I was drawn to this piece in the collection as I think it’s witty and wacky. Lynn Hershman Leeson created the figure in the picture ‘Roberta Breitmore’ – an alter ego who gradually became realised as she assumed this persona in everyday life. Hershman Leeson undertook real-life activities as Roberta such as opening a bank account, joining Weight Watchers and going on dates.
Like drag, Hershman Leeson embodies this character through performance. Queer culture has a long history with this type of performance. We have the ability to subvert the societal expectations of masculine and feminine identities. We have mastered code switching. We’re open to construct multiple identities.
Written by Brogan Devlin.
Listen to an audio description of Roberta Breitmore, written and recorded by (Un)Defining Queer participant Brogan below:
Queering The Whitworth 
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