| Popis: |
This chapter addresses the Beatles’ complex gendered and sexual appeal to audiences and the evolution of fan identification processes in the 1960s and beyond. The chapter unites the growing body of scholarship that treats issues of gender and sexuality in relation to the Beatles and their fans. After consideration of the theoretical difference between androgyny and gender fluidity, Beatles texts are discussed in relation to fan responses. Their gender fluidity inspired many girl fans to scream for (and sing about) the Fabs’ representation of freedom early in the decade. But their music shifted from the girl talk of “She Loves You” to the bravado of “You’re Going to Lose That Girl.” No longer clad in matching boyish suits, the Beatles maintained their fluid gender performance throughout the ’60s. The Beatles’ gender fluidity is a key ingredient in their sustained popularity. The band endures because listeners keep finding themselves in the Beatles. |
