I really don’t get why people are getting so defensive of any criticism of drag.
It’s OK to question stuff. I used to think it was brilliant. But then it started to make me uncomfortable, and it was because it feels like men (or, the men who do it) really think we’re so silly that it’s mock-worthy.
One of my absolute all time favourite movies is Some Like it Hot. Obviously it’s not about drag queens, but the story line is based around two men dressed as women.
It’s hilarious. I will always love it, and Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon are comedic geniuses (genii? 🤔).
But. Their entire schtick, while dressed as women, is to depict us as daft, pouting airheads who only care about looking good, clothes, and catching men. It’s demeaning and offensive, really.
That’s not who we are, and it’s a rude wake-up call to think that’s what men see / think of, when they think of women. In a way, I don’t blame them, because they’re saturated by images of pouting, airbrushed women, made up to look beautiful and attractive to the male gaze.
It’s also like …. I shave my legs and wear make-up. But I know it’s not a free choice to do those things. I do them, in large part, because society tells me body hair is just fine on men, but it’s not acceptable on women.
It’s called critical thinking.
Instead of shutting your eyes, singing ‘la, la, la’, putting your fingers in your ears and jumping to the defence of drag queens, just open your mind have a think about it.
You can still enjoy it (just like I still love Some Like it Hot), while also acknowledging the questionable aspects.
And not every single DQ will be a misogynistic arsehole. No doubt many aren’t. It doesn’t alter the fact that the art form is predicated on a group of people picking up the worst stereotypes of another group, and using those to make people laugh.