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The Art of Drag

How Drag Performance Has the Ability to Change Views on Gender

By Honey NorfolkPublished 6 years ago 2 min read
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Aquaria, the Winner of S10 of RuPaul’s Drag Race

As a straight 16-year-old female, my affinity with gender performance seems strange. My days that are spent watching the reality show RuPaul's Drag Race and the hours I spend on queens' social media are unexpected of me. But I have a love for my unusual interest and I believe that drag has the power to reinvent ideas surrounding gender identity.

A common misconception with drag is that it is always a male portraying an exaggerated form of femininity—but this is not the case. Gender is a spectrum. Anyone can do drag and transform themselves into any gender or identity they wish. Take for example Peppermint, a New York queen who was the runner up on season 9 of Drag Race. While on the show, Peppermint was in the process of her male to female transition. Although she identified as a female both in and out of drag, her drag persona was amped up femininity with more extreme makeup, costuming, and phenomenal performances. There have been many other transgender or gender fluid queens on the show including Jinx Monsoon, Jiggly Caliente, and Gia Gunn.

Drag also makes a bold statement, especially in today’s political climate. Many queens play active roles in the Black Lives Matter movement and were key figures during events such as the Women's Marches and pride month. Drag supports LGBT+ communities and helps give a sense of purpose to young queer people as they find people to identify in the mainstream media which was not the case 20 years ago. The word love springs to mind when hundreds of queens take to the street in an act of protest with a shared mindset on how the world should be.

My personal favourite queen is season 7 winner Violet Chachki. I relate to her outsider point of view and her goal to look like a painting of a female opposed to a biological woman appeals to me. I believe, however, that drag should be relatable, and with the diversity and range in the queens of today, this is easily achievable. "Fishy" feminine queens such as Courtney Act and Farrah Moan appeal to those who admire queens looking like biological women whereas performers such as Sasha Velour bring political art and informative entertainment to the table. There is something for everybody!

Violet Chachki, the Winner of Season 7 of RuPaul's Drag Race

The label "drag queen" does not encompass all gender performers. For example, rapper Aja sees herself as a queer artist and does not wish to allow herself to be defined by her time on Drag Race. Her music is not stereotypical "drag" music such as that of RuPaul. Her hit song "Brujería" is titled the Spanish word for witchcraft and explores negative representations of Afro-Carribean practices in the media, giving her unique take on queer music a political twist. Her queer art explores Kawaii Harajuku and 90s ballroom themes and is completely unique.

Another huge part of drag is the element of putting on a show. Lip syncing, singing, and dancing to iconic LGBT music are common in the world of queer performance and often result in stages covered in dollar notes. Lip sync favourites include Nicki Minaj, Whitney Houston, and Lady Gaga but every king and queen has their own styles and preferences. The ability to hold and engage an audience is essential to a performer and drag is no different!

I will continue to follow drag queens as they teach me about fashion, uniqueness, and female power. As Drag Race grows in popularity, gender art will become more prevalent in society and hopefully opinions surrounding the LGBT+ community will be changed.

humanity
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About the Creator

Honey Norfolk

drag queen enthusiast // wannabe soundcloud rapper

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