Abstract
In the Fall of 2004 a billboard located in downtown Sofia and in close proximity to the statue of the Bulgarian independence hero and revolutionary, Vasil Levsky,2 became the source of controversy. The billboard advertised a new single by the pop-folk singer, Azis. A campaign by intellectuals and pop music performers called for it to be removed because of the provocative appearance of the singer, dressed in a woman’s corset that accentuated his lower body and revealed his buttocks. Following an order by the Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs3 the billboard was taken down. Reflecting on the event, the Bulgarian National Radio interviewed Azis and asked him if he was offended and angry with the ministry official. The performer replied that he could not possibly be upset with such an attractive man.
Azis is what every man fears to be and what every woman dreams of becoming, something in between Marilyn Monroe and Marilyn Manson.
Azis1
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© 2013 Plamena Kourtova
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Kourtova, P. (2013). Imitation and Controversy: Performing (Trans)Sexuality in Post-Communist Bulgaria. In: Attwood, F., Campbell, V., Hunter, I.Q., Lockyer, S. (eds) Controversial Images. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137291998_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137291998_4
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