A force of nature which is the principal driver of LGBTQ+ empowerment across the world.
Predictable, formulaic and somewhat contrived.
A show that consistently highlights important LGBTQ+ issues in the mainstream, which in turn ignites conversations and brings about change.
A brand that has commodified drag to the nth degree and is inextricably linked with consumer capitalism.
The perfect avenue for LGBTQ+ artists to turbo-boost their career and reach a whole new audience, which can be utilised for social activism.
The hegemony of drag has reached saturation point, relentlessly churning out seasons across the world and making the dreams of some artists come true, while others are left in mountains of debt.
Or just a bit of fun, babes.
All of these statements could apply to RuPaul’s Drag Race in one way or another. When I think about the impact Drag Race has had on the broader LGBTQ+ scene — which I’ve worked in or around for 20 years — as well as mainstream entertainment and culture, I’m filled with mixed emotions, and many LGBTQ+ people I speak to feel the same. With a media empire that now spans the globe, Drag Race is arguably as polarising as it’s ever been.
For RuPaul, the ascent of from niche network when it first aired in 2009 to Emmy Award-winning gamechanger showing on VH1 and now MTV was a foregone conclusion. “Yes!” Ru replied affirmatively when he posed the rhetorical question to contestant Luxx Noir London on whether a young Ru in the mid-80s would have ever envisioned that he’d one day
