Asia O'Hara: The Next Drag Superstar?

So RuPaul's Drag Race is coming to a close and it's down to the final four (this has been written prior to the finale, just as a heads up). Personally, I fully believe Asia O'Hara should be the next crowned queen. Throughout all of this season, she has been the one that has appeared to be most open-minded and also the one that wants to help the people that seem to be the most hurting.

As someone that has not really come out as a bisexual woman except to a select number of people, I have also fully struggled with numerous mental illnesses, which I am more open about, but I still have not been able to be fully open about all of my illnesses. I have suffered a great deal of hurt in my life, some partially because of my illnesses, and some because of life being impossible to get through without hurt. Because of that, The Vixen is one of my favorite queens of season ten. I connect with The Vixen, and I understand the hurt she has gone through. No, I'm not a black drag queen, I am instead a very White bisexual girl; Does that mean I can't understand pain? Of course not.

Asia O'Hara was able to get The Vixen to open up, and was a true friend (in my opinion) to her. When I saw that scene (I don't remember the episode, I'm sorry) it was hard for me not to cry. I have never had a friend like that, but that type of friend has always been the type of friend I've wanted.

Yes, there was a time when Asia said Miz Cracker was not a star, which I fully did not agree with (possibly because Miz Cracker was one of my other favorite queens). However, she did apologize on the reunion and Cracker told Asia to not make a mistake like that again, which I feel as though Asia will actually take to heart. She also has made mistakes in Untucked talking behind other people's backs, but life is kind of just not a thing that can be gotten through without shade. She has been super honest when confrontation has come her way.

Even though I haven't fully gotten involved in the gay community (I feel as though watching Drag Race is one of the first steps for many people, though), I still feel as though I can connect with Asia the most. She seems to be the most genuine and the most willing to reach out to those that show their pain through many quarrels.

So, for things that RuPaul believes America’s Next Drag Superstar requires, it’s to have these four things:

1. Charisma
2. Uniqueness
3. Nerve
4. Talent

Let’s start with the first requirement: charisma.

According to Merriam-Webster, charisma can be defined as “a personal magic of leadership arousing special popular loyalty or enthusiasm for a public figure.” Many of the past winners have had a great deal of charisma in the sense that they have had a great following. Yes, that’s to be expected, especially with such a show as enormous as RuPaul’s Drag Race. Let me start this section by saying that Asia was not one of my favorite queens when the season started. I actually didn’t start liking her until maybe halfway through the season. However, as she has shown a great devotion to others, she has shown that leadership can come in forms other than authoritarian-based. She has shown that leadership can be as little as taking a friend aside to help them through a rough patch, or as large as owning up to one’s mistakes (such as apologizing to Cracker).

Next is uniqueness. This particular drag queen, to me, first showed her uniqueness when she portrayed Tweety Bird on the runway. It was not a skanky-looking Tweety, as many Halloween costumes may be, but it also wasn’t a Tweety that was overrun with unneeded pizzazz. Her Tweety was incredibly adorable, quirky, and overall…unique (she has also had a few other unprecedented runway looks throughout this season, so that helps her uniqueness as well).

Nerve. Let me just say that someone who can talk back to Ru, while defending another queen such as The Vixen, has an immeasurable amount of nerve. In order to help those around us as best as possible, and to be able to reach out to those that are hurting most, we need to be able to have a role model who is not afraid to step outside of what may feel comfortable. We need a role model who is able to speak up to authority, even if that authority helped you become internationally-known.

Last, but certainly not least, is talent. Okay, to be fair, any queen that makes it on to RuPaul’s Drag Race has talent. It doesn’t matter if they’re the first to go (Vaaaanjie) or crowned the winner. To me, anyone that can get to that stage, and then rock that stage such as Asia has done, has a level of talent that I’m not sure I could live up to.

Even if Asia O'Hara doesn't get the crown or the official title, she will forever be my Drag Race Superstar of season ten.