The Invisible Lesbian by Océanrosemarie and Sandrine Revel
CW: Nudity, Internalized Fatphobia, An Attempt to Turn the Main Character Straight, Toxic Relationships, Depression, Homophobia, Swearing, Drug Use, Underage Sex, Gatekeeping, Jealousy, Hallucination, Positive References to Problematic Popular Culture
4/5
The Invisible Lesbian started as a one-woman comedy show, written in 2009. Océanrosemarie is the persona of Ocean Rose Marie. She sees it as herself, but played up. This graphic novel is a memoir, but it is important to note that it was written by the persona. While I did not learn about this difference until after I finished reading, the story very clearly read like a stand-up comedy piece. There's lots of comedy in it and it feels like a caricature of French culture. The graphic novel was a bit out of my comfort zone, but I had trouble putting it down.
Océanrosemarie is a high-fem woman who has struggled her whole life with being seen for who she is. While her mother knew early on and was quite accepting, everyone else seemed to think she was lying. It didn't help that she kept falling for heterosexual women! In her memoir, The Invisible Lesbian, we watch as she goes from early childhood to adulthood, learning all about what it means to be a lesbian. From stereotypes to the lesbian fairy, to the love of her life and every other girlfriend, this comic shares it all with the help of the talented artist, Sandrine Revel.
Revel illustrated this as a part of being featured in the PEN World Voices Festival. The art style is a nice balance between playful and sleek. There are a lot of moments that call for sexiness and sexuality, making the sleek and pretty parts of the design necessary. Still, there is humor at almost every corner. This comes across in the motifs, such as someone dancing across a page, or the clown makeup most characters seem to be wearing. The medium appears to be watercolor, which is helpful in representing memory. Overall, the art is quite lovely and absolutely played a part in keeping me interested.
The Invisible Lesbian is a very sexual book, which is not my preference, but the sex is usually paired with humor, making it more approachable for me. Océanrosemarie doesn't take herself very seriously, allowing for all outrageous statements to be enjoyable instead of bad. She's not a perfect person, but she's interesting. Her story and perspective are worth getting to know. This is ultimately a discussion on how you can be feminine and still be a lesbian, that there isn't just one way to present who you love. It's important to be yourself and Océanrosemarie assures us by the end that she's doing that.
One thing I got out of reading The Invisible Lesbian that I hadn't expected, was a lot of information on French culture. There's a portion of the novel where Océanrosemarie is trying out lesbian punk clubs, welcoming a global audience into a world they may not have known about otherwise. I learned about party-goer archetypes, stereotypes specific to French lesbians, French fashion, and more! Throughout I had a hard time guessing when the events took place. While I wish I knew Océanrosemarie's age for the events, I think the timeless quality helps transport the story from when it happened to when it was adapted into graphic novel form.
If you're looking for a quick queer graphic novel with pretty colors and French culture, I absolutely recommend The Invisible Lesbian by Océanrosemarie and Sandrine Revel. It's best if you're comfortable with nudity, but as I've proven, you don't have to be to enjoy this book. Go see the Invisible Lesbian!
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