![]() “Ultimately, I feel like any public-facing celebrity is inherently leaning towards drag. It’s just more evident now with social media and the internet being the conduit instead of just the pages of magazines.”ĭrag queen and CEO of DragQueenMerch, Biblegirl, says that she sees drag as more than just the makeup. Way Bandy and Kevyn Aucoin were doing to supermodels what drag queens have been doing for years. “I mean the Kardashians and Real Housewives wear just as much much as the average drag queen,” says Willam. Drag Queens are the trendsetters.”ĭrag can be seen throughout contemporary pop culture as often as it can on a stage at a gay bar: in the often-referenced contour on Kim Kardashian, the cut crease on Megan Thee Stallion, the draped blush on Doja Cat, the overlined lip on Kacey Musgraves. Willam adds, “Drag has always been at the forefront of pushing the limits to what people did with makeup, injectables, and images from top to toes. Theories like contouring and highlighting have found a new significance in everyday beauty, especially lashes and lace front wigs.” Peppermint, runner-up on season nine and the first out trans woman to originate a role on Broadway says, “Drag definitely has relevance in modern conventional beauty practices. ![]() The everyday woman wants to feel more of that glam in her day-to-day too.” “Women have started wearing lashes way more now, and I think that that’s definitely due to drag queens and showgirls. Willam, a multi-hyphenate performer who appeared on season four of Drag Race before continuing her career in television, music, and movies - including appearing in A Star Is Born alongside Lady Gaga - sees drag in people’s makeup every day. I’ve worked with so many designers and makeup artists that say that celebrities are bringing Drag Race pictures for inspo!” Monét X Change, winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 4, explains, “Much like fashion, drag is very influential in the beauty industry. Because of this, drag techniques are being adopted into mainstream beauty in both overt and subtle ways. Take one look at television ratings and social media engagement and you’ll see that drag queens have followings that rival pop stars. “I remember Candis Cayne teaching me how to line my lips over and over again.” Drag’s Influence On Mainstream Beauty “Now we have tutorials on YouTube, but back in prehistoric times we learned from watching others and practicing,” Sherry says. But before beauty fans had digital how-tos at their fingertips, queens had to learn from each other in the back rooms of bars before they hit the stage. With today’s access to YouTube and social media, you’ll have a hard time finding someone who hasn’t looked up a beauty tutorial to figure out how to apply makeup. ![]() “Not that it was the first time we saw bright vibrant colors in makeup (YSL of the 70’s!), but now you frequently see bright colors purples and oranges and pinks - I love it!” “I think as drag became more mainstream people started to really embrace color,” drag veteran Sherry Vine says. Today, we’re lucky to find what is essentially drag makeup in drugstore aisles. Many queens originally had to resort to using stage makeup in order to get the bright, vibrant shades they needed to help them transform into their drag personas. RuPaul put it best when he said “I don’t dress like a woman I dress like a drag queen!”Īfter over ten years on the air, RuPaul’s Drag Race has introduced an entire generation to not only drag, but the infinite possibilities of makeup. Even on the vaudeville stages, men performed as women frequently.ĭrag is often thought of simply as men dressing up as women, but drag has evolved past the idea of female impersonation into larger-than-life characters that transcend and defy gender, age, and sometimes gravity. In Shakespearian times, women were not allowed on stage, so men were forced to wear women’s clothing and play their roles. It’s easy to feel like drag was birthed with the premiere season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, but gender impersonation has been present in almost every part of recorded human history, including ancient Egypt, China, and Greece. There is no better place to see drag’s indelible mark on culture than the aisles of your favorite beauty retailer. ![]() While there is no one way for someone to be a drag performer, the art of drag is inseparable from makeup. Where only a few years ago, you’d only be able to see queens in gay bars, they’re now all but unavoidable in mainstream media, and probably in the city you live in as well. Thanks to RuPaul and his Emmy award-winning series RuPaul’s Drag Race, drag queens are now more popular, visible, and marketable than ever. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage… Drag, which has completely taken over the world as we know it.
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