What Lies Underneath the Beat Faces & Extravaganza by Nick Muscara

The 2019 PRISM Drag Show marks the 8th year an LGBTQ+ organization known as PRISM has produced an entertaining spectacle for all of Ithaca College. The show takes place during the Spring semester of each academic year and IC students are permitted to audition to perform in the showcase. Even alumni from previous years may be invited back to perform again. Each year the show is produced by PRISM’s president or co-presidents of the year. This past year, the organization and show was headed by Thomas Conti and Paige Whitmore. The show encapsulates the expressive and rebellious foundations of drag culture. Drag is a performance art form through which the societal standards of gender are played with and twisted to the point in which performers are often unrecognizable. Thus, performers often take on personas that do not reflect their everyday personalities. These new drag personas offer an outlet to express parts of their identities they may not feel comfortable revealing in the ambient hegemonic “straight world”. As a retaliation against the gender binary that exists in our society, drag cultivates a community willing to accept and embrace the various differences that define who we are as human beings.

I wanted to write a piece that reveals what drag means, and I figured it would be best if I were to get these answers from the sources themselves, the ones actively participating in drag culture. I decided to interview this past year’s drag show performers to see what they had to say about drag. My interviewees included drag queens, drag kings, and other non-binary drag performers with varying experience levels. Shared among them is their passion for drag and commitment to fostering a space in which self-expression is celebrated no matter how “strange” or “wrong” it may seem to others. Maya Lewis, who I collaborated with for this article and the interviews, provided the wonderful photographs of the performers.

How do we describe drag? This performance of gender seems to function in a multitude of ways. It can be a learning experience, a way in which one discovers new aspects and hidden levels of their identities. It is a daring pursuit that pushes boundaries in any way possible. It can even exist as an extension of oneself. For performers, drag is a fun outlet that enables them to experiment in ways they may not feel comfortable doing in their daily lives. It encourages them to stand out against the constraints of standard definitions of gender and say “screw you” to oppressive societal norms. Drag offers an opportunity to explore identities and draws forth the courage to pursue one’s personal truths. It is a passion that is revolutionary, not only in the surrounding environment but in the internal realm too.

In recent years, drag has gone mainstream. Shows such as RuPaul’s Drag Race have introduced drag culture to millions of people around the world. But how do real drag artists feel about this spread of awareness? There seems to be mixed feelings about this. On the bad side, the so-called “highest” form of drag is disproportionately represented in mainstream media, particularly through RuPaul’s Emmy-award winning television series. This presentation misdirects people to believe that those drag queens embody what drag should be; yet, there are so many unique expressions of this versatile art form. Drag should not be restricted to this unrealistic image of what drag is. Where are the drag kings? Where are the bio queens? Where are the non-binary drag performers? Drag is free to be expressed in whichever way it is deemed fit, through whichever body the passion to pursue it exists. The good part is the simple fact that drag is becoming mainstream. Greater awareness of this amazing culture is circulating the globe. Mainstream presentations also increase the visibility of trans and gender-nonconforming people. It’s a celebration of queer people to see LGBTQ+ members being so positively represented within our society. More people are being exposed to drag culture and becoming more comfortable with its controversial self-expressive behaviors and acts that do not neatly fit the norms of our heteronormative world. This spread of drag encourages the idea that anyone can pursue drag and be supported in a loving community, with the potential of even achieving a successful career through it. Currently, drag is expanding exponentially as new performers rise to its call for revolution.

With so many forms of drag and different demographic backgrounds of performers, drag can vary greatly among these artists. Be mindful that intersectional issues come into effect, too, within the queer community in who is represented primarily in mainstream culture. Drag queens are the common image of what someone sees when this concept of drag is mentioned, leaving drag kings and non-binary drag performers feeling underrepresented.

In summation, Drag goes against the grain of the modern world. Crashing through barriers of social norms, drag creates a space brimming with authentic self-expression. The gender binary possesses no power over performers of the art. Drag does not need to mean anything in particular, but it can. Anything can be expressed through this art form. Drag is an ambitious pursuit worthy of recognition, respect, and acceptance. So, support local drag performers near you and please stop seeing the world through a lens of a gender binary that was created to keep people in order. Break the mold and embrace all the unique qualities that make you who you are while appreciating those parallel differences among others. “Drag up your life!”

Written by: Nick Muscara