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Topic

Exploring Sexuality and Comedy Through the Performances of Huysuz Virjin

Department of Sociology

Date & location

• Friday, August 8, 2025
• 10:00 A.M.
• Cornett Building, Room A317

Examining Committee

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Steve Garlick, Department of Sociology, ßÉßɱ¬ÁÏ (Supervisor)
• Dr. Rachel Cleves, Department of History, UVic (Co-Supervisor)

External Examiner

• Dr. Pierre-Luc Landry, School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures, UVic

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Theone Paterson, Department of Psychology, UVic

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the stage performances of Seyfi Dursunoğlu, a Turkish male performer well known for his iconic cross-dressed persona: Huysuz Virjin. Known for her sharp wit and sexually explicit humor, Huysuz Virjin stood out against the relatively conservative norms of Turkish society, leaving a lasting mark on the country’s entertainment history. Although the artist performed for over 40 years, Huysuz Virjin also faced significant criticism, primarily for two elements of the show: cross-dressing and sexually explicit jokes. Drawing on archival research and video recordings of Huysuz Show (1994-2002), this study examines the societal acceptance of Huysuz Virjin’s performances, and how sexuality and comedy operated in relation to heteronormative gender and sexual norms, using the theoretical lens of Alenka Zupančič. The defining feature of the show is its emphasis on sexuality, which, I argue, finds space through a dynamic interplay between Huysuz Virjin’s persona, Dursunoğlu’s offstage identity, and the audience. Offstage, Dursunoğlu’s maculinity aligns with the audience’s moral values, offering a shared framework of understanding. Onstage, Huysuz Virjin’s extravagant femininity and explicit jokes sharply contrast with this, while continual references to Dursunoğlu’s body beneath the persona create a fundamental tension. The audience’s belief in a stable conception of sexuality is continually disrupted by these references. This coexistence of contradictory tendencies enables humor to emerge. As a comedian, Huysuz Virjin both shares the audience’s cultural values and embodies the heteronormative codes of 1990s Turkish culture. Her traits and cross-dressing are rooted in Ottoman motifs such as the zenne figure and gazino atmosphere, creating familiarity for live and TV audiences. Beyond cultural elements, Huysuz Virjin resonates with patriarchal views of womanhood and misogynistic humor, yet the comic exaggeration of these norms exposes their incoherence and subverts them. Ultimately, I argue that Dursunoğlu’s heteronormative persona consistently accompanies Huysuz Virjin’s controversial performance, revealing the contingent, incoherent nature of sexuality and the ideological structures behind norms she embodies.