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?

If the comment about male privilege was directed at me, I really don’t.

@MorganKitten as I've said several times already on this thread, women dressing as men is not the same because it's not the oppressor mocking the oppressed. Never in human history have men been oppressed by women.

It matters not whether all drag queens do or don't use terms like fish/make women cry/have vile names. They ALL grotesquely parody women, which is misogynistic. And they ALL are part of a scene which mocks and denigrates women. You wouldn't choose to be part of a scene which promotes racism if you weren't racist, would you? So why associate yourself with misogyny if you despise it?

As someone (like all women, sadly) who has been on the receiving end of sexism in the way you have, it should be easy to recognise it and call it out.

@backtotheoldhouse
You haven’t commented on female drag queens...

No I’m not and wouldn’t be racist, and I have called out sexist male and female friends in the past, gay or straight.

And while it’s been an interesting morning talking to you all I have to go to work, no not burlesque this early in the day but working with teens who have need support.
Focus on the positive ladies and maybe have an open mind when it comes to new things.

@BackToTheOIdHouse yes the sexist comments I’ve received were mainly from women, I call it out and told women cat be sexist... we know that’s not true.

@MorganKitten yes, I have. But I'll reiterate: Parodying women - whatever your sex - in a grotesque manner is misogynistic. Do you think that women can't be misogynists too? Also, female drag queens are complicit with drag, ergo, complicit with all drag's negative aspects.

If you've called out sexism in the past, why don't you feel comfortable doing so in the case of drag?

have an open mind when it comes to new things

Drag isn't new.

A drag queen chose the name Molestia Child, and Pride thinks this is amazing and funny? And other people - other women - are OK with this? I am speechless.

And I hadn't heard about drag queens referring to 'fish' - but having seen it explained on here - and RuPaul's definition of it - yes, it is bloody offensive!!

If drag queens truly do want to celebrate women, why can't they do so without using such nasty terms/names??

Ladies, don't bother. Some women will defend men and their bullshit to the death.

Er, I’ve been to live drag shows and honestly, they are more akin to tribute singers. They’ll dress up like a celebrity and perform a song.

I don't mind this side of drag. I'm not offended by the aesthetic.

However, I've seen absolutely dozens of drag acts in the last 15-odd years, and bitchy, catty humour (for the most part aimed personally at women) is the absolute sine qua non of drag shows. Now, whether that originates in the "bitchy queen" stereotype I don't know, but when it's done during a parody of femininity, it does look like stereotyping women as bitchy and insulting, especially to other women. (I've been on the receiving end of it and wasn't personally offended, it's just an observation.)

Also I think there's a good chance that the "bitchy queen" stereotype itself comes from a parody of femininity, drag notwithstanding.

If drag queens truly do want to celebrate women, why can't they do so without using such nasty terms/names??

Personally I think they don’t want to celebrate actual women otherwise ‘drag’ would be ‘female impersonators’ wearing the fleece and jeans that you or I wear to walk the dogs or the supermarket or whatever.

They want to celebrate and be bitchy about the fuckability of women as seen through the eyes of men. The competitiveness and ‘cattiness’ is how those men think women are to each other, fighting over male attention.

Also, I have seen drags acts especially picking on lesbian women for being ugly, boring, you name it- essentially because those women are not conforming to the fuckable to men ideal and not courting sexual attention from men.
Fuck that shit.

I meant to add that I don't believe the bitchy-humour aspect is part of the long history of male cross-dressing as outlined upthread.

there have been several incidents this year of convicted paedophiles/sex offenders doing Drag Queen Storytime.

This is awful, but I'd suggest primarily a systems failure. How can a library allow someone to facilitate a children's group without a DBS check?

Drag queens are performers, and the bulk of most drag acts is comedy. Like any performer there will be examples where they have gone too far, been too provocative, and this is felt by some to be rude. This does not mean that all, or even most drag acts are anti women or rooted in mysogeny.

It's been clearly outlined the origins of drag, and it ain't to laugh at women. It's not comprable to blackface. I'd suggest most drag acts have a largely female audience, whereas I'd doubt a minstrel show would have any person of colour attendees.

The real question is, why would a library deem it necessary or desirable to have someone in sexy underwear read a kids story anyway? Too woke by fucking half.

Absolutely Audacity.

And to the poster who commented that it's ok because parents were there..

Parents can be groomed too.
Women are socialised to be "nice" to go along with what men want/dictate, including cheering on men parodying women.

I work with teens in care it’s not top trumps and if u really understood male privilege you would say drag queens and drag kings are the same thing

Not say !

"Personally I think they don’t want to celebrate actual women otherwise ‘drag’ would be ‘female impersonators’ wearing the fleece and jeans that you or I wear to walk the dogs or the supermarket or whatever.

They want to celebrate and be bitchy about the fuckability of women as seen through the eyes of men. The competitiveness and ‘cattiness’ is how those men think women are to each other, fighting over male attention.

Also, I have seen drags acts especially picking on lesbian women for being ugly, boring, you name it- essentially because those women are not conforming to the fuckable to men ideal and not courting sexual attention from men.
Fuck that shit."

I couldn't agree more, @DateLoaf .

Lol at drag queens calling lesbians boring. Could you think of anyone more boring than someone who thinks men dressed up as women is entertaining?

morgan as I said you can give examples, it doesn't mean that the majority doing it aren't young.

"If you go to shows you see a range of acts."

I'll pass, thanks.

“I’ve heard plenty of women talk about their partners sweaty balls and not wanting to touch them. Guess that’s ok, equal opportunities and all that.”

Fuxake liberals cannot see beyond the individual can they? 🙄

Referring to something derogatory about ONE man is exactly the same as a sexist epithet used against ALL women, of course.

I can think of some reasons why someone might not want a drag queen to read stories to children in a library but the link to paedophilia is a very bizarre reason.

People have given a link to a paedophile who was a drag queen and read stories in a library.

Then someone said that paedophiles might be encouraged to become drag queens so they can access children in a library.

The implication is that drag queens shouldn't read to children because a paedophile might be encouraged to become a drag queen and could then read to children in a library.

I don't really know what to say about that. It's a really weird conclusion to make.

There are people in all sorts of professions and all sort of roles who have contact with children. Often without parents present. People who run clubs, who run uniformed organisations, vicars, priests, library volunteers. All these people could be paedophiles and can read stories to children in a library. The fact is that you don't know who is reading to your child and you don't know anything about their background or motivation.

To say that drag queens should be banned from reading to children in a library because paedophiles can be drag queens or will be encouraged to be drag queens is a pathetic argument.

You could focus on the perception of gender, the confusion about what a child is thinking, what pronouns to use, why a man is dressed up like that - those are much better arguments to make instead of just saying 'oh my God, he could be a paedophile because there have been drag queens who are paedophiles so won't someone think of the children"

Molestia child.

The world has gone fucking mad that this is being held up as funny rather than grossly offensive.

I'm so fucking sick of the patriarchy.

I hate it too. It's like blacking up...

Molestia... Child...

I am really struggling to find words, to be honest. My daily reminder that maleness is a disease.