![]() ![]() Originally explained in Paris Is Burning by drag queen Dorian Corey – “Shade is, I don’t tell you you’re ugly, but I don’t have to tell you, because you know you’re ugly. Words such as “shade”, in particular, have now become mainstream, used in songs and writing by people outside the black or LGBTQIA+ community. The show’s language borrows from the 1991 New York drag scene documentary Paris Is Burning, depicting the origins and meanings behind culture. On Drag Race, language stops being just subcultural “lingo” and is a vehicle for speading and popularising drag slang, which is heavily used, explained and commented on during the show and subsequently adopted by pop culture. The group has been acknowledged by RuPaul in interviews and, recently, by a variety of social media posts. These tend to contain language and humour that only members of that subculture would be able to understand. The group blends Drag Race and Twin Peaks by juxtaposing both shows’ characters and quotes through memes, gifs and videos made and posted exclusively by fans, who need to be added and accepted onto the group by moderators. One of the most famous Drag Race crossovers, however, is Fire WERK With Me, a Facebook group with more than 10,000 members and write-ups in PAPER Magazine. Fan blogs have called for Drag Race/American Horror Story or Disney/Drag Race mash-ups. ![]() RuPaul’s appearance on Jeopardy, and season nine winner Sasha Velour’s obsession with Riverdale, have left fans begging for new crossovers. In 2018, the show did a crossover episode with America’s Next Top Model. Through Drag Race, the language of drag is not just gaining recognition by a wider public – it is being turned into a new art form through memes, GIFs and content that floods millions of people’s social media feeds.ĭrag Race is manna from heaven for content creators and for niche fandoms – groups of die-hard fans that veer away from traditional, mainstream entertainment. It has helped open the door of drag, LGBTQ+ and black queer culture for a mainstream audience – introducing the conventions, habits, rituals and attitudes of these subcultures to the mainstream public. ![]() Aside from the crown, America’s Next Drag Superstar wins US$100,000 and travels the world for a year representing the show.īut in the past few years, it has become clear that Drag Race has done way more than entertaining its ever-growing army of fans. Winning – or even just participating in – Drag Race can be life-changing for drag queens. On the show, drag queens fight for the crown of “America’s Next Drag Superstar” by competing in singing, dancing, lipsyncing and acting as well as various comedy challenges … and sewing. We should all take notice.Ĭreated by RuPaul Charles – the self-styled “ Supermodel of the World”, Drag Race is a loud and proud LGBTQ+ show that subverts the usual trope of typically American talent shows such as Project Runway or America’s Next Top Model, by choosing drag queens as its contestants. First broadcast in the early 2000s as a niche talent show on relatively unknown US cable channel Logo TV, Drag Race is now big business and has moved to a far more visible new home on MTV’s VH1.Ī UK version is set to debut on BBC Three in October – and with Canadian and Australian editions in the works, Drag Race has become a cultural juggernaut that is influencing our everyday language and internet behaviour. Most likely, you’ll get a GIF which originated from RuPaul’s Drag Race. Try typing “Yas queen!” or “Shade” or “Don’t Fuck It Up” into a search engine and see what comes up. ![]()
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