"the artificiality of truths we think we know"

Lebesco and Butler are both speaking to the transformative and dynamic nature of language in that it is always changing. It can change within context alone; how it is used within a sentence, who is using it, what that person is talking about, in what manner that certain person is talking. It can also change through time. Some words that existed a hundred years ago do not get used in the same way that they once did. They don't necessarily lose their original meaning, but it's as if society adds another layer to the existing one. In this sense, because there is hardly a set meaning for any word, we get an "artificiality of truths we think we know". I think that she is speaking to the truths we think we know about language and the meanings of words. The word queer is currently in a transformative stage, as it is transitioning from a negative connotation to a positive one that is actively embraced by the queer community.

John Waters proves the same idea in his film Female Trouble. The average viewer approaches the film with a preconceived idea of what beauty is and how it looks. The film is almost mind bending when you try to relate to the characters. The salon owners are overwhelmingly enthusiastic about how beautiful Dawn Davenport is, and I kept waiting for the catch. I kept waiting for a scene where they were alone in a room and laughed at how they were going to make millions off of conning Dawn into believing that she's beautiful. I kept waiting for them to turn in the photos to the police for money. And it never happened. They actually, truly thought she was beautiful. And it is because the truth I think I know about what defines beauty is artificial. Meanings of words are not static. And so the salon owners saw excess (in body weight, hair, makeup, tight clothing) as beautiful. It took society's standards and ran wild with it. Dawn is portrayed as fat, especially in comparison to her friends who are skinny and better represent society's idea of beautiful. Her fatness is accentuated by her tight clothing for a revolting affect (same with the old aunt whose stomach gushes out of her leather suit). I think Waters was putting these things right in our face to actively challenge our ideas of beauty. He brought things that are typically considered revolting (especially in the scene when Dawn is basking in the fish) and displayed them as beauty.