Ru Paul's hijabi Drag Race - the ultimate insult?

[twoHopes]

I've just seen a gushing Guardian article about the latest episode of Ru Paul's Drag Race which features (for the first time ever) a "hijabi drag queen".

Apparently this was a one off costume to celebrate this person's American-Iranian heritage (note the stars and stripes on the hijab). Never mind that Iranian women who don't wear a hijab outside the house are beaten or imprisoned. Never mind that Iranian women are currently risking their lives and their freedom protesting these laws. And let's not even get started on the rather colourful involvement America has in Iran's recent history.

Have we finally reached the ultimate insult? An American-Iranian man wearing a sexualised costume of an Iranian woman in hijab as a fun performance?

Link to the Guardian article is here if you can bear it:
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/apr/26/rupauls-drag-race-recap-season-12-episode-goldblum

[GrumpyHoonMain]

In Iran / India it is more acceptable to be trans (or cross-dress and live as the opposite sex) than have a sex change or be lesbian or gay. It comes as a result of Persian heritage from which the hijab / head covering comes from (in the Middle East women never covered themselves before Islam).

[Lordfrontpaw]

@GivesNoFox - fab name - that used to be on my favourite mug before it got broken).

Those I know in Canadia (and the US/UK) have a high old time of it (but there is more racism now in the US thanks to trump). Mostly those there had fled the current regime (either at the time of the revolution, or the young gen escaping lack of freedom/opportunities).

It was a joy to behold the women coming through airport customs (back in the day of direct flights) - headscarves flying through in air as they were tossed off.

[GivesNoFox]

Lordfrontpaw Thank you! The name came from me just being overly fed up of modern day virtue signaling misogyny and now I just try to say what I want😁

I have seen plenty of those videos of women coming through airports and ripping the headscarves off, it always warms my heart. I feel in this country there is so much emphasis on showing the hijab being 'empowering' that the nuance of the conversation is lost. It is often quite oppressing in fact because women and girls are essentially conditioned to believe that not wearing one makes the 'dirty' from a young age.

I also question this particu;lar drag queens train of thought as being a gay Iranian he would face execution of forced transition in Iran and similar oppression in most muslim countries. Being gay myself its this cognitive disconnect I cant stand about the modern day lgbt123@#$%+ community.

[Lordfrontpaw]

He just wants to play dress up.

Like most reality TV, the contestants are not worth a penny unless there is a sad back sob story "Im here today for my nana. She....she....she.... sniff - sob - whimper - she can't eat leeks! Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. NANA I LOVE YOU....."

And covering your hair & skin/shielding tour face makes sense if you live smewhere bloody hot and dusty. Something practical became a prison.

[Lordfrontpaw]

Oh, I have a photo of me in a scarf somewhere (pink silk - I used to keep my tarot cards wrapped in it) - I look like a very angry Les Dawson (an was about to bite a mullah if memory serves).

[FiveOutOfFiveGoldblums]

Had you watched the show, you'd know that Jeff Goldblum made this very point. The episode was loosely based on American Politics. The contestant was reiterating that being gay and being muslim are not mutually exclusive and that Trump's travel ban was unfair and had hurt his family. Another contestant spoke of being LGBT and being black, and wore black/silver star combo to represent for black power movement. You may hate drag but the messages both contestants were trying to convey were in keeping with their own experiences and politics.

[SpencerReidsMistress]

Completely agree @Fiveoutoffivegoldblum I was a bit like 🤔 when he came out but the message behind it was beautiful. He has throughout the show stated his struggle and I thought it was quite sad that his mums sister cannot travel to help his mum due to Trumps travel ban.

[Lordfrontpaw]

Not a fan of drag - or Miss World either. What does gay politics have to do with dressing as a woman?

[june2007]

Some here obviously don,t want the facts to get in the way of a good rant. You can choose to be offended or you can choose not to be.

[FiveOutOfFiveGoldblums]

What does gay politics have to do with dressing as a woman?
Because drag for some is a big part of gay culture. So if you perform as a drag artist and want to make a point about being gay whilst having muslim heritage reclaiming/reappropriating the hijab that some may consider an oppressive/repressive garment is actually quite empowering - similarly for women who do not have an issue with their hijab, the contestant did a joyful celebratory lipsync without disrespecting them either. But you knew all that.

[Lordfrontpaw]

Questioning tastes and not liking/finding something sexist isn’t having a rant. And I know it’s a part of gay culture - well it’s part of gay entertainment. My sister used to do drag shows.

[picklemewalnuts]

The fact that the contestant felt they had a good reason to perform in that way doesn't mean I have to agree.

I still think it distasteful/offensive, regardless of the intent. If I prepared a selection of images of sexualised children and adults, and explained they were a political protest against the separation of child and parent at USA borders, I'd expect that to be challenged.

[Cheeseycheeseycheesecheese]

@picklemewalnuts I agree, and he was challenged there and then.
But like I have said and previous posters have said, context is everything here. If you were to prepare a selection of images, and someone challenged you, you will have the context and your reasons to hand to explain your actions, which is exactly what he did.

I don't understand why, when someone does something within the parameters of a challenge on a reality show, explains their reasons for presenting as they did. Then a picture of them is pulled up, no context given and people get angry about it without looking for the context.

I understand the feminism board, but sometimes I think we can take things at face value when we should be thinking and looking a bit more deeply into things.

[picklemewalnuts]

But I would not expect everyone to agree that my explanation made the work acceptable. It's great that the contestant had a full back story, that they had good reason for their choices. It doesn't mean that I have to agree their justification makes it acceptable.

[TheProdigalKittensReturn]

Men cannot "reclaim" hijab because it's not something that's required of them, or something that in some places they can be arrested for not wearing. Which is why my immediate reaction was to roll my eyes. One can very easily draw a line from that to the worst of the "we speak for women but they can't speak for us, their role is to shut up and listen" excesses of TRAs.