It looks like someone put out the fire in Paris. Once a pillar of a diverse, underground community, drag performance has shifted over the past half-century to become a standardized phenomenon and rapidly-growing industry. Though drag has snuck into forms ready for mass consumption through several channels, this transition from societal outskirts to the mainstream spotlight was fueled largely by the rise of the reality television show RuPaul’s Drag Race. A victim of capitalistic incorporation, drag’s existence as a form of countercultural resistance has been altered to lose much of the diversity it once fostered, specifically surrounding race, socioeconomic status, and the dismissal of heteronormativity (Adorno and Horkheimer, 1944).
Although the concept of drag or genderbending performance has existed for centuries, the art form as we know it today is thought to have originated in New York City in the 1970s, with many of the participants being black, genderqueer, and gay. Amidst the AIDs crisis that was devastating the LGBTQIA+ community at the time, drag balls and “houses” served as a safe space carved out for this marginalized group (Davies, 2021). Rooted in community and support, the underground drag balls run by these houses of the late 20th century emphasized the diversity of their participants, promoting different categories ranging from “butch” to “All-American” (Davies, 2021). Still, despite these varying subsets of queens, “drag” as a term was still heavily linked to appearing as stereotypically feminine as possible, with beauty standards often based on thin, wealthy, white women. This connection was exhibited mostly within the younger generations, and as legendary queen and fashion designer Dorian Corey put it bluntly in the 1990 documentary Paris is Burning, “When they can walk out of that ballroom and onto the subway and get home, and still have their clothes and no blood running off their bodies- those are femme realness queens...and it's a category for young queens” (Livingston, 1990). While media artifacts like Madonna’s hit song “Vogue” also helped usher drag to mainstream media at the time, this undetectability in feminine performance noted by Corey was also largely responsible for the growing popularity and societal acceptance of the art form.
When the early 2000s arrived, the drag community found themselves highlighted in an unprecedented way due to the superstardom of RuPaul, considered by many to be the most revered drag queen of all time. Following her involvement in the ground-breaking drag festival Wigstock and a musical collaboration with Elton John, Ru irreversibly changed the future of the drag world with the pilot season of her Emmy Award-winning reality competition show “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The television program presented drag and LGBTQIA+ communities alike with unparalleled visibility, especially being a show made by queer people, with queer people, for queer people (Davies, 2021). Still, despite this apparent progress, the combination of past winners, criteria for success, and harmful comments made by the judges allowed Drag Race to cement mainstream drag in white feminine stereotypes. Through its introduction into popular society, drag was neutralized and made palatable to the masses, exhibiting the notion of respectability politics as is described by Katherine Sender in her analysis of the show Queer Eye.
Respectability politics become relevant when historically marginalized communities seek legitimization and respect from a more powerful group; in the case of drag, though the community might not have been actively seeking out recognition by society, the conformity to western beauty standards certainly accounts for much of the popular acceptance of the art form. This idea runs parallel to the promotion of western neoliberal trends and consumerism conducted by the hosts of Queer Eye-- because they conform, they become more respected as gay men (Sender, 2006). Drag Race has fueled this standardization by rewarding queens that present the most flawlessly feminine, sending a message that the “correct” form of drag is simply a reassertion of already-established expectations of gender expression. While earlier seasons saw more winning queens of color, a glance at the champions of the shows and image hand-crafted by patriarchal stereotypes; a thin waist, a “painted” face, controlled body hair, tiny features, and clean tucks. When considering the underlying criteria for winning Drag Race, it must also be noted that socioeconomic status plays a factor in a contestant’s success, as the judges do not shy away from letting queens know when they look “cheap.” And, while it is true that the original pool of participants at the beginning of a given season demonstrates general diversity, many contestants of color or those that are of larger build are labeled “comedy queens,” with examples such as Ginger Minj coming to mind. Still, beyond even the messages that the show promotes implicitly about the essence of drag, explicit comments made by RuPaul and her peers themselves have further diminished the once-inclusive nature of the community.
From harsh remarks such as “It’s interesting to see such a beautiful woman with such a big dick” in reference to a queen’s runway look, to commenting that “drag loses its sense of danger and its sense of irony once it’s not men doing it” when asked about the place of genderqueer people in drag, RuPaul has not shied away from expressing how she feels drag should be done. It is this precise condemnation of diversity within presentations and performers in the community that has allowed her to be received by the general public as a comfortable representation of a world that was once so foreign. As the true poster child of the industry, RuPaul’s impact is immeasurable, and though she brought drag into the spotlight, her dilution of a historically diverse practice demonstrates the harm she has brought upon the community through its incorporation into the mainstream. Yet, this standardization of drag is what sells and maintains Ru’s multi-million dollar brand. This economic success appears to counterbalance the incorporation of drag in the eyes of the industry and demonstrates the bleak idea that even the most underground countercultural movements have no way to escape capitalist society (Adorno and Horkheimer, 1944).
REFERENCES:
Adorno, T. W., & Horkheimer, M. (1944). Dialectic of Enlightenment. Verso Books.
Davies, W. (2021, April 29). RuPaul's drag race, trans performers and Drag's real history. Time. Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://time.com/5188791/rupauls-drag-race-history/.
Livingston, J. (1990). Paris Is Burning. Off White Productions Inc.
Sender, K. (2006). Queens for a day: Queer Eye for the straight guy and the neoliberal project. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 23(2), 131–151. https://doi.org/10.1080/0739318060071450
Although the concept of drag or genderbending performance has existed for centuries, the art form as we know it today is thought to have originated in New York City in the 1970s, with many of the participants being black, genderqueer, and gay. Amidst the AIDs crisis that was devastating the LGBTQIA+ community at the time, drag balls and “houses” served as a safe space carved out for this marginalized group (Davies, 2021). Rooted in community and support, the underground drag balls run by these houses of the late 20th century emphasized the diversity of their participants, promoting different categories ranging from “butch” to “All-American” (Davies, 2021). Still, despite these varying subsets of queens, “drag” as a term was still heavily linked to appearing as stereotypically feminine as possible, with beauty standards often based on thin, wealthy, white women. This connection was exhibited mostly within the younger generations, and as legendary queen and fashion designer Dorian Corey put it bluntly in the 1990 documentary Paris is Burning, “When they can walk out of that ballroom and onto the subway and get home, and still have their clothes and no blood running off their bodies- those are femme realness queens...and it's a category for young queens” (Livingston, 1990). While media artifacts like Madonna’s hit song “Vogue” also helped usher drag to mainstream media at the time, this undetectability in feminine performance noted by Corey was also largely responsible for the growing popularity and societal acceptance of the art form.
When the early 2000s arrived, the drag community found themselves highlighted in an unprecedented way due to the superstardom of RuPaul, considered by many to be the most revered drag queen of all time. Following her involvement in the ground-breaking drag festival Wigstock and a musical collaboration with Elton John, Ru irreversibly changed the future of the drag world with the pilot season of her Emmy Award-winning reality competition show “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The television program presented drag and LGBTQIA+ communities alike with unparalleled visibility, especially being a show made by queer people, with queer people, for queer people (Davies, 2021). Still, despite this apparent progress, the combination of past winners, criteria for success, and harmful comments made by the judges allowed Drag Race to cement mainstream drag in white feminine stereotypes. Through its introduction into popular society, drag was neutralized and made palatable to the masses, exhibiting the notion of respectability politics as is described by Katherine Sender in her analysis of the show Queer Eye.
Respectability politics become relevant when historically marginalized communities seek legitimization and respect from a more powerful group; in the case of drag, though the community might not have been actively seeking out recognition by society, the conformity to western beauty standards certainly accounts for much of the popular acceptance of the art form. This idea runs parallel to the promotion of western neoliberal trends and consumerism conducted by the hosts of Queer Eye-- because they conform, they become more respected as gay men (Sender, 2006). Drag Race has fueled this standardization by rewarding queens that present the most flawlessly feminine, sending a message that the “correct” form of drag is simply a reassertion of already-established expectations of gender expression. While earlier seasons saw more winning queens of color, a glance at the champions of the shows and image hand-crafted by patriarchal stereotypes; a thin waist, a “painted” face, controlled body hair, tiny features, and clean tucks. When considering the underlying criteria for winning Drag Race, it must also be noted that socioeconomic status plays a factor in a contestant’s success, as the judges do not shy away from letting queens know when they look “cheap.” And, while it is true that the original pool of participants at the beginning of a given season demonstrates general diversity, many contestants of color or those that are of larger build are labeled “comedy queens,” with examples such as Ginger Minj coming to mind. Still, beyond even the messages that the show promotes implicitly about the essence of drag, explicit comments made by RuPaul and her peers themselves have further diminished the once-inclusive nature of the community.
From harsh remarks such as “It’s interesting to see such a beautiful woman with such a big dick” in reference to a queen’s runway look, to commenting that “drag loses its sense of danger and its sense of irony once it’s not men doing it” when asked about the place of genderqueer people in drag, RuPaul has not shied away from expressing how she feels drag should be done. It is this precise condemnation of diversity within presentations and performers in the community that has allowed her to be received by the general public as a comfortable representation of a world that was once so foreign. As the true poster child of the industry, RuPaul’s impact is immeasurable, and though she brought drag into the spotlight, her dilution of a historically diverse practice demonstrates the harm she has brought upon the community through its incorporation into the mainstream. Yet, this standardization of drag is what sells and maintains Ru’s multi-million dollar brand. This economic success appears to counterbalance the incorporation of drag in the eyes of the industry and demonstrates the bleak idea that even the most underground countercultural movements have no way to escape capitalist society (Adorno and Horkheimer, 1944).
REFERENCES:
Adorno, T. W., & Horkheimer, M. (1944). Dialectic of Enlightenment. Verso Books.
Davies, W. (2021, April 29). RuPaul's drag race, trans performers and Drag's real history. Time. Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://time.com/5188791/rupauls-drag-race-history/.
Livingston, J. (1990). Paris Is Burning. Off White Productions Inc.
Sender, K. (2006). Queens for a day: Queer Eye for the straight guy and the neoliberal project. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 23(2), 131–151. https://doi.org/10.1080/0739318060071450
Hi Kendall,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog post (the first sentence was what caught my attention). When you mentioned the "undetectability in feminine performance," I was immediately reminded of "Asians wear clothes on the internet" by Minh-Ha T. Pham and the concept of identity work. The deliberate cultivation of other's perception of oneself is inherent in drag culture. For example, many drag queens will choose a name or are given a name by a "drag mother." Names are strong markers of identity, as they are the first encounter that others have with you. But names take on even more meaning in drag because they can define the drag queen's personal brand, often highlighting certain aspects of their persona, personal history, or physical attributes. Names can work as both a vehicle of genuine self-expression, but also as a means of protection. A drag name lends the drag queen a cover of privacy from audience members or from people they know. It can also help them compartmentalize their personal life and their drag identity. Since drag has increasingly become more popularized, maintaining a degree of anonymity may protect them from further exploitation in the media or violence.
The idea of intentional curation of one's presentation to others by concealing certain characteristics also resonates with the culture of dissemblance. The culture of dissemblance is the phenomenon of Black women hiding their sexuality in order to portray themselves as moral beings worthy of respect and justice. In a way, the exaggerated makeup, elaborate costumes, and of course a drag name (all manifestations of the "undetectability of feminine performance"), work towards creating an image of drag that is acceptable to larger society. However, as you rightly point out, nothing seems to escape the long-reaching grasps of capitalism and incorporation.
Hey Kendall! I thought your blog post was really well written and made me critically rethink the representation of drag that I have been exposed to in general, and in Rupaul’s Drag Race specifically. Superficially, when I think of a show like RuPaul’s Drag Race, my initial thoughts are that it is inclusive and does a great job of representing a marginalized, countercultural group that is often excluded from society.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog post, and from exploring various theories in class, it’s become clearer to me that such shows, especially once co-opted by the mainstream, actually have negative consequences on the representation of such groups/communities. This results largely from respectability politics and the commodifying nature of the Culture Industry, two crucial topics you eloquently touched on.
The concern of respectability politics resulting in mainly one generic representation of drag reminded me of the Staurt Hall reading with regard to essentialism, stereotypes and a regime of representation.
I searched up the definition of drag and found it to be “the performance of masculinity, femininity or other forms of gender expression. A drag queen is someone who performs femininity and a drag king is someone who performs masculinity.” (1). This made me reflect on the stereotypical perception of what drag is, in comparison to the real definition. When the average person thinks of “drag”, I assume that the first thing that comes to mind for many is someone dressed up as a white, skinny woman who is extremely performative, with exaggerated feminine features like big colorful lips, an over-the-top wig and heavily made-up eyelids/lashes. As you mentioned, even in RuPaul’s Drag Race, drag queens who were POC, of a larger build, or of a lower class, were portrayed as less valid, respected and palatable forms of drag queens. This results in the audience and society breaking down drag performers to their essence and forming stereotypes around what a “real” drag performer looks like. In reality however, drag can be less camp/ more subtle, and includes performing masculinity just as much as it defines performing femininity. If producers in the media truly want to benefit the group they are choosing to represent, it is so important that they do so in a way that shows a full representation, or at least acknowledges the various forms of identity (drag, in this case) that exist. Equally, it is important for audiences to do this work themselves too and be critical of what they see in the media to avoid creating a regime of representation that stems from essentialism which dehumanizes and undermines so many individuals.
1] Rupp, Leila J.; Taylor, Verta; Shapiro, Eve Ilana (2010-06-01). "Drag Queens and Drag Kings: The Difference Gender Makes". Sexualities. 13 (3): 275–294. doi:10.1177/1363460709352725. ISSN 1363-4607. S2CID 145721360.
Hi Kendall! I loved reading your blog post, which I found addressed the history and cultural significance of drag really well. I think you made a particularly strong connection between RuPaul’s “Drag Race” and Adorno and Horkheimer’s concept of incorporation. While the show has brought unprecedented mainstream exposure to drag, I think it’s crucial to recognize, as you discuss, that “Drag Race” has also helped reinforced western beauty standards and stigma against lower socioeconomic status.
ReplyDeleteIn discussing the history of drag’s rise, you briefly mentioned Madonna’s song “Vogue” and its role in bringing drag to the mainstream. I agree that it played a substantial role in helping to popularize ballroom culture, but I also wanted to point it out as yet another example of incorporation. While “Vogue” did not lead to long-term exposure of ballroom culture in mainstream culture, Madonna did work to challenge normative masculinity. At the same time, unfortunately, she selectively exploited the cultures of numerous marginalized groups in this song and in a number of others. I had previously read Stanislav Tsanev’s article, "Appropriating the Inappropriate: Madonna and the Cultural Construction of an Icon" explaining Madonna’s work. According to Tsanev, in regards to queer culture, Madonna failed to “pay the same attention to the body as a site for identity expression for lesbianism as the gay male representations do for male homosexuality. Therefore, Madonna’s representation is not accurate because of its exclusivity and it only serves her own self-empowerment because, through adopting representative functions, she gains control over gay culture.” Furthermore, disco dancing and voguing seem to have originated within some popular dance practices of urban Black and Latin gay men, which she never recognizes in her work. In referencing only White celebrities in her song and generally neglecting ballroom culture’s origin within spaces for queer people of color, she commodifies and approprates ballroom culture to make it a palatable experience for mass consumption.
Tsanev, S. (2006). Appropriating the Inappropriate: Madonna and the Cultural Construction of an Icon. The Lehigh Review, 14, 83-95. Retrieved from https://humanitiesctr.cas.lehigh.edu/sites/humanitiesctr.cas2.lehigh.edu/files/LehighReview_V.14.pdf
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