Drag queen is a man (or less often a woman) who plays a female role on the stage with strong make-up, effective hairstyle and clothes. Drag queen is a spectacle, she is a stage character and (not always) a transvestite or a gay. A drag queen is also not a transsexual who has undergone or is in the process of gender reassignment. Read who a drag queen is and what her performances are all about!

Drag queenis usually associated with men who just like to change into feminine clothes. However, this is not entirely true -drag queenfunctions as a man on a daily basis and does not want to change this fact, he is also not a transvestite. The latter dresses up in clothes characteristic of the opposite sex to satisfy their psychological or sexual needs.

Who is a drag queen?

Drag queencreates its image for the performance, in Poland, actually only in clubs for the LGBT community, in the USA and Western Europedrag queenthey appear more often as guests of the evening, not only in gay or lesbian clubs. It is also worth noting that the image of a drag queen is deliberately exaggerated - after all, women do not wear several-centimeter-long heels, large muted hairstyles and sexy outfits in flashy colors. Also make up u drag queen is very distinctive and clear.

What's more, as drag queen performs on stage, she is not satisfied with just women's clothes - drag queens dance, sing, entertain the audience.

Although it seems that drag queens are only men, sometimes even women themselves take on a more expressive than everyday image and perform on stage. They are called the faux queen.

As for the terminology itself, the origins of the term "drag queen" are explained in various ways. "In drag" may mean dressing up as a person of the opposite sex, but "to drag" itself means "drag", which may be related to the fact that already in the eighteenth century this word was used to describe men who looked like women. Why? Their dresses trailed on the ground. "Drag" could also be derived from the abbreviation " dressedresembling likea girl", meaning "dressed like a girl".

Similarly with the word "queen". It means "queen", but also in the formerin English there was a word "quean" which meant "harlot." This word was used for women and gays who have frequent sexual contacts.

The most famous drag queens in Poland

  • Conchita Wurst- Austrian drag queen, Eurovision winner 2014;
  • RuPaul- performed, among others with Elton John in the music video for the song "Don't go breaking my heart", her reality show "RuPaul's Drag Race" is very popular in the United States;
  • Pabllo Vittar- born in 1994, a Brazilian who gained fame thanks to his performance in the Brazilian "Got Talent";
  • Lady Bunny- American DJ, actress;
  • Raven- also from the United States, works as a makeup artist on a daily basis;
  • Kim Lee- Korean-Vietnamese drag queen, who has been performing in Poland for many years.

What are drag queens performances like?

A drag queen performance is always an exaggeration, a caricature of what is traditionally associated with femininity. Some drag queens constantly appear as one character, e.g. a look-alike of a famous singer, others present a completely different image during each performance.

Drag queen, as mentioned above, not only looks but sings, presents a monologue, and sometimes dances. In Poland, apart from the stages of clubs for non-heteronormative people, you can often see drag queens on equality marches.

Drag queen parody- they parody famous people in their work, including Adele, Madonna, Dolly Parton, Lady Gaga - often women who have the status of a gay icon.

Drag queen grotesque- they joke, often quite sharply, in some way their performance is similar to what comedians do, also during stand-ups.

Drag queen of postmodernism- their performance is a performance, they refer to social and political issues;

Drag queen burlesque- as the name suggests, this type of drag queen performances are reminiscent of women's burlesque performances.

Worth knowing

Drag queen a drag king

Many people have heard about drag queen, but far fewer know that drag king also exists. Drag kings are women who look like men, also for the purpose of performance. Most often, drag king can be seen in suits, under a tie or in a tight-fitting t-shirt. With or without a mustache or beard. One of the world's most famous drag king groups is All The Kings Men. Girls often parody famous macho men, such as Elvis Presley and Tim McGraw.

Why are drag king less known than drag queens? It definitely decides aboutThese include several factors, including the fact that drag queens look more "spectacular" - they are colorful and have a much wider range of "feminine" accessories at their disposal. A man dressed as a woman usually evokes more lively reactions (often negative on the street and very positive in clubs) than a woman dressed as a man.

Drag queen - indoctrination of young children or a lesson of tolerance?

An unusual tolerance lesson took place in a British kindergarten. The youngest were visited by Drag Queen Topsie Redfern. She wanted to make children aware of how difficult it is for those who have chosen a rather original and not always accepted lifestyle. The children listened to her story with bated breath.

Source: youtube.com/WION

Category:

Psychology