Drag, drag, drag....

[Yarboosucks]

I have never been a particularly sensitive or active feminist, but all this drag rubbish on TV is getting to me. How at a time when rightly you could not broadcast in black face or similar is it OK to mock or at best caricature women so ridiculously?

[EmbarrassedUser]

I like drag, I don’t get the problem.

[Bmidreams]

Hopefully that will be next but things are going a bit wonky at the moment...

[Midsommar]

@EmbarrassedUser Same. I'm a fan of drag and find it entertaining. As a woman I am really not offended by it. I don't see the problem either 🤷‍♀️

[ABingThing]

Because being offensive to/about women is apparently fine. And better than fine if we can be convinced to join in and say it's not a problem 🙄

[LittlePearl]

I completely agree OP.

I hate drag and I'm amazed that the double standard seems to have gone unnoticed.

[TheQueef]

Imo the beeb are actively trying to desensitise and normalise drag.

[Midsommar]

@ABingThing I just don't understand why it is offensive though?

[Yarboosucks]

Grrrr - did not want voting

I used to quite like it but there is overkill now and the tone is shifting towards something that seem contemptuous to me.

[BMW6]

I loathe drag. Deeply misogynistic shite.

[vodkaredbullgirl]

What next are we going to get rid of? Don't watch it, if you dont like it.

[DifficultPifcultLemonDifficult]

I love drag, it's not about being a caricature of women either. Plenty of different types of performers.

[BMW6]

[quote Midsommar]@ABingThing I just don't understand why it is offensive though?[/quote]
What is the difference between Drag and the Black and White Minstrel Show?

[eddiemairswife]

As a child I never liked pantomime dames or principal boys. I couldn't see the point of them.

[DifficultPifcultLemonDifficult]

One is a guy in a dress (assuming that's the type of drag you are finding offensive), one is racist.

Why is a man in a dress telling jokes or singing so offensive?

What about lookalike acts? Are they in the same league as the black and white minstrel show?

What's the difference between a lookalike act and drag?

[Midsommar]

@BMW6 why are we bringing race into this? It is irrelevant.
In my opinion (and everyone is entitled to their own opinion despite what Mumsnet would have us believe) drag is not offensive and many, many people enjoy it as an art form and entertainment. I appreciate their make up and clothes they design. I think it is quite impressive really, I am useless at makeup...

[AlsDiner]

[quote Midsommar]@ABingThing I just don't understand why it is offensive though?[/quote]
One example is using the word 'fishy' while waving a hand in front of the groin with a repulsed facial expression. Because, you know, women's vaginas smell of fish. They've shortened it now to just calling a woman a 'Fish', it's used that mush by drag queens that everyone knows fish means woman.

Try swapping that for saying, for example, Asian people smell of curry, and we'd all be outraged, rightly so.

[AlsDiner]

*much, not mush

[Midsommar]

@AlsDiner I get that. But I still don't find it offensive. I'm not easily offended though whereas some people are. Which is fine.
And again, what's with the the race reference? It is completely irrelevant!

[Xiaoxiong]

I used to like the silliness of panto dames and the over the top campiness of drag (eg. I loved the original Priscilla film) - I rewatched that the other day and it didn't feel in any way misogynistic. I watched Drag Race and it was something that felt quite different and pretty contemptuous towards women - then I realised what the term "fishy" meant. It's a pretty gross and demeaning stereotype that women have gross and smelly genitalia. That opened my eyes to other misogynistic stereotypes that I'm really not here for, women being shrieky/shrill, emotional, bitchy, cliquey, jokes about periods being disgusting etc. I'm not such a fan of the drag race brand of drag.

[AlsDiner]

[quote Midsommar]@AlsDiner I get that. But I still don't find it offensive. I'm not easily offended though whereas some people are. Which is fine.
And again, what's with the the race reference? It is completely irrelevant![/quote]
I didn't mention race - just fish.

That I have a fishy smelling vagina offends me enough though

[Midsommar]

@AlsDiner I get that the fishy reference is unpleasant and I wouldn't use that reference myself but I don't get offended/up in arms about it. I see your point though!

"Try swapping that for saying, for example, Asian people smell of curry, and we'd all be outraged, rightly so" - I was referring to this regarding my race comment.

[user1471448556]

I find it offensive so I avoid it ... until a drag artist appears on a programme I enjoy, like Masterchef and then I have to endure it. I agree that it seems to be everywhere these days. I get the history and that it was an outlet of expression in Gay Clubs and I support that, but I don’t personally want to watch a drag act ... particularly when the term ‘fish’ is bandied about and women are ridiculed.

[ABingThing]

@AlsDiner exactly what I was going to say!

As for the relation to blackface:

Example 1: oppressing class dresses up as oppressed class and uses jokes and songs to parody and demean them

Example 2: oppressing class dresses up as oppressed class and uses jokes and songs to parody and demean them

I'll leave you to decide which example is drag and which example is blackface

[Midsommar]

I think in my opinion vs some others on here - it's a case of agreeing to disagree (for the record I do not agree with blackface, I am simply here for the drag comments!)

[Gatehouse77]

I just don't understand why they have to speak to each other in such nasty, bitchy ways. Is that what they think women do? Because I've never been part of any group socially, family, school or work that have behaved like that. I know it does happen but it can come across as that's the only way to communicate.