Drag.

By "it" I mean drag..not the people doing it. I'm not calling them it. Just to be clear.

When I was younger I liked the ones I used to see on TV. I think Julian Clary may have been one. I was a child and watching family television so perhaps it's not a great thing to base my views on, but it seemed to not take itself seriously and it was funny.

The kind of drag I see nowadays is apparently "a beautiful art". To me it looks hyper sexualised and I don't like it at all. Especially when kids are doing it.

I really can't stand it. It feels like a parody of woman. Sexualised sequinned clothes, over the top make up, silly 'female' voices.

It's just horrid

I'd like to know why women dressing as men for laughs is not (as) hugely popular. I'm not saying it never happens (there are some examples - French and Saunders had a crack at it didn't they?) but in the main it's men doing it that's big bucks.

The conclusion I come to is that there is more of an appetite for men taking the piss out of women in our culture.

Hooda thought it?

I'm not a fan but then I'm not a fan of over the top clothing and make up on anyone.

Both men and women can look great in a bit of subtle make up.

Both men and women look awful to me in over the top 'drag' style clothes and make up. They don't look human, it's that uncanny valley effect. Gives me the heebie jeebies if I'm honest.

Still, each to their own and I'm happy to ignore all the time drag artists are fully honest about being men and only frequent appropriately adult venues. Unlike pantomime dames, drag is a highly sexualised form of entertainment that is not suitable for children.

Yes, if you strip it back then it is the equivalent of blackface. Men offending women doesn't really matter though apparently.

I'm not sure if it's an issue where you need to come down hard on one side or the other.

OTOH I have a lot more time for someone like Julian Clary who can don the most amazing outfits but never remotely pretends to be a woman.

It doesn’t bother me as long as drag artists don’t claim to be women, which the vast majority of them don’t.
History of drag in theatre goes back such a long way. Some are grotesques, yes, but they don’t say all women are like that, just the character they don with the dress and make up.

I was having this debate the other day. I personally find it offensive and on a par with blackface. It saddens me that it's now part of mainstream family entertainment.