Another subject matter that connects to the theme of representations in ‘Carry on Cleaning’ or in this case the general Bounty Advertisement campaign, are the cross-dressing ‘housewives’ “Brenda and Audrey”.
During Blog entry ‘Figures and Facts’ I described how the sexual content in the ‘Carry on’ films was ahead of its time, here, Balchin’s Blog also describes:
“From this I also wish to argue that in issues relating to sexuality, the Carry On films were far ahead of their contemporaries, especially in their depiction of the gay male.” C. Balchin, Online Blog.
The ‘Carry on’ films have been using the themes of sexuality and gender exploration since they first began. Protagonist Kenneth Williams created a ‘camp’ screen personality (Gays and Film by R.Dyer), using feminine mannerisms and also appeared as a cross-dresser in ‘Carry on Matron’ (1973). I strongly believe that both examples where clearly for comical purposes. Both of these comical objectives are extracted and used in the ‘Carry on Cleaning’ commercial, “Brenda and Audrey” pull very feminine expressions through their stubble, which is amusing because of their poor attempt to hide their gender.
Does the level of attempt to cross-dress reflect wether the purpose is for comedy value or not?
Are gender and sexuality dominantly watched emphasized as comedy or looked through in drama?
Is the portrayal of the Housewives “Brenda and Audrey” Offensive to women?
