ArtepraxiS

Are Drag Queens Artist?

[Por Kiara L. Meléndez Cruz]

            Lately, I have been completely hypnotized by performance art; by its ability to capture the audience’s attention, its unique way to communicate a message while using the human body to express it. One of its unique qualities is its interrelationship within the performers and the audience’s participation. In performance art, the artist’s body is his or her medium and the work of art is the live action the artist performs, dematerializing conservative conceptions of what really is an object d’ art. Therefore, there are some essential elements we have to consider within a performance act, such as:  time, space, human body, and the relationship with the audience.

            One of the things that have been debated recently in, within the social media sphere is the acceptance of Drag as an art form. Drag queens are normally defined as males who dress as women and impersonate in an exaggerated manner, and some may argue stereotypical, female characteristics for public entertaining. It is important to point out that this type of artistic performance is not a new fad among our culture; it has a centuries-long history in the performing art world; as historically, women were not allowed to perform as an actor in a theatrical setting and male actors were required to embody female character in numerous plays.

It is important to point out that some people may confuse Drag queens with their transvestite and transgender counterpart, but they differ considerably from one another. While transvestites are generally referred to as cross dressers, they do not, generally, seek sex change surgery, they do not struggle for a differentiated gender identity, unlike transgender individuals. Instead they are content to express themselves with the clothing that is associated with the opposite gender identity, without the need for a biological gender reassignment. Drag queens can be situated outside this “labeling” paradigm because neither sexual orientation, nor gender identity issues are fundamental elements of Drag.  It is about constructing an alter ego for entertainment and performative purposes, and sexual orientation is a secondary issue not relevant to the performance act in itself.

            Drag queens specialize in creating a character or an alter ego of themselves, but in a way it is much more than that. Through mostly parody, Drag queens challenge normative gender roles that result in a poignant social critique. Defiance is a primordial ingredient in most Drag performances, as they make political and social statement in a primarily conservative patriarchal society. 

            One of the most interesting and controversial Drag queen recently causing a stir is Dan Donegan and his Drag persona Milk. He participated on the sixth season of the televised competition Ru Paul’s Drag Race. While most drag performances consist of lip singing and dancing, Milk’s shows are decisively different. In each of his/her performances, Milk adds another layer to his Drag persona, with his wardrobe he creates a new character and story, and presents a subliminal message to the audience through seemingly controversial interpretations of the songs he’s performing. His Drag persona does not follows the conventions of a typical Drag queen by challenging the idea of what society thinks it is beautiful.

            This form of art is all about transformation through makeup, clothing, wigs, prosthesis, and other elements to create the illusion of a woman, usually a well-known celebrity. Some Drag queens can keep you guessing of their true gender. They have mastered this art of transforming themselves as their makeup skills are outstanding, and the sculpting technique they use to create prosthesis to create the illusion of a woman outer glass is amazing. The details these performers put into their Drag shows are something worth admiring and should be recognized in the contemporary art world.

            In every performance, Milk presents a new character reinterpreting different songs depending on the character he/she will embody. In one of the most controversial performances by Milk, he/she performed as the now infamous pageant queen murder victim, JonBenet Ramsey, to the song “Young and Beautiful” by Lana Del Rey. In her performance, Milk added fragments of the news reports of the murder of the pageant star that occurred in December 26, 1996.  He/she imitated mannerisms the girls use in beauty pageant competitions, and used a similar attire like the one JonBenet used to wear in her beauty pageant competition. The performer uses this song to let people recall the misfortune of this tragedy. I interpret it as a criticism to society and to the people that expose their children to these types of events. Exploiting young girls, sexualizing them, and making them behave and act as adult women do, exposing them to sometimes the wrong people at the wrong time in their lives. In the premiere party of Ru Paul’s Drag Race season 6, Milk performed the song “Do what you want” by Lady Gaga.  In this particular performance Milk masked the song sexual content by changing its meaning in a parody way using the character of Jesus in his agony and martyrdom of his body. Milk also presents in this performance during the song, different miracles performed by Jesus, according to Christian beliefs. At first, the performance seems a definitely shocking, but analyzing the song and the performance I interpret that this performance is a criticism of the sexual content of the song and its emphasis towards the manipulation of the body.

            “Drag should never be subjected to social and political ideals, the moment it stop provoking is the moment is fails as an art form” -said Ru Paul, one of our generation’s most infamous drag queens. This form of art messes with all social classes and society and therefore should be recognized and admired, this form of art should not be excluded from the art world.

For more information, visit:

Milk’s Jon Benet performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4pIBCH-hEE

Milk’s Do what you want with my body performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_-VJZCt-PE