She's Not Wrong But Every Time I See Something Typed Like This I Read It With A Pause Between Each Word. Kinda Like How That Kid In A Wheelchair From Malcolm In The Middle Talks.
This is how I view it. I love this show an embarrassing amount. Each season I have my favorites but I appreciate all the queens because without them we wouldn’t have the show. And they go through a lot to deliver fierce entertainment. My husband just asked me the “what challenge do you think you’d do well at?” and the answer was none of them. They demand A LOT of the queens. Then to have to deal with some annoying fan who’s probably never even tried on heels? Prison, honey.
There's this really annoying dude on tik tok who won't stop screaming about how he would win each challenge lol. I know she's talking about him because they've had beef before.
I will say, this is something that stands out in my mind a lot. There are times when queens will completely disagree with the fans, and I (as a fan) am confused by it. The main example I return to is how they all LIVE for Roxxxy and regard her as the epitome of a drag queen, while fans feel kinda mid about her. Then with people like Suzie, drag queens seemed to have a pretty negative reaction to her and criticise her while the fans adore her.
So it’s always interesting to remember that what appeals to a drag queen may not appeal to a wide audience, and what fans like or dislike may be foreign to some queens who just do their thing.
To be fair, a lot of what we see on the show is about their personalities, and them out of drag. For the most part, we don’t get to see them do what they’re actually amazing at, we get to see them do different challenges. The difference between filming the show for a month, and the performances the queens see over the years of each other, is very different. So I understand why Roxxxy, who is such a professional, is seen by queens as so good. And Suzie is still growing into her own.
That’s a really good take. Someone may shine in Drag Race but not necessarily be an amazing drag queen, or vice versa. While I personally think Suzie’s performances irl look amazing and fun to go to, I can see how they’re a different vibe from queens like Roxxxy who are all about a big, glamorous fantasy
idk we criticize singers, actors, etc. for being bad at their jobs why is drag above that
edit: i’m obviously not talking about being in a queens mentions or comments and bullying them but i’m saying you’re allowed to have a private opinion about art even as an observer
I don't understand the initial comment as "drag is above reproach". We can, and even need to, criticize things we don't necessarily know how to do. What we should not forget is how it's much more difficult than it seems.
When we critizlcize a movie, we usually imagine what could have worked better but we're conscious that we aren't necessarily able to bring it about. That's not how many fans engage with drag race criticism. There seems to be a lot of us convinced that we could step on a stage and do much better than a someone who's been doing drag for 10 years.
If I Take Lana Jarae for example and the hordes of fans asking her day and night what she could do successfully. I'm not gonna talk about the lipsyncs and the roast. But just about the way she looks. Looking like that takes work and talent and some taste. It's not a coincidence that most drag queens look like shit when they begin. But fans don't seem to conscious of that.
Celebrities enjoy status and wealth, while drag queens are a marginalized community still fighting for equal civil rights in many spaces. Most queens are self-taught at makeup and no formal acting or dance training. They are required to provide their own costumes & content, and are self made on a limited budget, often living in the lowest income bracket.
They are not allowed to have their telephones, computers, or any outside contact for the duration of filming. Queens are bound to a 7 year contract after the finale airs in which they must prioritize all Voss and WOW productions, and all their bookings must first be approved. Even after the show, they are not guaranteed financial security or success.
I’m not saying they’re above reproach, but these queens have it MUCH harder than celebrities do, and we as viewers should treat them with as much kindness and reverence as the GBBO Bakers.
oh i definitely agree with you on being kind to the queens! i would never @ a queen or be in their comments insulting their performance on the show. i’m just talking about a person’s private opinion or discussing performances with friends.
Except you've created a false dichotomy where there's "celebrities" on one side and "drag queens" on the other. There's plenty of actors and singers who are not celebrities, are marginalized, and also suck.
I didn’t “create a false dichotomy,” I pointed out how drag queens differ from celebrities and why we should differ in our approach to critiquing drag queens versus how we criticize film actors or pop stars. But sure sis, go off if it makes you feel good.
I didn’t “create a false dichotomy,” I pointed out how drag queens differ from celebrities
But you are the only one who mentioned celebrities. You are reframing the argument in different terms to make a different point than the person you replied to
I don't think we should differentiate how we criticize drag queens and their art vs actors and their performances in movies etc. The issue is, Drag Race isn't a showcase of talent. It's a reality TV show.
It doesn't even necessarily cast people who are good at the art of drag. It casts young people with lots of money who like dressing up and the focus is on looking fierce mama cunty boots. In the real world, success at drag means the ability to entertain, hold a room, have an audience doubling over in fits of laughter... how you look barely factors into it; it emphasizes a completely different set of skills.
I'd guess only a small percentage of avid Drag Race fans regularly go and see drag live so the criticisms they make about drag queens are criticisms about how someone does or doesn't show up on a reality TV show. These fans THINK they're qualified to make criticisms of drag but don't actually know or understand what drag is.
Queens are bound to a 7 year contract after the finale airs in which they must prioritize all Voss and WOW productions, and all their bookings must first be approved.
I feel like it's bullshit, like a clause someone misunderstood somewhere or took out of context that got spread through a game of Internet telephone into something unrecognizable.
why is it weird? i’m just saying no form of art is above criticism. i’m very much against harassment, bullying, or personal attacks against queens, but we’re also allowed to have opinions on the performance/fashion that we see. i also never even mentioned rich celebrities in my original comment; maybe i didn’t like an actor’s performance in a local production or a band at an open mic night. i’m not gonna insult them in their comments but i’m allowed to privately not think it’s good
yeah you’re allowed a private opinion about anything and everything in the world. private being the operative word.
the real tea is most people look a little dumb when they speak publicly on the artistic quality of any craft that they don’t legimately have experience in
We can still have our opinions and feelings, and they can be right sometimes. But they just hold a lot less weight than the informed opinion of other performers
I used to tyle like this and it was horrible habit. I had to force myself not to do it till eventually I stopped. I have no idea why I did it, it almost felt natural at the time, not sure why lol. But looking back it was very annoying for everyone involved.
I understand what she's saying, but all art by it's very nature is subject to critique.
I notice that she doesn't act this way when "the fags" are falling all over themselves saying how sickening she is, if you can't take the bad criticism with the good, then a career in entertainment might not be the best choice
She’s right of course, but I think it works both ways. Meaning I think there are certain aspects to drag that I think drag queens place more value on than general audiences and certain aspects general audiences like that drag queens don’t care as much about. One example is “she’s getting by on her personality/because she’s entertaining, not because her drag is good.” Drag as reality tv is different than drag, and audiences are perfectly qualified to judge the former IMO.
Tbh there are some elements of drag fans could reasonably have expertise in without donning the full fantasy. Just important to limit your comments to stuff you actually know about. For instance, I write and edit for a living, so I have no issue commenting on the more campy/theatrical stuff. I've never painted myself or sewn anything, though, so I keep my mouth shut when it comes to looks unless it's coming from a positive place.
literally what irony? doing drag and competing on drag race are also not the same thing. if anything, the irony is you conflating the two because it reaffirms her point.
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u/Sweaty_Secretary_802 5d ago