiful man! There's nothing sissy about him or the 9 year old. That's what is so tragic about this week's CNN story - as kids we experiment with everything we see and hear, accept some and reject others. I have no evidence but would guess there are a lot of straight boys who put on their mothers' earrings and lipstick and danced to Vogue. We won't see their 9 y.o. videos.
Posted by: Hue-Man | Jun 10, 2011 4:16:00 PM