Monday, November 17, 2014

Rupaul's Drag Race: Helping or Ruining Drag?



Recently, more so than ever, I've come to find that the Rupaul's Drag Race fandom can be pretty shady. I've never really come to understand why since we're supposed to be part of a community where everyone can be accepted for who they are...but one thing I've come across is everyone is out for themselves. 

It's a huge shame, really, because drag to me means so much more than a TV show. I'm not discrediting Rupaul and he's done so much for us as a community but if anyone has noticed I really like to focus more on the culture itself rather than the TV show for a number of reasons.

One of those reasons is I don't want my page to be a shady place and I want to open people's eyes to what drag really is. If you really wake up and start doing research, you will find that drag is a variety of things and it's such a beautiful art that I've grown to love and appreciate since I started this page. I want the queens I feature to feel comfortable and to feel like they can trust me because I want to showcase them in the best light possible. I know some pages that just try and dig for scandalous information and I refuse to sell out to that for a few subscribers.

I feel like Drag Race has helped our community but it's also destroyed it. I feel that as a community we should stand together and be happy there's so much support and we should take pride in the fact that drag is a really popular thing. Let's take advantage of this opportunity, you know? But the fans of the show have really hurt each other and they treat queens like collectors items and if you don't meet as many queens as they do then they will pay you no mind. And not just any queens, Rupaul's Drag Race girls. 

Here's a piece of advice: 
Stop hurting each other. Stop being jealous. Stop treating this like its a competition. Learn to love drag for what it is...an art. It's an art where people should feel safe. It's not safe anymore. It's everyone bashing each other and trying to act superior. Stop it. Stand together...you aren't a drag expert because you watched a few seasons of a TV show. You should be supportive of each other. It's a family...not a war.

Another thing I wanted to address, is that some of the Drag Race girls act ungrateful and it really hurts the people that look up to them. Why would you be rude to someone who supports you? It doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Don't forget where you came from and who supported you from the beginning. The second you forget that is the second you will start to see people leave your side. It hurts them.

My mission with this page was to unite people and it seems like I've united some people but it's also cost me some friendships I thought I had as well. And if someone is treating you badly because you are out there making a name for yourself, they don't deserve your time. The queens and artists I feature mean more to me than anyone will ever know and I do this to help myself as well as other people learn more about them. I use my page to promote and help, not to ruin someone's career.

I try to focus on the positive aspects of the drag world and the wonderful artists who put so much work into what they do. I take a lot of pride in that and I'm really tired of the shade and jealousy in the drag community. This includes the fans.

That's all I have to say about this topic. If you have any suggestions on what I should write about next, please contact me:

Twitter- @DragEnthusiast
Instagram- @ragingdragaholic
Tumblr- dragenthusiast.tumblr.com

Or email me at thatcolumnisadrag@gmail.com

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