Last weekend, I had the privilege of attending RuPaul’s Drag Con NYC. Alongside 35,000 other Drag Race fans, I waited in huge lines to meet my favorite queens, sat in on panels, and gagged over some seriously sickening makeup looks. Note: ‘sickening’ in RPDR is code for incredible, gorgeous, jaw-dropping, et al. To see a full recap of our weekend, Jacquelyn’s got you covered here.
Beyond the over-the-top weekend we had, I’m here to lay down the law on why everyone needs to be watching RuPaul’s Drag Race. Since it’s move to Vh1, RPDR is more accessible than ever, making it a great time to become a fan.
The fashion is unbeatable. If you’re new to drag, you might think that drag queens are tacky or outlandish, but if you really start to pay attention to the drag scene, you’ll realize it is editorial, high fashion, campy, and everything in between. Drag queens take great pride in their costuming, and push boundaries further than any mainstream editorial magazine ever could.
That being said, the beauty looks are always snatched. Drastic contours, gorgeous highlights, extreme eyelashes, and crazy special effects are what set drag queens apart in their art. If you’re a fan of beauty vloggers, you’ll be hooked at the first mention of ‘baking.’
Five words: Lip. Sync. For. Your. Life. Every episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race ends in an elimination by lip sync. Two queens end up in the bottom two, and they then compete to remain in the competition in a lip sync extravaganza. I really don’t know how a show could be better honestly.
Social awareness and tolerance: If you don’t understand drag and are too nervous to ask, RPDR is a great form of education. I’m not saying watching RuPaul’s Drag Race should be your only form of social awareness, but it’s definitely a good place to start. With open discussions about gender and sexual identity, the show does an amazing job of letting Ru and the queens tell their stories.
Do I even need to say it? The drama is next-level. With queens bringing big personalities, years of personal tension, and pure competition to the table, things get heated quickly. Alyssa Edwards vs. Coco Montrese? Aja vs. Valentina? Phi Phi O’Hara vs. literally everyone? Iconic.
Basically, RPDR is a hybrid of America’s Next Top Model, Lip Sync Battle, and Project Runway, so what are you waiting for?
(All gifs from giphy.com)