Drag Me

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Author: Evan Triblehorn

Photo courtesy of BAMcinématek/Photofest

With drag becoming more and more of a cultural phenomenon, you may be wondering “what exactly is drag?” Drag is a type of extremely theatrical performance art in which individuals are able to, in a way, play with gender. Often times drag is the art of female or male impersonation, in which one gender dresses and acts like the other in exaggerated ways. While drag queens, men dressing as women, are the most known within the context of our culture, anyone of any gender can do drag. Drag is a safe and fun way in which people can explore beyond traditional notions of what it means to be a man or a woman, while growing their confidence in the process.

Photo courtesy of Annie Irving

The concept of drag originates from theater, in which it was used to describe the process of men acting as women during shows when women were not allowed to be on stage. The mainstream popularity of drag then continued into vaudeville shows, in which some of the most popular performers of the era were male and female impersonators. It is important to note that drag wasn’t associated with homosexuality until the mid 1900s, which is why it was so popular and accepted within mainstream entertainment. When drag became associated with the LGBT community, it was then pushed underground into bars and clubs.

Drag then became a large part of ball culture, which began in Harlem in the 1960s. Ball culture is an LGBT subculture, specifically among people of color, in which houses compete against each other at events known as balls. Houses were like families to young queer and trans people of color and fostered young drag performers. (For a closer look into ball culture, I highly recommend the 1990 documentary Paris is Burning. It’s on Netflix!) Throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, drag queens became a staple within counterculture, with drag icon Divine starring in films like Pink Flamingos and Hairspray, and Tim Curry’s role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Photo courtesy of Steve Eichner/Getty Images

The ‘90s begins the reign of RuPaul, with his first hit single “Supermodel (You Better Work)”, through ten full seasons of the hit TV series RuPaul’s Drag Race, has catapulted drag back into the mainstream. He has given drag queens an unprecedented platform through Drag Race since its inception in 2009 and continues to become more of a powerhouse in popular culture. Drag Race has been nominated for—and won—multiple Emmy Awards, and has made room for other drag shows on television, such as The Trixie and Katya Show which aired on Vice in 2018.

Hi! Thank you for reading the first installment of “Drag Me”, a monthly column in which I will be investigating all things drag. Each month I plan on going in depth on one specific thing related to the art of drag. One month it might be wigs, the next makeup, but it will always be something new.

 

EVAN TRIBELHORN | KXSU Arts Reporter

 

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