Drag to Escape or Drag to Embrace
“We’re born naked and the rest is drag.”
— RuPaul Andre Charles
Fashion should be diverse. In RuPaul’s Drag Race, you see all types of Queens: they could represent pure beauty, or a “weirdo” — see Vivacious from Season 6 with the mannequin head on top of her named Ornacia; they are sometimes funny, but they could seem freaky. Nevertheless, no matter if they look sexy or “different”, Queens step out to show the public their unique style of fashion. They jump out of the everyday identity and become a totally distinctive person when they drag — but do they drag to escape from something, or do they drag to better embrace?
Let’s start by talking about this special, plastic art form our Queens love so much. Drag is always subversive. When drag culture first originated from the underground ballroom, a group of drag pioneers put on heavy makeup and huge wigs, wore the most beautiful gowns they have ever made, and danced as if the music would’ve never ended. Sadly, while these pioneers intended to introduce this new wave of fashion or free spirits, drag was perceived as an act of disrespect and filth. It broke the fetters set by either laws or religions and went too far down the road — the majority of the population had a hard time understanding why males would ever want to dress up like women and disobey masculinity. The authority even criminalized drag and held those behaving “abnormally” under custody. Under such pressure from society, our Queens stayed strong. Drag culture continued to thrive and attracted more and more talented artists. However, drag queens back then mainly consisted of Black and Latino members of the LGBT+ community. Outside the battleground of drag versus mainstream fashion, they were fighting much more difficult wars against poverty, illnesses (AIDS), and discrimination arising from sexual orientation and race. Drag gifted Queens the ability to arise from ashes as the phoenix — they obtained new lives through drag.
Even up until now, some people culturally have been afraid of drag. Rather than receiving recognition from the general public, drag is more about finding self recognition. RuPaul was one of the Queens who was brave enough to make new rules for drag. He deeply believes that drag is “an alternative voice to remind us that the established authority is not always correct.” Going against the tides, counter cultures might have the answers for us in terms of finding our true selves. Through the contests in RPDR, instead of setting up clear criterias to state what he’s looking for, RuPaul is trying to let every contestant find out the most appropriate way for them to shine in front of the public and become the star of their own definitions of beauty and success. The only rubric is beauty and realness. In Season 5, a Queen stepped out and admitted that she was officially a transgender; she’s not alone — in Season 6, a Queen cried on the stage and decided to tell her secret: she was diagnosed with AIDS and had been living in the shadow. RuPaul teaches the Queens that they shouldn’t be busy hiding or concealing their imperfections, because RPDR accepts who you are and who you want to become in such a big and chaotic world.
Another dominant theme of RPDR is encouraging Queens to always love themselves. RuPaul says this line at the end of every episode, “if you can’t love yourself, how could you go and love somebody else?” Not all of them were born optimistic nor funny as they appear on the show — it is surprising and somewhat horrible to learn that many share similar heartbreaking experiences growing up. Some were abandoned by their closest family members at an early age, or had never really revealed their sexual orientation to friends and families. Though stepping out to admit that they’re born different is tough, RPDR serves as the very platform for Queens to let their family be aware of what they are really fond of, setting aside long-existing biases. Interesting enough, most of the Queens would create a brand new persona for their drag identities. New names, new personalities — they would say to the camera and introduce, “(She) is funny, likeable, and has a keen affection for fashions in the 80s which all relate back to her roots in New York City.” Often these characteristics attract both audiences and judges to discover the charms of every contestant; but nevertheless some opposing voices will jump out and pinpoint that Queens are hiding behind their costumes.
When sculpting the drag identity, Queens have accidentally placed themselves in a dilemma. For one thing, it symbolizes who they aspire to become. No one is born perfect; drag allows Queens to be reborn and get rid of those vulnerabilities or erase the unspoken pain they have carried since they found out that they’re not “normal.” This could indicate that the new image is established to cover the real person behind the drag; maybe they’re not confident that they could be fully accepted as who they truly are, and drag is an opportunity for them to feel beloved as someone else. Many Queens have suffered from discrimination from the closest people around them. When they step into the realm of drag, they would turn to a more seasoned Queen for guidance, support, and useful tips. The mentor is usually called a “drag mother” — in fact, RuPaul herself is regarded as the “mother” for many Queens for her pioneering spirits. Building this new mentor-apprentice relationship is similar to reaching out to the new family, a family of their own choice — I perceive it as a redemption of their lost souls which now rest under the support of new families, fans, and Queens alike. It must have been nice to finally be aware that they have done nothing wrong and they deserve to be treated nicely and loved wholeheartedly like everyone else does.
In a clip of RPDR, a Queen named Kim Chi shared her past experiences with weight issues. Despite her drag persona as “a live-action anime character who works as a high fashion model”, she grew up as an outsider who was considered “weird, fat, and had a strong lisp.” Drag empowered Kim Chi with the confidence to face humiliations and be confirmed that she deserved to be noticed as a rising star under the spotlight. As Kim Chi said, she was still in the process of accepting her own skin, and drag was crucial to rebuilding self-esteem and self-love.
Such stories reveal the flip side of the coin. New identities enable them to stretch under the spotlight. By exploring the world, searching for new meanings, and living in the moments, they embrace the good things in life and go on to convince themselves that something out there is worth fighting for. It could be fame, reputation, fans, fashion, or simply inner peace. Other than considering drag as camouflage, it’s more like a vent letting in fresh air. Drag can be the cure when they are feeling sick and depressed in the swamp of self-doubt and countless insecurities. It never judges, gently embracing the Queens as their true selves just as Queens learning to embrace themselves through drag.
Remember to laugh, to love, and to be confident. We come to the world with nothing in our hands, but when we say goodbye we shall leave with a heart full of love.
