Podcast Summary: Black People Love Paramore

Episode: Paris is Burning / Ballroom Culture

Host: Sequoia Holmes
Co-hosts: Jewel Wicker, Ryann Graham
Release Date: June 12, 2025

Episode Overview

In celebration of Pride Month, the hosts dive into the impact, significance, and ongoing influence of Paris is Burning—the iconic documentary about New York's ballroom scene and LGBTQ+ communities of color. The episode blends nostalgia, personal stories, witty banter, and thoughtful critique around themes of chosen family, cultural appropriation, queer language, and the enduring legacy of ballroom culture. This is a deep yet entertaining exploration of a cornerstone of queer Black culture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Paris is Burning: A Cultural Touchstone

• Jewel shares that Paris is Burning is her all-time favorite documentary, crediting it for inspiring her interest in documentary filmmaking.
  • “It’s the documentary that I watched in college, I was like, I want to do this.” (01:54, Jewel)
• The doc’s storytelling is lauded for its blend of journalism, empathy, and artful filmmaking.
• The group discusses its timeless relevance, noting how its portrayals still resonate with contemporary issues and pop culture (e.g., Pose).

2. Tragedy, Empathy, and Realness in the Documentary

• The hosts unpack the poignant and empathetic depiction of Venus Xtravaganza’s story, which blends dreams of love and stardom with her tragic fate as a murdered trans woman.
  • “It is a very beautifully tragic… story. At the end, it is just a story of wanting to be accepted deeply.” (02:18, Ryann)
• The way the film humanizes its subjects, avoids judgmental framing, and captures the authenticity of ball culture is praised.
  • “It wasn’t like judgmental… They were humanized in and of themselves.” (08:53, Sequoia)

3. Chosen Family and Community

• Jewel highlights the impact of seeing chosen families on screen:
  • “It’s like your family does not have to be blood… you could have this community that is super tight knit, looking out for each other.” (06:39, Jewel)
• The doc’s depiction of family dynamics and support among house members remains especially meaningful.

4. Evolution and Appropriation of Ballroom & Drag Culture

• Discussion of generational shifts and debates over authenticity—old vs. new ballroom styles, mainstream vs. underground, whitewashing, and the drag world’s relationship to its queer Black roots.
  • “It’s just interesting to see that… there’s that clear through line of, like, new generation coming in, changing things and the older generations being like, not.” (05:27, Ryann)
• The group reflects on reality TV’s adoption of ballroom culture, from Drag Race to Pose.
• Notable crossover: references to the show Legendary and HBO’s My House as modern depictions of ball culture.

5. Ballroom as Safe Space and Survival

• The hosts examine how categories like "realness" were born from the need for safety and survival, not just self-expression.
  • “So much of the categories came from a desire to be safe… it was all of these things. It was safety.” (33:10, Jewel)

6. Language—Queer, Black, and Appropriated

• A playful segment on ballroom and queer lingo the hosts wish could be “taken back” from mainstream/cishet/white usage.
  • Terms discussed: Shade, Work, Chop, Clock it, Legendary/ Iconic, Yaaas, Mother, and “tens across the board.”
• The group critiques how terms are diluted, misused, or used ironically/inauthentically online after entering popular culture.
  • “The way that the kids are using it on the Internet now is like... they’re saying that you’re ugly. Like, ‘Yeah, she’s chopped.’” (25:35, Sequoia)
• Discussion expands into cultural credit and the cyclical inspiration between Black women and gay Black men, hitting on tensions, blind spots, and the dangers of TERF rhetoric.

7. Personal Experiences with Ballroom

• Jewel & Ryann share comical stories about trying to attend or participate in balls, noting just how late the parties start and the intimidation of real competition.

  • “I literally, I think we got there at, like, midnight… by 2:30, I said, I do have to.” (11:52, Jewel)

• Both admit they wouldn’t know what category to walk but express admiration for categories like Face, Realness, Sex Siren, and Vogue.

8. The Power and Impact of Ballroom on the Mainstream

• Recognition of ballroom’s far-reaching influence on music, live performance, and pop culture—from Madonna’s “Vogue” and Beyoncé’s Renaissance to house music and performance art.

  • “Pop culture in general would be nothing without ballroom. And I’m glad that it is finally getting some of that shine.” (50:59, Ryann)

• Citing the pass-down of house names and mentorship as powerful examples of chosen family and legacy.

  • “Those are the people that raised me. Those are the people that supported me. This is my community. That’s my name, period.” (52:17, Jewel)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Paris is Burning’s Inspiration
  “It is the perfect blend of film and journalism… That is why I was like, oh—I was never interested in being a writer. I was always interested in doing, like, broadcast stuff. And so that was the marriage of those two things.” (03:48–03:52, Jewel)
• On Safety & Realness
  “So much of the categories came from a desire to be safe… Like, why did it matter so much, this idea of realness?... it was actually because you didn’t want to be clocked.” (33:10, Jewel)
• On Appropriation of Language
  “The way that the kids are using (‘chop’) on the Internet now... they’re saying that you’re ugly. Like, ‘Yeah, she’s chopped.’ ...It’s the bastardization of it.” (25:35–25:47, Sequoia)
• On Chosen Families
  “It’s like, no, that is my name. Those are the people that raised me. Those are the people that supported me. This is my community. That’s my name, period.” (52:17, Jewel)
• On Mainstream Culture’s Debt to Ballroom
  “Pop culture in general would be nothing without ballroom.” (50:59, Ryann)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Main theme setup & Pride connection: 01:36–01:46
• Personal impact of Paris is Burning (Jewel): 01:46–02:09
• Paris is Burning's storytelling/legacy: 03:25–05:27
• Venus Xtravaganza’s story: 02:38–03:21
• Appropriation and evolution of ballroom/drag: 05:27–06:31
• Chosen family/theme of community: 06:31–06:52
• Authenticity of Ball culture in the doc: 08:32–09:56
• Funny ballroom anecdotes (trying to walk, late nights): 11:11–13:57
• Queer language segment (“taking back” phrases): 21:07–27:26
• Housewives, Black women, and homophobia: 29:03–30:53
• Danncing the line of inspiration and TERF rhetoric: 31:18–32:43
• Categories and safety: 33:00–33:43
• Impact on pop and live music: 50:24–51:24
• Chosen family & house names: 52:09–52:21

Tone & Style

The episode is lively, humorous, irreverent, and emotionally resonant, characterized by the hosts’ warmth, mutual ribbing, and intellectual curiosity. There’s a balance of laughter and seriousness, especially around sensitive topics.

Final Thoughts

The hosts urge everyone (especially those unfamiliar) to watch Paris is Burning and recognize the living legacy of ballroom in everyday culture. This episode is both a celebration and a critical examination—making it as fun as it is enlightening.

Find the hosts online:

• Jewel Wicker: [@JewelWickerShow]
• Ryann Graham: [@GoodGuyRy]
• Black People Love Paramore: [@BPLPod] on all platforms, blackpeopleloveparamore@gmail.com