Loren Javier via Flickr
This goes without saying, but these days I have a lot of time on my hands. The quarantine has left millions of people around the world jobless, bored, and trying their best to fill the day. Everyone seems to be getting wildly into at-home yoga, baking homemade bread, or learning how to play a musical instrument. Yes, I am doing all these things, and this is a flex! However, for many people, the shelter in place order provides the perfect opportunity to veg out with a pint of ice cream and watch the soul swaddling TV we all need to get through these truly terrifying times. For me, there’s only one show which took me in its arms, kissed my forehead, gently burped me, and helped me feel like everything is going to be ok: RuPaul’s Drag Race.
RuPaul’s Drag Race, which I will now refer to as “RPDR”, or “Drag Race”, is a competition-style reality show. A group of drag performers competes in a series of challenges for $100,000 and the title “America’s Next Drag Superstar”.
Before I start acting like I know what I’m talking about, I need to be 100% honest with you. I never watched an episode of this show before the most recently aired twelfth season. I’ve filled my binge-watching hours with shows like River Monsters, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Futurama. I’m not exactly the target demographic of RPDR. For most of my late teens and early 20s I had no interest in exploring it. After watching an episode of season 12, I wanted to see what I was missing. And since that fateful day I have been absolutely snatched, henny!
For context, RuPaul Charles, a host and executive producer of RPDR, is the most well-known drag queen globally. His popularity and success lead to the modern interest in what for a long time was an underground art form. Far be it from me not to mention that drag and gay culture are intertwined intimately. This has made it a dangerous art form to practice for much of history. Examining all the social and historical implications of drag is an easy place to get turned around. This article is a great place to start educating yourself on this complex issue.
Now, I’m not going to sit here and mansplain the history of drag any further than I already have. As a white, Cis, straight guy, it’s really not my place. What I can talk about though is how watching RPDR as a cultural outsider has increased my understanding and appreciation of the history of drag culture, deepened my empathy for the LGBTQIA+ community, and given me a new lens through which to examine my own masculinity.
My girlfriend and I were lucky enough to watch our first season of RPDR with my roommate and his friend who are both Drag Race super fans. This gave us the opportunity after every episode to ask questions in an open environment about all things drag. I can’t take for granted the fact that I was afforded the benefit of the doubt when asking questions that were potentially ignorant, as the people answering my questions knew that my intention was to learn. This sort of environment helped me feel like my lack of knowledge wasn’t anything to be ashamed of. It only increased my interest in becoming informed. These drag discussions sometimes ventured into a potentially sensitive territory: the distinctions between dressing in drag and identifying as trans.
Let’s take a step back to just acknowledge that trans issues, if they’re uncommon in your everyday life, can be difficult to understand. This isn’t anyone’s fault. We grow up in a gender binary world, sheltered from a wide swath of human experience by our education systems, media, and politics. I bashfully admit that I never gave much thought to the trans experience before I was an upperclassman in college. Even then, it was because I went out of my way to find a gender studies class to take. This sort of discussion is not readily accessible to a majority of people. Because of that “otherness” and that lack of understanding, many people have their walls up to becoming informed. A great place to gain a baseline understanding of the differences between being trans and performing in drag is this video.
I’m no expert now, but I have a real understanding that drag is not only a form of entertainment, but also an avenue through which to push back on rigid gender roles, social norms, and even make political statements. I also now know that there are many people who have written and defended theses on how dressing in drag relates to the larger aim of equality and acceptance between all persons. So, as you can see, drag is a densely layered topic. I don’t have the education, nor the word count limit, to speak on it in a truly informative way. If you have the time, just google “dressing in drag dissertation” and you’ll see what I mean.
Since then, my girlfriend and I have dived straight into watching old seasons online. Our nightly ritual is an attempt at 1 episode before bed, getting too sucked in, and then watching 2 or 3. It’s that addictive. The show does an excellent job at giving the audience the chance to meet each of the competing Queens and form an opinion of them, albeit oftentimes the production has its own favorites (I’m looking at you, Alyssa Edwards). Regardless, each Queen gets the chance to play hero and villain across episodes, with some of the best moments occurring when Queens argue or read one another.
Getting to know the Queens as the season progresses is a huge aspect of the entertainment provided by RPDR. The Drag Queens themselves are unbelievably talented in a wide array of performance styles. But getting to know the people behind the Queens is a big part of what makes the show compelling. Many of the performers have the opportunity throughout the show to open up about their lives and struggles. There are countless examples of these moments of vulnerability. This video is a great collection of some of the most impactful. The Queens are so much larger than life that seeing these moments of vulnerability give the viewer a chance to find real connection and empathy with the contestants, leading to a better understanding that we all struggle with similar pain, no matter our backgrounds and lifestyles.
Daniel Dudek via Flickr
However, the thing I appreciate the most about Drag Race is the effect it’s having on my beliefs about masculinity, in general and my own. Before watching, I wasn’t exactly your traditionally toxically masculine guy. I’ve come a long way from the person I was in high school. But Drag Race has helped me see that I have much more to educate myself on, and more aspects of how I view myself, as a man, that I should dig into.
Through watching Rupaul’s Drag Race I’ve become more comfortable recognizing when another man is stunningly beautiful. I think, as men, things we consider beautiful more often than not provoke sexual desire. Drag Race is helping me expand my own personal definitions of beauty in a way that makes me feel like a more open and accepting person. It’s helping me gain a deeper understanding for the struggles that the LGBTQIA+ community face. It’s opening up a new world of culture for me to explore and appreciate. The entertainment it’s providing is just a bonus. And that’s the tea.
Interested in watching the show for yourself?
Many seasons of RPDR, RPDR: Allstars, and Untucked!, are available on Hulu and Amazon Prime. If you’re not sure you want to dive into a whole episode just yet, YouTube is your best friend. I recommend looking up old clips of “The Snatch Game”, a running challenge where the Queens present outrageous celebrity impressions. Here is a personal favorite of mine: RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6 Snatch Game
Start off with a leg up in your understanding of the wild lingo used in drag with this Glossary of Drag Terms.
About the Author
Paul Banta is a comedian and writer based in Chicago. He is a trained improviser, and his stand up comedy credits include opening for Hassan Minhaj, Dan Mintz, Creed Bratton, Kate Willett and Dan St. Germain. He is currently exploring creative outlets such as learning guitar, writing scripts, and cooking.
