ABSTRACT
The term "camp" originated in gay male culture to denote a coyly exaggerated theatricality, especially in the context of drag performance. Often traced to the French verb se camper, meaning "to pose," "camp" has gained a much wider usage since the 1960s to refer to the practice of recycling outmoded cultural forms in a spirit of detached or deflected irony. A list of contemporary "camp" phenomena in this sense might include decorevival architecture, the "bad taste" films of John Waters (Pink Flamingoes, Polyester), thrift store fashion, 1980s and 1990s pop music's fascination with the fallen icons of mass-produced "country" music, and early rock 'n' roll (Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley, and Buddy Holly).
