Why is drag so popular now?

[Nothingcomesforfree]

Genuine question. I have seen lots of posts on a Facebook this morning about attending some drag queen event. Mostly women and several bringing their teens ( both sexes)

It seems really popular but I have no idea why or what people going get out of it? Is it comedic or fashion or something else.

And explain a bit further how drag 'celebrates' women?
No because I’ve explained and you don’t agree which is fine but I owe you nothing more. You’re not interested in an exchange of ideas you just want to shout me down and frankly I have better things to do with my time.

Come on Mumsnet as bookers - are you having a laugh?

@gamerwidow-if you can post this “Unfortunately you like me have wandered into this thread not realising this is yet another thread about women losing their minds because a bloke puts on a dress.” It’s obvious that you have not read the thread. And I have to say, the link you are making between drag and trans strikes me as being deeply transphobic.

gamerwidow You made some statements about why you feel it’s not offensive, but you don’t seem to be able or willing to justify and explain your logic as to why we shouldn’t be offended. To be honest your last post reads like a bit of a flounce.

Women on this board who find drag offensive have come up with logical reasons as to why is offensive. You could at least either spend the time challenging their reasons or defending your arguments. And if it’s difficult to defend yours, well, shouldn’t that tell you something?

women losing their minds

How very dare we get angry about the denigration of women by men. Overreacting mad harridans that we are!

Do the people who object to drag want it banned? Do we then prohibit all men from ever wearing make-up and clothes which are traditionally worn by women?
I appreciate there are very strong feelings about this, which I don’t share and I am genuinely curious what the objectors actually want to happen.

No, I dont want it banned. I'd like the going into primary schools to quietly go away. And I'd like people to stop calling it an artform. And I'd like the ability to say I think its misogynistic bullshit without being told that I'm hysterical.

I don’t understand that. If it’s as bad as black face surely you’d want to ban it?

Blackface isn't illegal. But socially unacceptable and seen as offensive and disrespectful. So yes, that would be good.

I have no problems with a bloke wearing whatever he wants.

I have a problem with misogyny, and drag being hailed as a form of 'expression' or an 'art form' when all it is the denigration of women by men.

There's a huge difference between the two.

“I don’t understand that. If it’s as bad as black face surely you’d want to ban it?“

I’d like it to be banned. But I agree that I don’t think that’s possible. What i’d really like is for mocking and degradation of women to become so socially unacceptable that it quietly dies. But I can’t see that happening any time soon.

And blackface hasn't been 'banned'. The vast majority of people don't find it acceptable so don't do it/watch it/hail it as an 'art form' or 'self expression'. Because it's not nice.

I would very much like for drag to be perceived that way too, yes.

Blackface wouldn’t be allowed on TV or on any UK theatre stage so it has been banned.

Sometimes people take the piss out of my accent and do facial and other gestures to mock where I am from. I feel really offended by this and say nothing because I'll get the "it's just a joke, where is your sense of humour" line.

I feel the same way when I see a man in drag.

Perhaps you should say something NewStartedPack I have a strong regional accent and I certainly would.

“Blackface wouldn’t be allowed on TV or on any UK theatre stage so it has been banned.”

It hasn’t specifically been banned. Some Morris dancers, for example wear black face paint and don’t get arrested! It’s just so socially unacceptable that it would be counter productive for a theatre company to do it.

Banned and illegal are two different things.

No because I’ve explained and you don’t agree which is fine but I owe you nothing more. You’re not interested in an exchange of ideas you just want to shout me down and frankly I have better things to do with my time.

Same old.

No, I don’t want it banned. Banning anything isn’t that great, to be honest. I would like our society to progress to a point where drag is not acceptable.

And I have no problem with men wearing makeup and dresses. I do have a problem with men wearing make up and dresses for the sole purpose of caricature and parody of women. If a man wants to play hockey in a hockey skirt, that’s fine by me, or if he wants to turn up to a job interview in a suit and eyeshadow, that’s also fine. But funnily enough, I don see men doing so, and the only time I see men doing those things is when they are doing a poor job of mimicking women. No man is wearing heels to get in touch with their inner man, or as an expression of their essential masculinity, are they?

I'd just quite like to be able to voice my dislike drag without being told 'it's just gay men expressing themselves, don't be such a bigot'.

Oh, yes, and I would quite like drag queens not to be going into kids libraries for story time, or to be posing with fetish gear fora children's charity calendar.

I'm not asking for much I don't think!

I don't find men funny in dresses at all but I have sniggered at men having misshaps

Blackface isn't banned or illegal. And it does appear on TV. Papa Lazarou from League of Gentlemen is an example. It's still repeated on TV quite often, and Freshers Week at my local university still sees teenage boys dressing up as the character. Not great, really.

However in general terms it's extremely frowned upon and socially unacceptable, as it ought to be. As drag ought to be.

It is banned in many places. Here for example.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/14/our-folk-society-has-banned-blackface

@howwudufeel I don’t understand your point. Individual organisations can ban blackface. Venues can decide that they won’t allow it on their stage. But it is not universally banned. Usually, basic human decency at best and a desire for positive “optics” at worst have made it socially unacceptable. I would like the same to happen to drag.

I was told that it wasn’t banned. I pointed out an example of where it is banned. I used the folk dancing example because it was mentioned earlier that folk dancers still black up.