Drag art and fashion have always been remarkable in their own right. Full of colors and lots of glitter, the drag movement emerged in New York during the 60s. But it was around the 90s that an icon emerged among the nightclubs of the city that never sleeps: RuPaul.
The beginning of a queen
Born on November 17, 1960, in San Diego, California, Andre Charles – better known as RuPaul – grew up with his mother and three sisters, who he would often steal their clothes to play with.
The kickoff of Andre’s career was when he began studying performing arts at the age of 15, when he moved to Atlanta with his sister. In the following years, he worked as a musician and filmmaker in the underground film world. He started performing at the Celebrity Club – managed by Larry Tee, an American DJ and producer – as a bar dancer.
It was only in 1989 that RuPaul first gained national recognition with her appearance in The B-52‘s music video for “Love Shack”. From then, the world was about to meet one of the greatest Drag Queens of today.
RuPaul’s Drag Race: his mark on TV
After establishing himself as a famous drag queen by winning competitions such as The Queen of Manhattan, in 2009 RuPaul debuted his reality show of drag queen competitions: RuPaul’s Drag Race
The show was, and still is, a huge hit on TV and streaming. Each season brings together drag queens in a competition to see who will win the crown, going through challenges ranging from artistic and fashion – which are very striking for revealing each drag queen’s own style – to musicals with lip sync and lots of performance dance, typical of the nightclubs where drag queens emerged.
RuPaul’s outgoing and engaging personality is evident on her show. She is always having fun with the judges and laughing at the contestants’ antics, especially during the Snatch Game challenge, in which the queens do celebrity impersonations in an improv game inspired by the game show Match Game. The goal is to make Ru laugh out loud.
The show also features a unique soundtrack, featuring RuPaul’s own songs and collaborations with record labels that provide the contestants with the greatest hits so they can “lipsync for their lives”: the queens’ last chance to stay on the show. With famous catchphrases like “Shantay, you stay,” “Sashay, away,” and “If you don’t love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love somebody else?”, RuPaul has become more than just a drag queen reference in the industry, but a mother to everyone in the LGBTQIA+ community.
RuPaul’s Fashion
Since it is an art that goes hand in hand with the fashion industry, being a drag queen requires putting together looks worthy of an artistic painting, always expressing oneself through fashion.
During the seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Ru has always shown herself to be memorable with her looks on the catwalk. At the end of each episode, the drag queen always appears with one look more striking than the other, showing her talent and critical fashion sense when putting herself together.
Ru goes beyond the extravagant and colorful outfits. Her heavy makeup and blonde wigs help create a unique style, shaping her look in the fashion industry.
Out of drag, RuPaul still makes a statement in fashion with his luxurious suits full of bold prints and personality.
Involved with brands such as Balenciaga and Versace – where she was once invited by Gianni Versace to a show in Milan -, RuPaul has established herself in the fashion world with class, even becoming an inspiration for designer Jason Wu to create dolls of the drag queen. Ru also has her version as a Monster High doll, like other artists such as Lady Gaga and Madison Beer.
More than an art, drag is a political movement
Despite being recognized for her drag art, RuPaul is active in political debates involving the LGBTQIA+ community, arguing that drag art is a fight for freedom of expression.
Currently, Ru is moved by the current political situation that the United States is facing with the new government of Donald Trump. The artist has been constantly positioning herself against the president’s ideals and maintains hope that the country and the world can improve through the power of love.
Ru uses her reality show and social media to defend and give visibility to issues of the LGBTQIA+ community, especially in relation to their rights and the importance of inclusion.
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The article above was edited by Isabela Theodoro.
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