Poli%cs of Representa%on Drag Queens and Hyper-‐Femininity at
the Queer Stage
Case Study: RuPaul Drag Race • For this module we will be analyzing RuPaul Drag Race and the space of queer pageantry. – Watch the following trailer of the show.
• Do you see how the interesec%onality of the axis of sex, gender, class, race, body image and place took center stage in the narra%ve? • How different and/or similar is to tradi%onal pageants?
What is the queer space? • Social spaces (not always physical) with tolerance for difference and ambiguity. These are the cracks in the social system where new styles of dressing and living become possible. In Deleuzian terms these are spaces where deterritorializa%on occurs. We bring out queerness in a place at a certain %me by manifes%ng our difference and suppor%ng the queerness of others or simply accep%ng it. – Queer space is a rip in the dominant social fabric where I allow myself to be “Other” or queer and to explore and create a new self.
The interes%ng element about drag queen’s pageant circuits is that it blatantly reveal how specific gender performances are illusions that require %me and effort to produce. – While it is easy to dismiss drag shows as farcical entertainment, what is conveyed through comedic expression is oSen poli%cal, may be used as social cri%que, and can be indica%ve of social values.
Drag queens emp loy f emin ine body technologies in order to achieve their looks. They used feminine clothing, makeup, wigs, pantyhose, girdles, pushup bras, jewelry, nail polish, and breast implants to achieve the image of “female.”
The goal for this module is to go beyond the tradi%onal understanding of drag queens posi%on within dichotomous American concep%ons of sexuality and gender. Some of the ques%ons I want you to tackle are: • How does RuPaul’s Drag Race relate to hegemonic and oppressive
stereotypes and roles associated with gender iden%ty, sexual orienta%on, size, class, race and ethnicity? Does it challenge or reinforce such hegemonies?
• How does RuPaul’s Drag Race portray fat and thin contestants? • How do contestants’ socioeconomic backgrounds fit into their
portrayals on the show? • How does RuPaul’s Drag Race portray queer cultures , and are
these portrayals stereotypical? • How is race represented on the show; do racial stereotypes come
into play?