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DRAG

I didn't know where to put this, and i don't know if there's already another one out there (if so, feel free to combine this one in...) but is anyone on here into drag? I used to like doing shows, like, i never got heavily into it; i was more camp drag, but is anyone seriously into it?

LilyJadeRose's picture

random thoughts

you know, all the drag kings i've ever seen never seemed to look (or act) realistic to me. i always found it cheesy. i've always wondered if there was a way for a woman to really pull off drag. i mean i know drag queens that could, and do, easily pass for biological women. is it hard for a woman to easily pass as a man or have i just not seen the right drag kings?

~~Come With Me If You Want To Live: the forum

http://www.afterellen.com/node/31891

educatedguess's picture

I think...

I think, in a sense, realism is desirable to the theatrical aspect of drag. Like, the best kings really pull off a good semblance. But I think so much of drag is not limited to theatrics. Drag can be considered a form of activism, or protest against restricting gender norms, and societal pressures to conform to heterosexually ideal norms. In that sense, kings and queens might be not that realistic, or might be completely over the top, because in essence the goal is deconstruction. There is an attempt to emphasize cliches and stereotypes in order to reveal the ridiculousness of and therefore subvert those norms.

Although, it is impressive when they really pull off masculinity, isn't it? :P

educatedguess's picture

I've been

I've been thinking about starting this topic for a while. I'm glad someone else did. I absolutely love drag. I only recently started performing, but since I came out, I've dated kings or had friends who were, so I was behind the scenes of a lot of drag shows, doing facial hair, helping with binding, that kind of thing. I love every aspect of it, from the subversive aspect to the theatrics. There's something about being onstage that is addictive, and there's something about women expressing that kind of masculinity, wearing the suits and such, that is just so unbelievably sexy.

I recently did my first show, in which I got a jazz costume together, and did a little broadway jazz performance with two friends. It was fantastic.

brackishtea's picture

YES!!! Women in suits *faints*

I agree 100%.  

 

"Those who do not like you fall into two categories: The stupid and the envious. The stupid will like you in five years time. The envious, never. "`_the Libertine

Walking_Contradiction's picture

I've been taken as a

I've been taken as a bio-boy when i am in drag. I've only "performed" twice but I drag whenever the chance arises and out in "primarily-hetro-land" as one of my friends termes it (i.e. a resturaunt like IHOP or Outback) I've been refered to as sir and treated like a man. I think it is possible. there is some aspect of Preforming Drag artists that purposly camp it up, make it obviouse it is a woman dressed as a man or man dressed as a woman. that is just one aspect of the drag community. Gender impersonators come in as many different idiological backgrounds and intents as any other cultural group.

 

"Nothing is impossible and there is no such thing as a lost cause"

queeniefakesit's picture

'sir...'

I think i look decidedly feminine, even in men's clothes, but i'm always called 'sir'..even got a 'are you lost? this is the women's bathroom!' 'good thing too, i'm a womens!'

But yeah I love drag..i usually look like those young boys like Chris Brown or Bow Wow because i always look strange with facial hair, but because my friends and i usually just do camp, we usually just draw it on lol. I don't cut my hair so i don't have any clippings where i can make my own goatees, but I think that'd be too cool if i did. I'd probably be addicted to it if i did. Me and two of my friends all had football jerseys and were the Ying Yang Twins. In triplet form. We have it on tape and can probablly never run for office.

i really forgot what else I was gonna say.

 

I got a dick like a mule...with a big dick.

baarlijan_xen's picture

I'D LOVE TO DRAG

 

but I never get shirts to button up properly... ahahaha!!! not to mention suits of course... the boobs always stick out ahahahaha!!!

I'd love to have a smaller bossom to dress in suits properly, but on a second thought... hmmmm ... NO! I'll just watch others do it ahahaahah!!!!

 

* I am the Cinnamon Spider *

TMers's picture

Sort of bad...

And it may sound odd, but..I have to get my fix now. Like..I get really irritable or depressed if I don't get to dress as 'Dominic' once a week for any amount of time. And I've never even seen a show, unfortunately.

I think it's really, really fun. I've only actually left my house in drag once. Went to a mall. SUCH a rush. It was before I cut my hair, so I was horrified my hat would get knocked off, my looong hair would fall out, and everyone would find out I wasn't really a guy. I'm not so frightened of it now though. With my short hair I personally think can manage to look pretty boyish. But I'm biased. Still, I can't wait to try going out again. Like I said, the rush is amazing.

And I totally agree about it being sexy!

educatedguess's picture

I know what you mean...

I definitely understand having to get a fix. If I go too long without dressing as 'Harvey', I get antsy as hell. Good for you for braving the public place. I've only done that once myself - me and two friends got done up as our drag aliases and went out to some straight bars. It was terrifying, but a total rush. Funnily enough, when I'm not in drag, I am occasionally mistaken for a man. When I am in drag, they seem to be able to see right through me, and can somehow tell I'm a woman. Frustrating world.
TMers's picture

Nice to know I'm not the

Nice to know I'm not the only one!

Yeah, I went with my close friend (who was also in drag). She goes out as 'David' at least once a week. It makes me so jealous. The bit about people being able to tell when you're in drag...it really is horrifying. However, my friend told me that you might think it for a while, but they really aren't staring right through you. She said that as long as you look enough like a guy, people will likely just assume you are because that's what makes them comfortable. Which I'm certain is true here in the Bible Belt, though I'm not sure about other places. They aren't really going to pick apart every detail of your body to figure it out, but getting past the initial anxiety enough to make yourself realize that is really hard. That's how it is for me, anyway. Did anyone actually call you on it?

educatedguess's picture

Well, no...

No one has actually called me on it. Though when we were standing in line for this one bar, I swear we got some obvious double takes. However, it might just have been the spaces we were attempting. Straight university bars, where all the guys look the same anyways, if you have three small drag kings standing around, the juxtaposition would make it all the more obvious. And even if they couldn't tell we were women, they probably assumed we were some kind of queer, maybe gay men. We should try it in a mall setting and see if the reaction is different. But you're probably absolutely right about the paranoia. It absolutely makes sense that people would assume you are the gender you're presenting yourself as, simply because they can't deal with the idea that you're genderfucking. That really seems to be one of the more contentious acts you can perform in public. People are fucking terrified of it.

Also, good for you, having the guts to genderfuck in the Bible Belt. I've never even been to the US so I really can't even imagine how different the climate must be where you are. Canada has it's bible belty areas in the small towns, but I live in a university town, so I have tonnes of opportunity to be a queer activist and still have a comfortable place in the community. Makes drag muuuch easier.

TMers's picture

Mmhmm. I can imagine that.

Mmhmm. I can imagine that. Yeah, I'm pretty sure anyone who looked at 'Dominic' more than once just thought he was gay (which is almost as bad here, of course). Heh. The mall thing is fun. There are so many different people that you know no one will stare at you for too long. Unless it's a girl checking you out. Which happened to me at least once. Anyway..it's a lot more comfortable, I'd think. Yes, they really are..and it makes me rather sick.

I was shaking in my boy-jeans, that's for sure. I was a little afraid some big fat redneck would lynch me. =) Heh. Lucky you. If you do ever visit, don't get anywhere near the Bible Belt. I can't really imagine anywhere being more bigoted.
I'm so jealous! It sounds amazing.

My Name Is Tara's picture

I went to a drag show last

I went to a drag show last week.

And there was a person who dressed in drag and performed. I was like WOAH, I like what I see! Their body was...Wow, I was attracted instantly. They had curves all in the right places and I couldn't stop looking!

queeniefakesit's picture

DRAG NAMES!!

My current drag name (whenever I do it): Faulkener Wright.

yeahiknow. typical.

I'm thinkin abuot changing it but it depends on if i do drag anymore.

I mean, i'm actually kinda bad at it, it's just fun to do lol.

i REALLY want a suit. I saw a blazer and pants at Express that I'd like, and if I get right on my important stuff I may buy it.

I think next time i do drag i'm gonna try facial hair! (cuz i'm on my grown man.)

 

I got a dick like a mule...with a big dick.

singporchsongs's picture

i am utterly fascinated by

i am utterly fascinated by drag, especially drag kings. jess mentioned a subversive aspect to drag, and i think that is, in large part, what attracts me.  sadly, i've never really tried it...i know i have a very feminine face and curves, and i doubt i would be at all convincing. 

i was in a play where the girls who played men had to bind--i was playing a woman, but in our spare time in the dressing room i got some one to help me bind myself because i was curious. unfortunately, having no boobs just emphasized the fact that my hips and waist are way feminine. oh wells. 

uhuher's picture

The scariest experience of

The scariest experience of my life was probably taking the nightbus home in the early hours of the morning in drag. Luckily I didnt experience any physical abuse, just a little verbal jostling from drunk men, but that didnt really bother me. I dont think I can pass as a biological guy purely because of my height + hips, but its fun watching people double take! Its interesting reading above about those of you who are addicted to it, i can sort of see why- there is a massive endorphin rush, and also femmy women are suddenly much more interested..

soupchef's picture

Speaking as a king

I`ve been a king for over two years here in Montreal. For me, kinging statred as a way to express my masculine side and have control over how people saw me. If I was called, "sir" as myself it bottered me. If someone called me "sir" in drag then I controlled what they saw. I started performing, under the name Billy King, with a few guys and before long we got a pretty big following. Drag kinging was big in Montreal for 10 years with  the Mambo Drag kings, but once they retired there wasnt anything around but Queens. People were thirsty for Kings. Now we are about 12 members of the Dukes of Drag and we are getting gigs all over the province. The dukes are made up of a very different group of people. Some who do it for political reasons, some who just like to perform, some who are gender queer and even some that are trans. Mainly we all do it becuase we love it. I wouldnt trade being a king for anything. Billy is as much a party of me as I am of him...

 

 

Gay by Nature... Proud by choice


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