To feel uncomfortable with regards to Drag?

[ShawshanksRedemption]

Am I the only one who feels uncomfortable with Drag?

AIUI Drag came about because women's roles were originally played by men on the stage, and from there it's evolved to have pantomime dames, which is a caricature of women. Drag has now become an art form, a performance, with programmes like RuPaul's Drag Race showing how popular it is, but at it's core it's still a caricature, it's still a parody of women, and it's gaudy, brash and the wit and put downs waspish!

I can't help but feel a bit uncomfortable about it all, maybe it's something I'm reading too much into, but effectively it's men aping women in a very unattractive way (and I'm not just talking the make up here).

Anyone else feel the same? Or should I just embrace it and get over myself?

Jesus fucking Christ, I cannot believe some of the comments on this thread.

Anyone who has anything to do with drag will tell you that it celebrates femininity, beauty, fashion, make-up. It most certainly does not have anything to do with portraying nagging wives, or whatever rubbish a PP spouted.

And to compare it to blackface? Are you fucking kidding me?

Yep horrible sneery woman face. Women are bitty shrill snide with ridiculous make up & wigs.

I can imagine the reaction I’d get if I were to parody a camp gay man all limp wrists mincing & what a gay day, I scratch your eyes out girlfriend

Are you jealous because they dress and do better makeup than you?

I was thinking about this regarding the Trudeau blackface scandal. If he'd dressed up as an exaggerated version of a woman, he would have been lauded. Not sure how it's different really.

YABU.

My Chemical that’s it, you’ve hit on the truth. I’m jealous, the women here are jealous because we’re women . We get jealous of fake breasts, ridiculous clothes & wigs. Damn you outing us like this.

I’m off to reapply my fake lashes.

It’s just so old fashioned, can’t believe it is still popular.

Are you jealous because they dress and do better makeup than you?

Dammit, rumbled.

They're both stunning, are you blind?

It's just another reminder of how women are viewed in society. I can't stand it.

Brave & stunning, I’m so jealous I’m not as speeshul

Should they be reading to children in libraries?

Absolutely NOT!!

Children are wild and unpredictable people. Hems could get ripped, wigs could be knocked off, false nails could be broken, eye make up could be smudged. Somebody fabulous might get hurt!

I always liked Dame Edna Everage.

@gibbonlover brilliant love it 😂

I’ve heard and read the arguments from both sides. About the origins and the intentions of drag and how it embraces and celebrates womanhood. But so what? I don’t care about what the men want. Whether it’s an outlet for them or cathartic or whatever. They don’t own womanhood, we do. And if we say drag isn’t acceptable, then it’s not, and the men need to appreciate this and step back.

@YoYoNoMore - PREACH, SISTER!

standing ovation

I just saw that my local Waterstones had a drag queen do storytime for kids today.

I wonder when was the last time they felt it was appropriate for a woman to do storytime in her underwear.

Oh that's right, it's never.

WTF does a man dressed like a caricature sex doll have to do with storytime?!

Whatever people think about drag, I’ll never understand the sudden fad for drag story times. Why is it a thing?

I mean you don’t see women dressed in carnival gear and sequinned bikinis doing story time gigs in Waterstones. Or middle aged burlesque strippers down the local library reading to kids in nipple tassels and a feather boa.

Drag is glorious. You have to understand the camp sensibility to understand drag - and camp is a valuable part of life. Drag is absolutely not about mocking real women.

Its very dangerous to laugh at men, or parody male stereotypes

Ummm ... what total bollocks.

I understand what drag aficionados say about it @Time40. I just think it's a load of bullshit

Where do posters stand on the Two Ronnies doing sketches and musical numbers in drag? They didn't wear exaggerated makeup or outrageous clothes,they just portrayed anything from a cleaner to Queen Victoria.

Old comedy drag, like eg Monty Python stuff is funnier for me because it was self-deprecating for us all - it caricatured the hairy man, legs akimbo for ghastly and ridiculous his masculinity looked when playing a middle-aged woman, as much as or more than it caricatured the woman with the shrieking harridan voice etc.

It's when it edges into the man being somehow fabulous and celebrated at the same time as the female aspect he presents is a mocking caricature... there's no commonality in the ridiculousness here, the female aspect is a spitting image puppet and the male aspect is stunning and brave... ie misogyny.

Some women are just professionally offended by EVERYTHING.

So are some men. I don’t see what that’s got to do with anything. I’m offended by drag - it’s still going on though. My opinion hasn’t affected anything. People can still watch it and enjoy it if they want to. I’m allowed to find it misogynistic though. As are all the other women who do.

And I’m allowed to find you tedious.