I don’t wanna feel Blue anymore...
It's been a hellish week and I couldn't concentrate on anything, even fandom. So I started watching RuPaul's Drag Race and ended a season in days. To be honest, it's not surprising at all. If anything, it's odd I didn't get to this sooner. I started with Season 6 though becasue I watched the first ep on Youtube. No regrets, I doubt I'll watch all of them anyway, there's 9 out now I think plus 2 All Stars.
Anyway, it's been quite a ride. I guess drag is one of the few directions I never really explored. I think the social stigma for drag queens might be even harsher than for transgenders. Since transgenders want to fit in and the drag queens want nothing but to stand out. And I always had the image of drag queens as old mamas with caked make-up, loud and dirty-mouthed. But most contestants on this show are young and everyone's styles are completely different, from shocking and obnoxious to hyper-feminine. So it was interesting to watch. The show had many challenges like singing, acting, comedy and wit but of course sewing skills and a sense of style were essential.
I feel like there's a lot to be learned from drag queens, from style and make-up tips to wisdom and self-love and shining from within. And, of course, Ru is a fucking Goddess. But in a way it also made me think of how the whole thing was a competition of femininity as a construct and it's all the more clear when men do it. It's about dresses and hair and make-up, it's about the moves and the talk and the sassyness. Not to mention the Drag Queens made throwing shade into an art form.
As for the S06, from the very first scene I was charmed by Adore and till the very end I wanted her to win. She lacked experience and sometimes confidence but she had plenty of charm and was the most relatable. In the end though, with the 3 finalists I was ok with any of them winning, they were all great in very different ways. Bianca looked like a total bitch at first but in the end I guess its that character gap when she turned out to be really kind, that made her the winner. And then there's Courtney who was perhaps too flawless to win. However, last night I went too far into the internet and found this video of a very thrashy Adore performing live in an outrageous outfit revealing her ass and midriff which were very unsightly in addition to it being vulgar so I now I have very mixed feelings about her.
While I was watching I also remembered Tegoshi joining some Italian drag Queens in 2013. Now that I look at it, he might as well be a drag performer. I mean, clearly he doesn’t want to be a woman but he has a persona that’s kind of a separate entity and he enjoys letting it take over once in a while. I’d love to see him on Drag Race. I don’t think he would make it too far simply because he doesn’t have the skills to do his own make-up and put on a wig, let alone sewing. But I’m sure he could learn the trade quickly if he was in a position to.
After watching all 14 hours of the season, including Untucked, I got a little tired of it emotionally and Ru's laugh jammed my brain. I feel like I need to take a break from the race but there's a good chance I will get back to it later.