The Importance of Priscilla
"Male hysteria is a disassociation from hegemonic masculinity, and its allegory, the road movie, is a spatial performance of the disenfranchised spirit. In road movies we see the flight of the phallus through motorized escape: castrated from hegemonic masculinity." (Aitken and Lukinbeal).
I agree that the liberatory aspects of the road for masculinities are suppressed by a return to the logic of hegemonic masculinity. The road serves as an escape for Mitzi, Bernadet, and Felicia but ultimately they are going to return to the same male dominate society they had left. Priscilla plays a major role in this film, for the bus gives them an escape from the homophobic world that surrounds them while they are in the desert. It is their sanctuary and they are not afraid to express themselves while in the bus. Hence why it is full of their drag costumes and alcohol. Also, this is evident in the scenes of Felicia sits atop her giant high heeled shoe on top of the bus with yards of fabric trailing behind her. When the bus reaches its final destination, Mitzi's estranged wife's hotel, we see him attempt to go through a transformation in order to become apart of the hegemonic male society. He dresses differently and does not know how to act around his son for fear of letting Ben know he is a drag queen. The twist is that Ben already knows and that he is fine with it, whatever makes his dad happy is fine with him. I feel like Mitzi and Felicia do suppress some of their feelings for fear of the male dominate society, but I also feel that the road gave them something, confidence perhaps. I see this because at the beginning of the film Mitzi was hit with a pop can after her performance and did nothing, but at the end when they perform again the crowd is extremely into it and cheering for them indicating that they did change something, not in society, but within themselves.