So I guess before watching this show, I didn’t really know there was a difference between drag queens and transgenders; or at least I never thought about. But now, now I see that there is a major difference. Transgenders like Exotica from Rolling the R’s are always in character, but this is not because she is constantly performing; this is because Exotica identifies as a female in all aspects of life. However, the contestants on this show simply assume their character—a fact that is emphasized every time they refer to their character as “she” and sit around talking while taking off their makeup, corsets, and fake boobs.
But something else struck me as odd. Rupaul dresses as a woman, yes, but he also dresses as a man for the better part of his interactions with the contestants. So why is it that, when talking about him, they always seem to refer to him as a woman? Is this arbitrary assignment of gender/sex something that is embraced in the drag community, along with the use of the word “Mama?”
Furthermore, at about 23 minutes, Rupaul announces the start of the apocalypse challenge by stating: “Gentlemen, start you your engines, and may the best woman live!” So in just one sentence the contestants are both “gentleman” and “wom[e]n.” Maybe because these men so seamlessly and repeatedly slip in and out of costume—in and out of sexes—they lose the line between man and woman. Or maybe they just don’t care because they know that the ability to be both masculine and feminine is within us at all times.
Either way, I really enjoyed the show and just may watch it again next week. Oh, and one last thing I think Rupaul accomplishes perfectly:
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