Janelle Monáe’s Sartorial Reconceptualization of the Black Gendered Body

Abstract

Janelle Monáe is known for her black and white attire, pompadour hairstyles, James Brown-inspired dance moves, android alter-ego (Cindi Mayweather), and bent toward Afrofuturism. Monáe is also known for her politics. Her participation in countless Black Lives Matter rallies and the Women’s March on Washington and her advocacy for the LGBTQI+ community prove a determination to use her platform to draw attention to social justice issues impacting those marginalized by white supremacy, sexism, homophobia, and misogynoir. Monáe’s politics have been expressed both at the podium and through her distinctive attire. This discussion considers the radical nature of Monáe’s sartorial choices and draws attention to how a black queer woman uses clothing as a text to transgress gender norms and to engage in a discourse of disrespectability politics, which reconceptualizes the black gendered body.