News Flash: The image of the Drag Queen

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Amanda Eccleston

News Flash: The image of the Drag Queen…
About a week ago I was watching VH1 and this show called RuPaul’s Drag Race came on and the name of the episode was Starrbootylicious and immediately I began to draw conclusions to Middle Sex. For those of you who have not seen the show, it is a combination between Americas next top model and project runway however the contestants are mostly gay men who dress in drag. In this episode the challenges consisted of; transforming a Barbie doll and I quote “from a lady into a tramp”, learning how to dance on a pole and performing it, and using their bodies to sell cherry pie in the streets. Falsetto-Sterling’s discussion about the difference between sex and gender is very apparent in the ways gender norms are reformed by these men. Everything from appearance to attitude was magnified and did prove the points that sex and gender are much less socially constructed then we want to believe. The episode was absolutely hilarious and I have even watched a few episodes since, so initially I thought that it was extremely positive for promoting differences and to see something that is so controversial getting such great reviews is amazing. However as I continued to watch the show I saw a few major issues with how women, gay men and black men were being portrayed and how Levy would have a field day with the ways in which this shows perpetuates the female raunch culture and is still working within the male dominated system. Drag Queens often put on an elaborate show filled with drama and stereotypical behavior that has been shown to have a negative effect on the image of the LGBTQ community and women in general.
This portrayal of the LGBTQ is not representative of the majority of the community yet it is one of the only ways in which the mass society will be exposed to difference. Is this the way we want our already ignorant society to view gay, especially minority, men? Many people don’t know the difference between a Drag Queen, a transsexual, and someone who is intersexed so much the flamboyant actions of the drag queen often equate a negative image and continue stereotyping about members of society who were born with male and female organs or felt like they were in wrong body or simply gay men who don’t want to be women and still obtain very masculine qualities. Often transgendered women are stereotyped as Drag queens and the over the top impressions that are put on them as if they chose specifically to act and look a certain way. This over the top impressions is referred to as creating a ‘freak show’ in order to make people feel more comfortable watching and experiencing something that are very touchy in our society today. Immediately I drew references to Middle Sex and how it was hard to decide if the story reinforced strangeness or allowed us to further understand and become emotionally connected to a different lifestyle. Reading the story of Cali makes us feel comfortable with the fact that incesed is a choice so therefore being intersexed couldn’t happen to me…right? Just like being a Drag Queen is a choice so that is equated with intersexed being a choice. The extremity of these caricatures that are portrayed in the media either are allowing for the continuance of stereotyping or by staying away from normalcy, actual differences become much less apparent because we are exposed to only the extremes.
The definition of a Drag Queen is a man that dresses and takes on qualities and personality traits of a woman. This portrayal of femininity is extremely problematic towards the progress of women in society. Although in the Manifesta it could be argued that men embracing girly culture and the traditional female traits is empowering towards women levy would argue that it is working within the system to do the exact opposite. In class we often discuss patriarchy and the ways in which male dominance controls our society and the roles in which men and women have to fit into. Watching this episode it was interesting to me to think about how unusual it was for men to give up their power by dressing and acting like women. Throughout the entire episode the men were addressed as ladies or bitches and all feminine stereotypes, body image issues, and sexualization were magnified. The opening shot of the film was a close up of one of the contestant’s thong as he was getting dressed in the morning and that was literally only the beginning. When split into groups they were referred to as the pretty and skinny bitches and the other group said they were all about the titties. Majority of the scenes were either the contestants putting on makeup, getting dressed, or being overly emotional in some way. The main challenge was a pole dancing contest in which they were judged on who could make the most money from an audience of men. Levy would argue that this is a negative portrayal of women and how they “act” because sexual pleasure is about yourself and it should not be liberating to use sex as a performance. In order to be successful these women needed to be sexy and with that idea the power stays with the men because although they feel as though this is liberating it is actually false power. However it was interesting that throughout the show men in the audience and along the street were constantly being referred to as a “piece of meat” rather than women for a change.
Although there is some empowerment that comes from RuPaul and the publicity that the show have created, I think that it is seen as a joke and a way for people to make flamboyant “freaks” out of actual peoples lifestyles. It was even stated by some of the contestants that they did not want to be seen outside like they were and it is still a very private and difficult experience for many Drag Queens, transsexuals, gays and lesbians to come out and be open in public. Yet, on this show it is only emotional because the men are “bitches” to one another, not because we get to see the actual experiences and hardships that the LGBTQ members and women face to this day.