The past couple of years have been very hectic for me. I'm definitely not the most perfect person in the world. I put up this tough barrier but I can actually be very sensitive. Two years ago, I cared way too much about what people thought of me and would cry myself to sleep because I felt there was no more hope. But then I got into drag, and everything seemed to make sense.
My love for drag started out slow. I was always in love with the idea of makeup and transformation but I was never exposed to drag or what it was until I started watching a YouTube channel called "Perfect Androgyny" that was put together by my favorite makeup artist, Joseph Harwood. PA was a place that I found helpful to me because everyday there would be a new video...whether it was a vlog or a rant or a challenge...or just a topic that each cast member talked about...I felt that it was a place for me to go to find people like myself. What I loved about it was the cast actually interacted with their viewers and we all got to know each person individually for not only their talents but for who they were as people. That channel brought people together and it was the whole reason that Arabia Felix was brought into my life.
A year and a half later, I found my place in this community and it's all because someone saw something in me that I couldn't even see in myself at the time. I became absolutely obsessed with drag and watched every season of Rupaul's Drag Race. At the time I had a personal blog which I don't use anymore because I spend so much time working on this one. I wrote a post about my favorite drag queens of all time, and one of them was Arabia Felix. I had messaged her on Facebook thinking she might not even read it and may not even reply...but she did more than read it and reply. Arabia actually shared it and was really excited that there were people out there who understood her art.
For those of you who don't know Arabia and aren't familiar with her situation, let me explain it to you. Arabia lives in the Middle East where doing drag can land you a one way ticket to jail. Their beliefs are very strict and she takes a huge risk by doing drag in her area. For this reason, I felt a special bond with Arabia because I've always been an outcast in the small town that I live in, and her situation reminded me that I may be an outcast but at least I can express myself freely without fear of punishment. Little did I know when I first started talking to Arabia that she would become one of the most important and most inspirational people in my life.
There have been many times that I've wished that I could bring Arabia to the United States permanently. When we became friends, I was at one of the darkest times in my life and whenever I needed anything, like someone to talk to, even if she was busy, she found time to talk to me and make sure I was okay. Soon those Facebook conversations turned into Skype calls and our friendship only grew from there.
I've tried to explain my admiration for Arabia to other people and I can never put into words how much she actually means to me. With her strength, talent, and uniqueness, I asked her to be my drag mother. Ever since then, she has taken me under her wing and has helped guide me on the right path. Her art is absolutely out of this world and brilliant, and I've never seen anything like it in my entire life. Without her in my life, I wouldn't have this amazing page, I wouldn't have met so many talented people, and I wouldn't be as strong as I am right now.
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Cheers to you, Arabia, for being the one person I can turn to when everything goes wrong. It genuinely brings me to tears that we haven't met in person yet, but I know everything happens for a reason and it will happen someday. I wish I could celebrate your birthday with you but for right now, this is all I can do. I'm so blessed to have you in my life and I tell you that all the time but I feel like I can't tell you enough how much you genuinely mean to me and how grateful I am for such a wonderful friendship. Happy birthday!
Follow Arabia:
Instagram: @arabia.felix
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheArabianFelix
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/queenarabiafelix?fref=ts
The Drag Enthusiast:
Twitter: @DragEnthusiast
Tumblr: dragenthusiast.tumblr.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dragenthusiast
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