Empowerment and masculinity in the gender strategy of Alaska

Abstract

The singer Alaska has been one of the most representative icons of modernity in Spain, participating prominently in the Movida. According to Alberto Mira (2004), the fea­ture that defined La Movida was the adoption of the homosexuality camp model. In this article, I propose an analysis of the gender discourse of Alaska, whose most outstanding feature would be the adoption of this camp model of homosexuality. To do this, I have compared the version she made of the song Quiero ser Santa with the one of Parálisis Permanente, as well as her duet with Loquillo in El ritmo del garaje and her song Rey del Glam. Alaska, thanks to the camp model, articulated a non-hegemonic masculinity that helped her to be empowered and legiti­mized within the scenes of Spanish popular music. To pursue this, Alaska used the artifice of the camp through strategies such as the use of a cross-dressing voice or a style of performance that involved showmanship.