![]() Though RuPaul himself is known for his saying: "we're all born naked and the rest is drag", the scene's king-maker has notably restricted his contestants to queens. Some critics in the LGBT+ community argue that drag kings have no right to inhabit a space traditionally taken by gay men or that drag queens performances by men have a unique ability to explore and challenge damaging stereotypes of masculinity. Thomson Reuters Foundation / Cormac O'Brienĭrag kings said they had faced bemusement and hostility from some in the historically male-dominated LGBT+ community. Jen Powell, who performs as the drag king act Adam All, prepares for a show in London, United Kingdom on January 30, 2019. "I hope will help in putting drag kings on the map - that people will recognise the vast, rich history that women have in donning men's attire for theatrical purposes." "Drag kings are still largely unknown," she said. So, to be able to express my anger in a comedic way was a great relief."Īs interest in kings grows, Fischer is leading work on a website that traces the history of masculine drag from Tang Dynasty China in 618 to pop star Rita Ora recently performing dressed as rapper Post Malone. "It gets boring to be angry, in a way, because it's so one-note. It doesn't matter what you wear, what you look like: women are prey, targets. "In New York, there's plenty for women to be angry about - you walk the streets and you are constantly harassed. Dick, aka Mo Fischer, who first began performing in New York in 1995. ![]() "My motto has been instead of being an angry woman I became a funny man," said veteran drag king Mo B. He sees them as a celebration of his masculinity.įor others, taking to the stage as a drag king can offer a chance to respond creatively to misogyny in daily life and behave in ways that would not be acceptable as a woman. Silver said that while his performances are playful, they have also helped him to realise he was a trans man. "For me, drag kinging is a big 'up yours' to all that… It's deconstructing toxic masculinity and I think completely flipping society's views on what it means to be a man." "Men are told to be a certain way – they can't be emotional, they can't cry," said Silver. "There is a movement away from conventional, stereotypical ideas about how men and women should be," he said.ĭrag offers a chance to knowingly examine and question gender roles, he added, with many performers agreeing they had wanted to challenge stereotypes of masculinity. The rise in drag kings comes amid a cultural shift over gender, said Nigel Edley, an expert in gender roles and masculinity at the Nottingham Trent University in Britain. television talent show RuPaul's Drag Race, which has made stars of some competitors and helped to boost a gay subculture into the mainstream. Much of the recent growth of interest in the drag scene can be traced back to the popular U.S. "There did seem very few on the scene, but now it's really exploded." "When I first started, there was still a lot of people who didn't know what a drag king was or had never seemed to have heard the term before," said British performer Sammy Silver. While drag kings arguably have just as long a past, they have not enjoyed the same level of recognition or popularity - although that now appears to be changing. Male actors cross-dressing on stage have a well-known history going back to William Shakespeare's era and gay men performing in hyper-feminine drag have long been a part of the LGBT+ community. "I think he's really exploring his maleness and what it means to be a man in the 21st century." He's not massively confident, oddly enough, although he does love the stage. "Adam is more flamboyant, he's more cartoony, more fun-loving, dancey. "Once I've got the suit on and the shape looks right and the face looks male, I don't have to change my character very much at all to present completely and believably as male," Powell told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Powell is among a growing number of drag kings - mostly female or transgender performers playing exaggerated male characters – in a previously niche LGBT+ performance scene that is booming in popularity across much of the Western world. LONDON, Feb 28 (Openly) - Carefully painting in sharp cheekbones and heavy eyebrows before applying a moustache and a final sprinkling of glitter, Jen Powell slowly transforms into male alter-ego Adam All ahead of a performance at a London club. Drag Kings say they want to challenge stereotypes of masculinity, amid a cultural shift over gender
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |