Then again, Paris is Burning was a real-life documentary, whereas Pose is fiction, so if you’re expecting something similar to Paris, then put those expectations at bay because Murphy didn’t make a Xerox copy. In the first episode, we are introduced to the House of Abundance, headed by the sharp-tongued and domineering house mother Elektra (Dominique Jackson). As they plan for their next ball, Elektra asks her children what category they should walk. The well-meaning and moral center of the series, Blanca (MJ Rodriguez), suggests they walk in “royal” wear, an idea Elektra reframes as her own.
Determined, Blanca starts her own family with Damon (Ryan Jamaal Swain), an aspiring dancer who was violently kicked out of his house when his parents find out he is gay; Angel (Indya Moore), a fellow House of Abundance refugee; as well as street hustler Lil Papi (Angel Bismark Curiel) and, later, Damon’s boyfriend Ricky (Dyllon Burnside). She calls her house the House of Evangelista (named after the famed supermodel, obviously). This establishes the battle of the houses of which the entire series is based.Elektra takes her family and they rob a museum’s exhibit of royal wardrobe — which I find very unbelievable considering it was a New York City museum, but hey, it was the ’80s. Security wasn’t as tight back then, I guess.
Nonetheless, they slay the ball in their sickening gowns and walk away winners, but Blanca isn’t satisfied because of the way Elektra stole her idea and continues to humiliate her and the rest of the family. She says she is going to start her own house and Elektra laughs in her face.
There’s a specific fabulousness about Pose that can easily just be window dressing for an empty drama based on a soulful era in LGBTQ history. Pose works best when it serves up some ball culture realness and queer-oriented narrative which is mostly attributed to its cast of transgender actors and a writers room that includes Janet Mock and Our Lady J, two trans women at the forefront in Hollywood.
Balls were essentially an event for misfits and outcasts of society where they can be themselves in a safe space with their peers and without judgment — but there was plenty of shade thrown if your costume or vogueing skills were anything less than slay-worthy. That said, Madonna was not the high priestess of vogueing. She did what she does best: take something from underground/counterculture and curate it into the mainstream.With the iconic documentary Paris is Burning as the standard for everything ball-related, Pose had a lot to live up to.
human hair wigs cheap lace front wigs human hair lace front wigs
cheap human hair wigs cheap human hair lace front wigs cheap curly wigs
