Please can someone explain the appeal of drag? ***MNHQ TWEAKING TITLE TO POINT OUT STRICTLY SPOILER IN THE OP***

[CurlewKate]

Watching Celebrity Strictly last night, it was obviously set up for Tayce to win. Why? A group of celebrities of varying degrees of charm and bumble- then they are all soundly beaten by a clearly skilled dancer who's a drag queen.
There have been drag queens on Sewing Bee and Masterchef and House of Games. And loads of other shows I can't remember.
What's the appeal? And why no drag kings? Strictly has been great at featuring same sex couples- why not do more of that?

I would love it if we could discuss this in a way that doesn't get the thread deleted, so please post with care.

Hate that ridiculous term too.
Happy Boxing Day!

I have seen a few drafts acts, not in recent years, not my preference but a group thing, and found every one of them talentless. It's almost like they've had a moment of realisation 'wow I have no talent so I am going to dress up as a (hideous) woman and mime (because I can't sing) and dance and tell a few jokes'.

That is my opinion of drag.

So are you saying that as long as the people “dressing up” are also oppressed it’s fine? Because the men doing drag are gay and gay people are oppressed right? So that’s why you say its fine.

So women are oppressed. So straight white men would not be allowed to do drag? But gay men can? Could straight black men do it? Because black men were/are also oppressed.

In the case of the black and white minstrels you’re saying it was different because black people were oppressed by the white people who were dressing up. Could gay white men do black face today? Because they’re oppressed as gay men? Or what about an Indian gay man?

Surely the facts are, black people were oppressed by white people (as a class). Which is why we no longer allow black face. It doesn’t matter if those white people are gay or women or anything else. We do not allow ANY white people to do black face any more.
So women are, as a class, oppressed by men. It shouldn’t matter if those men are gay or black or anything else. They shouldn’t get a free pass to take the piss out of women.

The thread specifically asks 'what is the appeal'. Maybe just explain why men called Anna Bortion are appealing to you.

I watched both series. All of the people in the episode you mentioned were interesting and honest, with the exception of the man dressed up in what looked like an explosion of a drag queen's dressing up box.

His attention seeking 'me me' attitude was off the scale. I had to fast forward the bits where he was talking as he was hugely irritating. How the producers thought he could be taken seriously claiming he is a woman was beyond me.

@AlisonDonut I'm a drag fan. Love Drag Race in all its version.

Love the live shows

I've never heard of Anna Bortion on any of these.

Why is it appealing to you?

Drag makes me feel really uncomfortable. I'm a woman who rejects all the extreme and impractical parts of femininity, and to see a man called 'she' because he's dressed up in thick makeup, high heels and a sexualised outfit feels nastily mocking of women.

That's before we get to the unpleasant pun names, 'fish' remarks and all the rest. The men who do it don't seem to like women very much.

I posted this back in 2023.

From 514 names, you can say that 10 are misogynist (Cheryl Hole, A'Whora, Kandy Ho, Maxi Shield, Cookie Kunty, Ginger Bitch, Pandora Boxx, Penny Tration, Ginger Minj, Juice Boxx)
Sister Fibrosis, JonBenet Blonde, Detox Icunt and Bitch on Arrival all had to change/modify their names. The worst of those imo is disablist not misogynist.
I like puns as I've said, including user names on here (SuePerbly etc). It harks back to days of supply teaching when the paper registers you'd get back would inevitably have Ben Dover, Theresa Green, Annette Curtain, Hugh Jarse and Phil McCrackin written on them in juvenile script.
From 514 performers on RPDR, many names aren't puns at all. The UK and Australian drag acts seem to like plays on words more than the States.
The majority of these have nothing to do with female genitalia or slurs against women. Many are lame/forced however and even RuPaul has been WTF.
For anyone who is interested otherwise move on sashay away
Brand names: Minnie Cooper, Jan Sport, Brita Filter (latter two had to drop surname on RPDR)
Drugs: Kita Mean, Crystal Methyd
Objects: Barbie Q, Plastique Tiara (oof!) Elektra Fence
Foods: Tia Kofi, Baga Chipz, Shuga Cain, Kim Chi, Sminty Drop, Black Peppa
Places: Cheddar Gorgeous, Brooke Lynn Hytes, River Medway, Monet X Change
Not female: Yuri Guaii, Faux Fur, Sum Ting Wong
Not out: Heidi N Closet, Charlie Hides
Personality: Ivana Vamp, Imaa Queen, Mimi Imfurst, Amadiva
There are plays on female celebrities other than Cheryl Cole (who incidentally was on the panel when Cheryl Hole performed).
These include: Tina Burner, Enorma Jean, Choriza May, Kendall Gender and Rachel McAdamsApple (the latter was a one-off).
In the vein of Scissor Sisters icon Ana Matronic: Farrah Moan, Charity Kase, Gia Metric, Minty Fresh, Elektra Shock, Hannah Conda
In the vein of Friends fictional Helena Handbasket: Ella Vaday, Courtney Act, Kitty Scott-Claus, Aubrey Haive, Rita Menu,
Performers like Danny Beard and Conchita Wurst were hirsute
Joe Black, Derrick Barry, Lawrence Chaney all used own names. Bob the drag queen thought it was funny (audience member hadn't heard their name and thought they were called Kate before descending on Bob)
Vanessa Williams chose the name Vanquisha De House for her alter ego
Conchita wasn't on RPDR obvs but I was pointing out that facial hair can also be part of the persona.
From all the names above, I loved Choriza May, a Spanish-British drag act. The name just tickled me. Then Ella Vaday, Cheddar Gorgeous and Farrah Moan.
The drag King Elvis Herselvis' name is inspired.

My point? 10/514 is not very many. You'll always get the odd bad apple. Most and many names are simple plays on words and entertainers like La Voix really do have talent.

Inside no 9 fans. Wilma Dickshow is by far and away the best drag name ever ;-)

How the producers thought he could be taken seriously claiming he is a woman was beyond me.

It's possible the producers were being realistic about a certain section of the "community" and thought it needed representation.

A man standing on a stage dressed up as a grotesque parody of a woman calling himself Miss Carriage isn't art, entertaining or funny. It's nothing more than pure disdain for women. It upsets me deeply.

Hate drag, agree, its insulting and definitely "womanface".

Those saying woman haven't suffered (those opposing the womanface is like blackface arguments) do you not realise women were the property of men up until around 150 yrs age in this country (and still are in some places) and marital rape was only deemed an offence in the 1980's? Have you no historical knowledge?

Why is drag appealing to me?
I like watching Drag Race because
Bit of escapism
Bit of fun
I like sparkly dresses
I like hearing stories that I wouldn't otherwise in RL, like their experiences of growing up gay and the struggles and non acceptance that can come up with that, or feeling that they can't express themselves and drag gives them a way to do that .
I like a bit of cheesy music and lip sync battles
It's almost like us women all like different things, isn't it?

I agree, but I also recognise that lots of people enjoy comedy that shocks and is wildly appropriate. For this reason, I accept -but don't agree with- those that say that it is misogynistic and outrageous and this is what makes it funny. What I can't get my head around is claims that it is empowering and liberating.

@NordicwithTeen thank you for replying to my post, but you seem to conflating drag and trans.....

I find it seedy, crass and misogynistic.

It's just utterly cringe. In the same way that Mrs Brown's Boys is cringe. It feels as if it should have been left behind in the 18th century. I confess I don't get it at all.

I find them empowering as they remind me that we are all different and we have the right to be. A lot of the drag queens I follow do a lot of work for LGBTQI+ communities and spread awareness, they allow people to be themselves, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation or identity. Self-expression should be celebrated and maybe by seeing others living their authentic selves, we can find the courage to do the same. Perhaps not personally but many young people struggle to express their desires, or find their own identities so by normalising drag we are saying ‘it’s ok to be different’ and creating a safe environment. If that isn’t empowering, I don’t know what is!
I appreciate some queens have a vulgar sense of humour that many wouldn’t appreciate, it does not offend me. I find Drag Race very entertaining and I may even go and rewatch some later today with a box of quality street!

My 16 year old daughter summed it up once,

Men dressing and behaving as women in an overt sexualised nasty way, which if real women dressed and behaved like that, they'd be lynched.

I don’t think this is true. Not in my experience anyway.

When I was growing up I used to go to a drag bar. It was one of the places I could go as a teen, not get ID’d and not get creepy men sliming all over me and my friends. It was so much fun. We used to go every weekend.

I ended up becoming friends with quite a few of the queens. I never found them sexist. Certainly didn’t feel they hated me or my sex. They were very sweet and absolutely hilarious.

I’m another one who doesn’t understand all the hate towards drag acts. If you don’t find it entertaining, move on. They are not trying to be women, I never saw them as trying to be like me.

Your daughter was spot on. 🙌🏼

I see drag and Mrs Brown's Boys and males who identify as women as pretty much the same. Back in the day I occasionally found a comedian dressing up as a woman mildly funny, but only when they had wit and comic timing, and weren't just dressing up as a woman as their sole thing.

A lot of the drag queens I follow do a lot of work for LGBTQI+ communities and spread awareness, they allow people to be themselves, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation or identity

This is exactly why I have such an issue with drag queens being involved in supporting young people @worriedworker121

By their very definition, drag queens are wholely inauthentic!

They are no more authentic than asking the telletubbies to turn up in costume and discuss identity and authenticity. It's an act!

Support boys in wearing make up, skirts , sequins and whatever they want to wear.

But a man, gay or straight, in drag is irrelevant and confusing. And the culture of misogyny on top adds an even stronger reason to exclude them in this "support" role

This exactly @Workingclasslass
It's just taking the piss out of women and is bloody offensive in my mind. Talk about stereotyping women.

Actually MNHQ adding a spoiler tag is now in fact a spoiler for people who see the title in Active Convos but wouldn’t have clicked on it.