To find drag queens offensive?

[MrsMummy500]

AIBU to find drag queens really bloody offensive?

I hate the term offensive, it’s bandied around far too often at far too insignificant things (am aware this may be one of them). BUT, men dressing up as some fetishised version of a man made ideal of a woman really pisses me off. Hyper hair, max make up, drink in hand, revealing clothes.

I do not know a single woman like that. It riles me and I feel like I’m unable to express it as women have lost so much of their space to LGBTQ+ community (I perceive this, I don’t say it as a fact).
potential bomb drop alert but if white people are taken down (rightly IMO) for ‘blacking up’ should it be acceptable for men to parody women in the form of drag queens.

Ps- I do not buy for one minute that they are celebrating the female form with balloon breasts. It feels more like a piss take.

I have privately wondered how long it will be before doing "women face" is considered unacceptable? "Black face"/"yellow face" is rightly considered inappropriate now.

Yeah I've never understood it. I don't find it funny or impressive.

I used to find it funny, I really really don't now - there is no respect for women in a caricature - it's in the same performance art as spitting image for me.

yes and the bbc really are pushing at the moment

A lot of drag isn't about looking like or trying to look like a woman, many of them aim to look androgynous, and more 'alien' like, conceptual, like Leigh Bowery for example. I understand your point though.

Yeah I don’t get the appeal either and think it is bordering on being offensive

I agree. I’ve always found It deeply offensive. There has been lots of articles about why it’s not the same and why it’s not offensive but it’s not up to other people to make claims about what is or is not offensive. It’s about the people it offends.

Women do not parody men and mock them in the same way. It’s awful, offensive and blatant mysoginy.

I also dislike it, it’s extremely misogynistic and -like most things that are aimed at putting women back in their place- somehow totally socially acceptable, with drag it’s supposedly ‘celebrating’ women. Yes because calling women “fishy” is definitely a celebration of women isn’t it.

Yes! The parodying of any other discrete group is a no-no, so why is this classified as legitimate mainstream entertainment? Thank you for this post @MrsMummy500

I had never considered this until your post OP but you’re absolutely right!

There are some drag queens who do it because they are trans and want to become women, just putting another point out there.

Also find it offensive.

I didn't feel that strongly about it when it stayed in clubs.

But Drag Queen Story Time is outright awful. NO woman would be invited to read to kids if she dressed like that and wore makeup like that. So its current acceptance is downright sexist.

I don't find them offensive - but I do find them really dated and pointless, and quite cringeworthy.

As you say, @MrsMummy500 no woman in real life dresses or acts like that, OR puts the same daft, outlandish make up on, OR has the same weird, daft hair. And the way the drag queens are bitchy and caustic is just pathetic...

It's like they think this is how women behave - and look.

It isn't.

YANBU.

I agree with you OP. Disrespectful, offensive, not entertaining and definitely not funny.

@OrigamiOwl

I have privately wondered how long it will be before doing "women face" is considered unacceptable? "Black face"/"yellow face" is rightly considered inappropriate now.

Because anything to do with appropriating other groups is considered exactly the opposite when it comes to women. White people putting on horrifying stereotypes of black people has long been (very rightly) considered disgustingly racist, but putting on shitty stereotypes of women by men is apparently just entertainment. Just throw around words like 'Queen' and 'Yea Sister' and it earses all offence into empowerment. You cant question drag queens and their lifestyle regardless, it's transphobic.

Good drag isn’t like that any more. It can be a real art form and done well it’s not offensive. Of course some drag is offensive and quite frankly shit.

I agree, to me it's as offensive as blackface.

yawn

I think that you're right, you never see one dressed as Marie Curie. Other countries don't do it, or not nearly as much.

@Teddy1258

There are some drag queens who do it because they are trans and want to become women, just putting another point out there.

Drag queens ARE trans now.

I agree, I question myself on it because I don’t think people have a right not to be offended. But, this has never had a feel of celebrating women, it seems to be a case of disliking women. A parody of them or somehow a hyper-sexualised ‘this is how you should ‘woman.’’

In the current climate where we’re having to fight for the right to even call and organise ourselves as women I don’t have the patience for it. Also - I can do without the singing

No. I don't think it's funny, but I don't find it offensive to women or think it's meant to be.

You won't see a single woman around like drag artists because the whole point is, they are men.

I used to like Dame Edna. Other than that, not keen.

I’ve never been bothered by drag queens, growing up I spent a lot of time in the gay village in Manchester. It was done tongue in cheek and for adult humour.

However - now, in this current climate it’s a totally different scene. I was horrified to see videos of drag queens reading bed time stories specifically aimed for children, filmed in scruffy dirty apartments. Drag queens reading stories to children in library’s and hospitals. Why? Why would a man dressed as an over sexualised, grotesque version of a women be needed for that?

Absolutely hideous.

It doesn’t offend me. By modern standards it’s offensive, though.