Drag Revolution

(Written for Cosmopolitan Magazine)

​

‘Less is more’ is something you will never hear in the world of drag.

​

In recent years, the world has been struck by a whirlwind of wigs, sequins and contouring. That whirlwind is better known as ‘drag’. Although the word drag was first used to refer to actors dressing as women in the 1870’s and had a prominent part in the underground ball culture of the 1980’s, it wasn’t until recently that many people - and the fashion world especially, took a step back and really started to take an interest in the fascinatingly extravagant world of drag culture.

 

From fashion designer Marco Marco – who’s designed clothes for the likes of Britney and Katy Perry (think the famous cupcake bra), having drag queens model in his perfectly outrageous "Slut Goes to the Moon" collection. To MAC bringing back its original 1993 Viva Glam lipstick which was part of a campaign to raise money and awareness for HIV/AIDS and which drag icon RuPaul was the face of, drag is refusing to take a back seat in the fashion world any longer.

 

The growing education and understanding around the LGBTQ community is largely to thank for this sudden resurgence and captivation of drag culture and the queen of all drag queens RuPaul’s show RuPaul’s Drag Race is at the forefront of it all. “You’re born naked and the rest is drag”. This famous and rather fabulous quote from RuPaul’s autobiography ‘sashays away’ from gender stereotypes and pushes people to question what they thought they knew about gender and its constructions.

 

RuPaul’s Drag Race has not only educated many of us on drag and helped give it a permanent place in popculture, but it’s also helped to enrich the fashion world. In 2016 RuPaul won his (and the show’s) first Emmy for Outstanding Host for a Reality Programme and welcoming guest judges from designers Jeremy Scott and Marc Jacobs to models Chanel Iman and Gigi Hadid, fashion is taking notice. With Marc commenting on how he’s “seen every episode” and Jeremy stating, “I will just come out of the closet here and say, this is fashion” it would be hard to deny the fact that fashions flirtation with drag has become a full-on love affair.

 

For many of the contestants of Drag Race, the world of fashion has come calling. Season 7 winner Violet Chacki and runner up Miss Fame were invited to Paris by Miu Miu for their perfume launch. Being the sister brand of Prada, it was an event dripping in high fashion and couture and with their waists cinched within an inch of their lives, (Violet once sensationally styled out an oxygen tank as an accessory on Drag Race due to her penchant for a tiny waist) and dresses adorned in intricate lace and crystals, Violet and Miss Fame looked like they were born to be there.