For anyone who might not know, drag is the art of expressing oneself as another gender for entertainment or self-expression. The drag community has faced unjustified scrutiny over the years. Now, more than ever, it’s important that we appreciate the art of drag in a time when their rights to express themselves are at stake. The political side of drag has a long and rocky history. Drag queens played a crucial role in the gay rights movement, and they continue to inspire and spread love to everyone.
I was never into drag queens until six months ago. Of course, I supported drag queens and everything they stood for; it just wasn’t an art form that I had ever looked into. My best friend had always talked about RuPaul’s Drag Race, but I wasn’t particularly interested. One night, my best friend came over for a sleepover, and he asked if I would watch it with him. I agreed and was immediately enthralled. RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, Season Two.
The premise of the show is that a group of drag queens compete for the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar. The queens have to compete in a variety of challenges, including comedy challenges, performance challenges, and fashion design challenges. They are eliminated one at a time until the winner is crowned.
When I first watched it, I fell in love with the genuine love and appreciation that each queen had for drag. Each of them had a reason to be there and motivation to give their all to show off their talents.
The queens walk into the “Werk Room” one at a time and introduce themselves. Every queen is completely unique. They all have different drag experiences, backgrounds, shapes, sizes, and colors. They have different talents and strengths, and each brings something unique to the drag world.
When I tell you RuPaul’s Drag Race is THE single most entertaining show I’ve ever watched, I mean it. In the span of just a few months, I have watched every episode of the show and every episode of the spin-off, All Stars. The queens have so much uniqueness and talent to show off. As the seasons go on, the challenges become more elaborate and entertaining.
The most entertaining challenge that has been on every season since season two is called the snatch game. The idea is that each queen has to dress up as and impersonate a celebrity of their choice for a game-show-type improv sketch. The challenge is to be the funniest and make RuPaul laugh the most. Some snatch game performances are amazing, like Chad Michaels as Cher. Some are just unwatchable, like Kenya Michaels as Beyoncé. Even though I’ve seen every season, I still go back to watch just the snatch games over and over.
There is an entire culture behind drag. A certain dialect is used among the drag community. Terms like “slay” and “clock” come from the drag community. Drag has impacted pop culture in so many ways. Drag is all about pushing boundaries and exploring new ways of expressing art, and it translates into fashion trends, slang, and music.
Drag has a way of bringing people together. It’s about forgetting everything in the outside world and just enjoying the fantasy. Drag queens encourage people to love and accept everyone for who they are without any judgment. It’s a safe space for a lot of people who may not feel like they belong anywhere else.
If you haven’t been looking into the art of drag, it’s something that is worth trying. Drag has opened up my mind to so many new ways of thinking, and it’s something I can always rely on when I need an escape from reality. The art of drag has changed my life, and it continues to change lives every day.