Women Doing Female Drag. We Support Their Empowerment, But …

Before the era of Ru Paul's Drag Race, Drag-U, Un-Tucked, and the avalanche of national tours, Queens at Sea cruises and everything else that has blossomed from mama Ru's insertion into popular culture, many of us knew about drag from a local whole in the wall bar. 

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One of the earliest drag shows I attended was in the early 2000s at the University of Southern Maine in Portland.  It was a drag competition hosted by the student services of the school. I was astonished as to how well attended event, but I learned it had a long history and was such a large event, a ballroom had to be rented out in one of the areas larger hotels. Fun was definitely had by all, but I personally wasn't interested in the King competition. Instead, I was more drawn to and impressed with the Queen side of the night.

When it comes to drag, I feel I am more of a traditionalist of the art.  Personally, I find myself enjoying more the cis male drag stars strutting their stuff and doing their thang. Do I enjoy watching cis women dressing up as men and performing? No.  Do I enjoy watching artist born male that have had breast implants doing drag? Not so much. 

For me the art of drag is going from one extreme to another, going from male to female and being fabulous, creative, and amazing.  Some of my favorite drag shows have been amazing experiences at the 801 Bourbon Bar in Key West, Florida. They were umpteen times better than the Season 8 RPDR tour I saw here in Fort Lauderdale and these Key West girls were doing two shows a night.

What started my brain turning once again on how I felt about drag was this recent post in the New York Post.

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Regina Oldham-Licata, aka Cream Victoria, is a biological woman who does drag. While “lady drag” is a growing trend in the queer community, Regina was nervous about potential backlash. “I was a little apprehensive to do female drag,” she told The Post at Rockbar, a dive bar on Christopher Street. “Would I offend the male gay community? That is definitely their turf.” Produced for the New York Post by Joseph Jaafari

 

More power to lady drag performer Cream Victoria, but it's not the drag I want to see.  If someone was planning on going to a Drag King competition or show, would they want to see me as a cis male on stage in a nicer suit than I wear to work and lip syncing? Well if you did, I would thank you for your support and acceptance to be on that stage, but I wouldn't personally be calling it drag.  It would be lip syncing in a suit, costume … different, but still the same male outer shell with just a little more fabulousness and empowerment.  Do we now define drag as solely an empowering "changing of the garb" event no matter how you started off and end up?

What is drag?  Is it a man "dressed as a girl" only? Or is it someone changing their outer appearance to give them greater confidence, to create a different persona, to be someone they may not be in the real world?

I'm not going to tell 'Merika what the definition(s) of drag is/are, like I cannot define for everyone art, the ideal relationship, pornography, etc. But I do know what kind of art I like, the type of relationships I desire, and the type of pornography I enjoy watching. I'm all for monogamy and it's what I gravitate toward, but I'm not going to poo poo my friends' open relationships. So as for the drag I enjoy, I enjoy cis men with little to no plastic parts dressing up as women.  Do I detest any other type of drag? Heck no, and detest is a strong word. But I'll probably be at the bar getting a drink if I see that isn't a breast plate or pushed up man parts in the top of that strapless dress.


The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this post belong solely to the author, and not necessarily Instinct Magazine.

15 thoughts on “Women Doing Female Drag. We Support Their Empowerment, But …”

  1. I understand where you’re

    I understand where you're coming from with this article and I respect your opinion. However, putting in my two cents I will say that people do drag for different reasons. Some as a way of portraying their sexuality, for comedy reasons, etc. Mainly for cis women however it's a way of empowering themselves through the art of performance. While drag is normally seen as something that only cis gay men can do, overall it really has no gender or restrictions. All in all drag is blurring the lines between gender and it's empowering for those who do it.

    Reply
  2. It’s like saying men should

    It's like saying men should be hired in straight strip clubs for men. They can dance why not… Adam has the right to his opinion, if you do not like it go to your safe space and cry. You value you opinion more then anyone else's and think your always right. Get over yourself and leave him along and learn the history of drag and how it started…..

    Reply
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    • Yes, Steven.  You are so

      Yes, Steven.  You are so correct.  I hate my sister, mother, and nieces, aunts, uncles, my work wife, my wonderful female neighbors, my female boss, the wonderful lesbian couple I met at Rumors the other day. You got me.

      Reply
      • “I don’t hate black people, I

        "I don't hate black people, I have black friends!! I even have a black family member!!"

        ^^^What you actually sound like^^^

        Reply
        • Are you serious Steven? What

          Are you serious Steven? What a sophomoric response.  Why didn't you work in heteronormative and internalized homophobia into your argument?  Come on, you can be more "gay cliché" in your response and try to feel better about yourself by throwing someone else under the gay bus. I shared my opinion.  I am not a fan of seeing women dress up in female drag. Did I say they cannot do it? Heck no!  It sounds very empowering to the woman in the video. Go have fun!  Am I a fan of open relationships?  No!  Does that make me hate everyone that is in one?  No! Good grief, I'm repeating myself for the benefit of this guy.  I am not a fan of broccoli.  I am not a fan of seeing women naked. I am not a fan of getting a manicure. I am not a fan of Brad Pitt's acting or looks.  Why does any of that translate into hatred of an entire gender, vegetable group, service industry, or supposedly very attractive actors?  Can you not handle reading other people's opinions without overreacting, going ballistic, and calling them haters of the world?

          Reply
          • That would all be well and

            That would all be well and good if your statement with this article was simply an opinion.  However, it is not.  It is pure hate speech.  

          • “Hate speech is speech which

            "Hate speech is speech which attacks a person or group on the basis of attributes such as race, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, or gender."

          • Did I say they should get off

            Did I say they should get off the stage?  Did I say they should never perform? No.  I just don't find it entertaining.  If I don't watch fisting porn or lesbian porn does that mean I hate every lesbian and every one that is into that fetish?  Are we done, cuz this is getting tiring explaining to you why you need to back down and realize that not enjoying watching something is not equated to hating the people doing it.  If we had allies that feel we can have same-sex marriages, but do not wish to attend one, do they still hate us all? I don't like attending straight weddings and try not do.  Do I hate all straight people that are married? 

          • Is your ‘argument’ supposed

            Is your ‘argument’ supposed to be logical? I really can’t tell lol you sound like an alt-right troll. Just trying to educate you because you clearly need it! Have fun going to boring drag shows!

          • I’ve been to boring and I’ve

            I've been to boring and I've been to some amazing ones (remember Key West from the post?). I'm actually going to a show tonight. We'll see how it is. I am sure you'll have a great weekend labeling everyone hatemongers, alt-righters, and whatever else your negative strain can come up with. Try and be happy and positive Steven. Bless your heart.

          • How many times did I use “I”

            How many times did I use "I" in the piece.  Does that not lend to the reader that this is an opinion piece? Did you read the statement at the end?

  4. Drag is not something I look

    Drag is not something I look for with passion. There are a couple of drag queens that I find funny, but I'm conflicted with drag because it tends to erase male homosexuality and reinforce heterosexuality since they pose like women and force interaction with gay men in the form of heterosexuality.

    I bet women have the right to do drag if they want, after all, it's their gender, their sex, their accessories, etc.

     

    Reply

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