Museum of Resistance and Resilience

"Morocco"’s Impact:

“Morocco” did not only popularize trousers in women’s fashion, rather its greatest, yet implicit impact was on underground lesbian subcultures. “Morocco”, along with other films of the time such as “Queen Christina” and “Blonde Venus”, created the foundation for lesbian film culture, educating young women who did not have access to urban lesbian communities on ways they could explore their identity through appearance and behavior (Faderman & Timmons, 54). In particular, “Morocco” could be regarded as a statement of bisexuality and androgyny, as it contained a woman in masculine clothes, risque scenes like a same-sex kiss, and Dietrich’s sexuality appealing to both male and female audiences (Henderson, 2017). Although Dietrich’s androgyny in this film was marketed only as charming and entrancing, its true value lies with the freedom it was able to portray between the lines: Dietrich was an early example of the individuality that queer women could achieve and be celebrated for, even if their sexual identity is still hidden. Her resistance against the “dominator culture” by teasing her bisexuality in a dangerous time was truly a timeless phenomenon: back then, this was one of the first instances where masses of women began embracing the nuances of their sexuality and gender expression, and today, her fighting spirit lives on in all the women who continuously dare to express themselves outside of social norms.

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