Our Staff Picks column takes you back to a time when video stores reigned supreme and the "Staff Picks" section was the place to find out what films were worthy of one's time. Of course, our version of Staff Picks has a decidedly skintillating angle, as we suss out which films from a particular subgenre are the best to find great nudity. This week let's cover one of the absolute sexiest eras in moviemaking: lesbian chic.
What is lesbian chic? It was a term that popped up in the 90s - thus these movies will primarily be 90s lesbian films. It referred to sexy, chic lesbian ladies who appeared in the zeitgeist hobnobbing with famous women. They left everyone wondering: are they a couple??? Sexually fluid ladies like Angelina Jolie and Madonna were seen canoodling with new girlfriends during this era!
But it was so much more than that. These lesbians were fashionably chic, wearing androgynous or masculine clothing and having feminine frames. The phrase was first published in a May 1993 cover of New York magazine with k.d. lang on the cover in men's clothing. The headline was, of course, "lesbian chic" as it peered into the world of the hot new lesbians on the scene.
Of course, there have always been lesbians in the public eye. The difference is that very few of them were able to be openly gay prior to this fascinating 90s era. That is not to say the 90s were accepting of gays and lesbians. It just means that tides were starting to turn and people started to become interested in sexy lesbians and the celebrity women they were around.
That also means that lesbians became characters in mainstream movies - to varying effects. Let's take a look at some of the most notable films of the lesbian chic era.
Wild Side
Director Donald Cammell made 1995's Wild Side as his final film. Unfortunately, it was butchered in the editing room by studios, and that so upset Cammell that it killed him. Prior to that, however, the film was heavy on lesbian storylines with the gorgeous Joan Chen indulging in girl-on-girl action with Anne Heche. They let their wild sides out with each other!
Bound
Bound was directed by The Wachowski Sisters before they transitioned. That is interesting to point out because people at the time thought that the directing duo pulled out a very realistic lesbian relationship for their thriller. People were scratching their heads about that one! Well, it turns out the directors were women so no wonder!
This 1996 flick scored big with actresses Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon at the helm. The babes have a very sultry sex scene that runs for over a minute and 30 seconds.
Go Fish
1994's Go Fish is a little on the indie side, but it is so chic and sexy. Rose Troche directed this black-and-white romance between two women who do a lot of talking about light and love. Luckily, they take breaks to get naked with one another! Migdalia Melendez shows off her pierced breasts before she gets busy with V.S. Brodie. What babes!
That's not all! Guinevere Turner gets downright seductive when she makes out with another lady and lets her lips do the talking in this very dialogue-heavy indie. Now that's something to talk about!
