We’re in danger of only young, skinny drag queens getting success the whole community deserves
Drag Race UK, 14 seasons of the US version and numerous spin-offs, drag has become more mainstream than ever. We now have drag queens fronting fashion campaigns, appearing on catwalks and sitting front row at fashion weeks around the world.It’s incredible to see gender diversity and non-conformity being given such a prominent platform and I absolutely love seeing my friends and contemporaries succeeding and going boldly where no drag queen has gone before.That said, like a lash that isn’t quite glued down, something’s been nagging at me.Almost across the board, there is a ‘type’ of queen that achieves this mainstream fashion success – namely those who are young, skinny and have a ‘natural beauty’.
There’s no doubt they’re also all incredibly talented and are certainly deserving, but these external qualities seem to factorinto their success just much as their talent does.As drag goes more mainstream, it is perhaps inevitable that the artists that find the greatest commercial success tend to conform to existing beauty standards.
The queens from Drag Race who are the most followed on Instagram aren’t always the winners – but often, they’re the queens with the smallest waists and the prettiest faces.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videoIf you were looking at the fashion industry and music videos, you’d think they were looking to cast as many drag artists as possible.
