"The Simpsons" Send Me To Camp

The Simpsons is a show that has been in my radar for much of my life. It is my dad's favorite show, and I've been conditioned to become a fan because of that. Recently, our cable company made the switch to digital, meaning that every TV in our house access to the FXX channel, which shows blocks of Simpsons episodes almost daily, and often has major Simpsons marathons. Of course, the Simpsons has been playing in our house more than ever as a result.

Recently, I stumbled upon an episode titled  "Homer's Phobia" , which is the 15th episode of the eighth season that originally aired on February 16th, 1997. The episode guest stars filmmaker John Waters as the voice of John, the openly gay owner of a Springfield collectibles shop. The plot revolves around Marge and Homer finding themselves in a sudden financial need, which leads them to make an attempt at selling a family relic to John's store. After being told that the relic is virtually worthless, the family wanders off to browse other merchandise, to which Homer becomes confused about the aesthetics of the store.

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

John explains to him that the style behind his store and his merchandise is "camp", referring to a style that can be defined here. To elaborate more on camp, Homer invites John over to the Simpson household where the entire family bond over their tastes in pop culture. Homer immediately takes a liking to John. After realizing that John is gay, however, Homer's views on sexuality drive him away from John, despite the rest of the family's fondness for him. Soon after, Homer notices that Bart  has been picking up the campy practices of John and becomes paranoid that Bart will become gay. As a result, Homer tries to "degay" Bart, much to the family's dismay. Eventually, Homer takes a tolerance to John's sexual orientation after he saves his life on a hunting trip, to which Homer is grateful.

After originally airing, the episode received praise for its acceptable portrayal of gay themes, especially from the LGBT community.  At the time, a storyline of this type was rare. This breaking of television barriers is great - for the time, that is. In 2015, homosexuality is no longer a societal taboo. Therefore, a young person such of myself wouldn't find the message extremely moving, seeing that the idea of gay people seems normal to me.

I was, however, inspired by the idea of  camp. The concept of knowingly or unknowingly defying mainstream standards of good taste, also associated and also confused with the style of kitsch, just seems wonderful to me. Many people always feel like they have to comply with society, especially when it comes to clothing, and that is simply not the case. I am a person who enjoys going to thrift shops and wearing vintage and/or unusual clothing. I wear the clothes I wear because they make me happy, no matter how unfashionable they may seem to the general public. Clothing is a form of self expression, and it shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks. With so many fabrics and styles to choose from, it seems foolish to limit oneself to name brand clothing or to only follow the fads. While I may wear a shirt simply because I like the design, I may also like it for its meaning. I choose to wear certain patterns because they remind me of my childhood or a loved one. My motto is "if you like it, wear it." Bottom line, it's important to be yourself. While I may tend to advocate for vintage design, that doesn't mean that I always rule out everything else. The most important part of fashion is to be happy and comfortable.

-Kathryn Muñoz