Hey everyone, it's Lydia and Sarah here, and today, we're going to introduce you to the history of Drag! In pop culture, drag has become particularly known due to shows like RuPaul's Drag Race, however, not many people know about how drag began and how it survived through times when it was stigmatised in society, along with the LGBT+ community. It is touched upon in the show, but we want people to understand there is more to drag than Drag Race - as much as we do love it. Everyone should truly appreciate the art form and expression of identity as a whole so all that we ask is, please view this article with an open mind and if we have made any mistakes, simply constructively correct us in the comments below.
Sadly, we cannot explore the history in as much depth as we would like but there shall be links throughout if you would like to know more!
Thank you to Fiskarna for the amazing layout, especially on such short notice!
WHERE IT ALLBEGAN: To the Theatre! Drag originally began in theatre, with women being barred from performing. In Ancient Greece, the reasoning was that it was deemed too dangerous for them. In Middle Age Europe, the Church continued this as 'a moralistic precaution to preserve their sexual propriety.' This continued on infamously throughout the age of Shakespeare's play. Thus, men took to the stage, acting in the roles of women. In 1660, the ban was lifted in Britain but, around that time, was being implemented in Japan upon Kabuki dancers. The lifting of the ban in the UK led to the theatre genre now known as Pantomime(Panto).
Stigmatism is Introduced During times where drag was associated with theatre, opera, and American Vaudeville performances, there were no homophobic complaints nor anxieties. These were introduced as gay men began to come out more often, leading drag to become associated with them and transitioned to an 'underground art form.'
In the 20th Century, performers like Julian Eltinge made names for themselves for presenting realistic female impressions and not the exaggerated ones of the theatre. After World War Two though, Communist concerns grew, and the LGBT+ community was considered to be linked to them. They banned the ability to wear the clothes of the opposite gender, forcing drag further underground.
By the 1950s, police had started cracking down on gay-friendly establishments and enforcing anti-cross-dressing laws. An example is that, in New York, men were legally obligated to wear no fewer than three pieces of male clothing in order to not be arrested for Drag.
Stonewall On the 28th June 1969, everything changed when The Stonewall Bar, New York, the only LGBT+ bar at the time, was attacked in a police raid. However, the police didn't get very far as brave bar-goers fought back, causing the beginning of three days of riots. Drag queen and transgender woman Marsha P. Johnson was one of the first to fight back. The Stonewall Riots sparked worldwide activism of the LGBT+ rights, being one of the first times that they fought together as a community.
Stonewall didn't change life overnight, but it did mean that people no longer had to hide. For example, The Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) was formed in the early 70s by Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who were both present at Stonewall, a group dedicated to helping homeless young drag queens and transgender women of colour.
Drag in Pop Culture and Today'sSociety In 1974, Andy Warhol created a series of Polaroids of prolific Drag Queens and in the year after, the cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, premiered. The 70s were also the era that Queens such as RuPaul, Lady Bunny, and Stormé DeLarverie became well-known Drag Royalty.
Drag was also introduced to the music scene with the likes of David Bowie, Boy George, and Annie Lennox - often performing in full or semi-drag.
In today's society, Drag is revered as an art form, sometimes taking hours for an individual to prepare for their performance. Drag Kings typically performed in troupes but are now gaining an increasing popularity, developing their own solo acts.
The Conclusion, but Not the End There is a long way to go before negative stigma and fear is no longer associated with drag and the LGBT+ community but it has already come such a long way, that it can most definitely make it.
If you have any links that you feel should be featured here, just put them down in the comments below and I shall add them.
Drag Queens in Film Drag queens have been depicted in many films throughout the years, spanning back to 1937 with the movie Upstairs (not much information could be found on this movie sadly). Since then there have been many films about drag queens or that have had drag queens in them. Here are a few of my personal favourites that I'd recommend you check out!
Victor Victoria Victor Victoria is a 1982 film starring Julie Andrews about a girl trying to make it in the singing world but can't catch a break. After meeting gay cabaret singer "Toddy," they hatch a plan to have Victoria disguise as a man and become a singer as a female impersonator. She lands a gig at one of the cities best night clubs, and, well, you'll have to watch it to find out the rest. One of my all time favourites, Julie Andrews does an amazing job, and as any "Sound of Music" fan will tell you, has an amazing singing voice.
The Birdcage The Birdcage is a 1996 film starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. In this movie, Armand (played by Williams) and his drag queen partner Albert (Lane) put on a show of sorts to impress his son's fiancee's very right-winged parents and convince them they are in a heterosexual relationship. Hilarity ensues as what can only be described as "comedy chaos" While the characters are a little stereotypical, it still makes for a good watch.
Paris is Burning While I haven't watched this one yet, I know it's fairly iconic when it comes to drag movies. Paris is Burning is a documentary focusing on the New York drag scene in the 1980's including voguing, drag balls, and the people. The film mostly focuses on black and hispanic men who identify as transsexuals and/or transvestites. I'm going to have to check this one out myself. Let me know if you've seen this movie! After all, reading is what? FUNDAMENTAL!
To Wong Foo Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar Three drag queens on their way to Hollywood for a drag queen pageant end up stranded in a small town after their car breaks down. Their impact on this town is hilarious, heartwarming, and all around enjoyable. Just watch out for that homophobic redneck sheriff I watched this movie in my LGBT club at college, and I was not expecting to enjoy it so much.
Let me know if you've seen any of these movies, or maybe have some suggestions of your own! Hope you enjoyed this article, and Happy Pride!
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