Friday, July 17, 2020

SPILT TEA

No question about it...it's been an odd year for sure. It seems like everything is changing or the party is over. The one bright spot for me has always been drag. And since roughly hanging drag up last summer, Drag Race is just the ticket. It's always exciting for me when queens I know, met or have seen get on the show. But with the times changing...could this empire be seeing the first cracks in the foundations? Are the times catching up to drag race?  RuPaul herself the last couple of months took,  and it taking alot of heat over the fracking she was allowing on her ranch, after claiming she was a huge supporter of the environment. I mean the jokes..."OH you better FRACK". I have to admit I was some disappointed to learn that. I also think she is getting a tad tough on some of these queens about their style and looks, when she herself will admit she can't get ready without a team of stylist anymore. But it wasn't till recently that some of the queens are starting to swipe at her and each other. 

 Yvie Oddly I have always enjoyed and she is one creative queen. But this week she started to come for another queen Katya, and opened up about classism in the Drag Race World. Yvie is now responded to comments made by Katya in a new book she has written with Trixie Mattel. In the passage, Katya said she was upset and unreasonably angry over the way Yvie presented herself at RuPauls Drag Con because she felt Yvie, being a winner, wasn't carrying herself with the prestige factor during her reigning year. "Represent the brand. Carry the torch for a year" Katya said. Yvie of course, fired back. "If you refused to see the ideals behind my choices then it's because you operate from a place of privilege where fashion and drag don't have to speak to your life, circumstances, especially not socioeconmically" she said. She also put RuPaul on blast, saying interactions with Ru... "where she never makes eye contact unless she smells an Emmy." OUCH!!!!  But I would tend to agree with Yvie. As the show goes on, it's more of a "who has the most expensive wigs and drag" as oppossed to the earlier shows were the queens did not have money and were more creative with what they had. Many are now comparing the early queens to the later queens. When you talk to many queens, many will tell you while it's a good time, the early days of your drag seem to be the most fun and campy, to see what you could throw together. 




That claim about Ru on set has also been told from Pearl Liason from season 7 who said that RuPaul turned to her on the set and once said "Nothing you say matters unless that camera is rolling!!!! So don't ever ask Pearl about RuPaul.




Another queen done with the show and RuPaul the loudest is the Vixen. The Vixen won a special place in the hearts of fans after walking off the season 10 reunion in protest at what she has often described as racial bias. As a Black queen, The Vixen was painted as a confrontational force in the Drag Race werk room, particularly when she rubbed up against Eureka. Famously, she told RuPaul: “Everybody’s telling me how I should react but nobody’s telling her how to act,” before exiting the stage. In the years since The Vixen has continued to be an advocate for up and coming Black queens – with her BlackGirlMagic project, winning praise from the Obama Foundation, and has become an outspoken critic of the franchise. Now the Chicago queen revisited her time on the show, detailing poor working conditions, alleged threats from producers and a very frosty relationship with RuPaul.She said the makers of the show could “absolutely” do more to protect its Black queens, in part by not presenting queens within an “angry Black girl” narrative, and by ending the framing of Black queens in the context of white Eurocentric beauty. On camera they were telling Vixen  she shouldn’t do these things, but the days leading up to it they were saying they wanted drama, they wanted good TV, but their idea of good TV was cornering to Vixen.  After she walked off set, The Vixen claimed that producers “insinuated” they would kick her out of her hotel room unless she cooperated. Of RuPaul’s comments on the reunion that “comes from the same goddam place she comes from” The Vixen said that the RuPaul was complicit in her treatment. “Ru creates this platform, but when you look at the 40 white producers that accept an award with her, those are the people that she’s really answering to. “It doesn’t matter that she’s looking at a queen that looks just like her. She doesn’t see with empathy, because she’s looking through the eyes of 40 white men.” When asked whether she would consider returning to Drag Race, The Vixen replied: “Absolutely not. You can’t expect the person that hurt you to heal you.

Sounds like Ru needs to have a look see and check up on a few things. She also I feel has been surprisingly quiet with the Black Lives Matter when the roits started. Who has a better platform then the Queen of drag???? 

Whether you like Yvie or not...she is woke and one creative queen.


19 comments:

  1. Ohhh
    *Get her, Jade!*
    I love Ivie. I think she was outstanding in her season and her lip synch creed is impeccable. I LIKE that she has a voice and uses it. Don't get me wrong, I like Katya and to a lesser extent, Trixie, but those two queens are blond and white, so yeah, privilege.
    White queens have no business calling out Black queens when they speak. None. And the Drag Race fandom can be (and it certainly is) very racist. I loved it when The Vixen got up and left. Asia O'hara has also called Ru on her bullshit.
    Pearl, I could not care less. Pretty? Yeah. But she comes across as ignorant (laissez-faire, anyone?) and absolutely petulant. Has she ever lip-synched? Kimchi, who also puts out awesome looks, would give her a run for her money with any song. I consider being stupid and vain a bigger sin than telling fans to keep their place or being a crafty queen.
    Ru is not perfect. Who the fuck is? But she's a businesswoman. And she gave these girls a platform few had before Drag Race. Can RPDR be better? Of course. Perfect? There's no chance. It's a reality contest, for fuck's sake.
    I hope Black queens and queens of Color keep speaking up. Few things have changed since Crystal LaBeija stormed out of the stage of Miss All-America Camp Beauty Contest in 1967.
    Oh, girl. Why'd you go and get me started like that?

    XOXO

    P.S. I love that video!

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    1. I didn't mean to het you worked up!!!!! I have never seen Pearl do anything but make up...even in clubs more a look queen. Buy poor Kim Chi. I had heard she was treated a bit shabby also. And she looks are stunning...best performer and dancer...no....but her routines are more arty.

      With Ru the shocking thing was clearing her social media with little discussions or awareness to current events....gone dark. I found it confusing. Use the platform. Still love her though.

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    2. Hahahahaha
      You know I have an opinion about everything and everybody. But I am not a Drag Artist. I can only speak as spectator. I think KimChi is a fantastic artist. Her IG is magic.
      I do think Ru could have done more, but she’s said time and again she’s not an activist *shrugs*. To each her own.
      I think you should do recaps of RPDR. I would love to read your opinion.

      XoXo

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  2. It's all so sad and crazy!

    take care, xoxo :-)

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  3. Here! Here! to the girls for speaking up. While I still love RuPaul, she has become too white and needs to remember where she came from. I too arrive she needs to be more active in the media with these current events...especially from a LGBTQ stand point. I know some queen from the show are becoming upset with her over it too.

    And Yvie can certainly bring it. I like Katya too, but she never knows when to shut her pie hole.

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  4. You know how I feel about RuPaul and the show. We're drag performers and artist...not possessions and circus animals. Some of the challenges on their have nothing what so ever to do with drag. If I wanted to act, I would have went to acting school.

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    1. I question some of the challenges myself. Many of these have nothing to do with the drag world to be a queen. And often times, the ones who aren't winning are going on to do more and gain momentum then the winners. And some use their talents to go in all directions like Sasha and Aquaria, while others...where are they? Tyra Sanchez?

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  5. I love Yvie. I always feel like a lots of queens don't respect her style of drag.

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    1. I can't disagree with you. Many queens who are outside the box always get a hard time on drag. If it's not a expensive look, lace front wig, fishy queen, or a pageant queen, they aren't treat with respect. What some queens call campy now...oh honey...they have no idea what real camp is. It's why I love and respect Lady Bunny so much. She doesn't need the lace fronts, a huge wardrobe, and spend a fortune. And yet she is fucking fabulous and funny as hell and always looks great in retro looks. And hence why I give kudos to the Boulet Brothers for starting Draglua.

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  6. Powerful piece, hon. Well, done. Well presented. I like me a well framed argument. Re: Drag Race - I had issues from season one. Ru has no respect for the drag queens of old or their style. The fact that her show is not more diverse behind the scenes shocks me. And her silence re: BLM - telling. But you see, Ru broke through the gay glass ceiling. Good for her, but she doesn't seem to have any interest helping others do the same. She has done a lot for drag, let us not forget that... but there is so much MORE she could do. I loved the bit about the early days and there being more creativity. I loved that crafting portion of the program and was always amazed what they could pull together. But even back then, there was no room for something that did not fit her narrow view of drag. Sorry, but first season winner? She's fierce (and from Minneapolis) but it felt wrong. I got tired of all the Beyonce wannabes, too. Reality television as a whole has huge integrity issues - stemming from producers needing to invent drama in order to draw viewers which drive ad monies. Ru quickly became all about the money. And sad. Because it was supposed to be a show about drag. Thanks for shining a light on this.

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    1. I couldn't agree more about the show going further....why not get to know the queens more...and what made them get into drag. While I enjoy the show...it needs to be more show and less drama.

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  7. Oh Ru! You old Shrew! Get it together, Momma! You really disappoint me so and I support all those of you who have untucked and who have had the "balls" to speak up and speak out here and everywhere. Seriously though, shame on Ru for using her status for her own selfish endeavors and not for the betterment of the LGBTQ community, to strengthen the Black Lives Matter movement and to help young, black drag queens who need direction and a real sense of purpose. Bitch, remember where you came from!!!

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  8. Oh, I hate the drama, but I love the talent.

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  9. Big girls get the short end of the stick on Drag Race too. I'm still bitter over Ginger Minj's loss.

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    1. That was definitely one year a big girl should have won. I agree Debs. Granted Violet is very talented too. But Ginger's voice!!!!!!!! She can sing!

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  10. If the Mistress isn't on there, I have no interest in watching! ; )

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    1. I see....now your trying to win me back over the croc revelation......

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  11. Anonymous7/18/2020

    I have enjoyed RPDR in the past but It is almost too polished for me these days. Maybe it is because the drama is usually the same? I enjoy seeing the creativity.

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    1. That seems to be the general consensus.

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