Welcome to my newest obsession and all round new lifestyle: RuPaul's Drag Race. If you love the gaudy, the bitchy, the fabulous, darling, then this is the show for you. I've always been an advocate for literally anything LGBT and anything camp so really it's a surprise it took me so long to jump on this bandwagon. I'm really not kidding when I say this is possibly the best TV show of all time (sorry Vampire Diaries). Formatted like America's Next Top Model, but with drag queens. Like, duh. There's the showgirl, there's the avant-garde, there's comedy queens, there's the fashion queens. They're all freaking awesome.
So here are the following things I have learnt from my back-to-back binging of RPDR on Netflix, and I don't regret a single second. I'm on season 4 so I've got a while to go, but this journey truly is fierce.
Makeup is magic. Seriously. You learn how to apply that contour, you get that cut crease on point, you figure out how to make your face work for you, and you can be literally anyone you want to be. The more makeup the better, just shove it all on, beat that face. Makeup can give you the power to enhance what you already have, or turn what you already have into something else entirely. Screw natural, drag is where it's at. And if in doubt, glitter. You'll look sickening*.
'If in doubt, freak 'em out'. Nothing good comes from being ordinary. Queens win because they're different, because they're extraordinary. Dressing like a pageant girl ain't gonna get you nowhere, you've got to be creative, you've got to be adventurous, and you've got to stand out from the crowd. Even if it means bleeding from the mouth as you sashay down the runway a la Sharon Needles. You better werk, girl.
Drag truly is an art form, it's a visual art. Drag has a reputation as being totally camp (which is can be) and a bit of a joke (which again, it can be), but it continues to blow me away how these men transform themselves with nothing more than experimentation with makeup, fabrics and well thought-out personas. You forget that in the majority of cases, these are purely characters. The creativity astounds me and I can only hope that put in the same situation, I would be able to match up.
Wigs should be a thing. Why aren't wigs a thing? My hair would be truly fabulous every day if wigs were a thing. Just look at Ru.
Raja is the Queen. Yes they're all drag queens, but Raja will always be number one. If you haven't watched the show yet (erm, why?), the beauty of Raja will not yet have been bestowed upon you. She is everything I want to be: fierce, talented, fearless and out there to win. (Top tip: season 3 is the best season, thank me later) (Also, Manila Luzon)
Learn to read. In drag terms, the art of 'reading' is throwing shade to someone's face. Being passive aggressive to a person, instead of behind their back? That's something I can get behind. It's the skill of using your wit to call out another Queen's weakness, but it's all taken lightheartedly. I'm actively practising not being two-faced and telling someone when I have a problem, but for some reason that's more frowned upon than the former. The library should be open for all. (For the best reading, just see Jujubee)
Learning how to lip sync may just save your life. For those unfamiliar with the show, the contestants in the bottom two in each episode have to 'lip sync for their life'. A skill which few perfect, but get it right and you too can be a fully fledged queen. Even if you're just having a down day, put on 'Champion' and lip sync fo' yo' life.
If in doubt, pineapple dress. Manila got this one so right.
Know your own strengths. Something I've picked up on season after season in Drag Race is that each Queen comes in with their own personal style. They then get criticised for doing the same sort of thing every week, so they change it up, inevitably end up in the bottom two because they're not working it, then go back to their original style and (mostly) end up winning. You need to know what your good at and you need to stick at it. Everyone has their personal style, it's just you.
Do whatever it is you need to do to feel fabulous. Nobody ever quite got me when I was growing up, I think a lot of people always thought of me as that weird kid who was too shy to speak. But through fashion and makeup I've learnt how to express myself even when my brain doesn't quite let me get the words out. When I'm wearing the right clothes, I find I can put on a persona and be who I want to be. I think that's the beauty of drag, it allows you to be whoever it is you feel like you are inside.
If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else? Can I get an amen up in here? RuPaul's mantra, and perhaps the most important message from the show. You've got to love yourself, no matter how weird and wacky you are. You do you, and you love you.
And finally...
Georgia
xxx
(*sickening: when someone looks so good it makes you feel sick)
(Gif overload? Sorry bout it.)
No comments:
Post a Comment