Monét X Change weighs in on drag etiquette debate for public events
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A simple podcast interview has opened a Pandora's Box of a debate among the drag community, regarding how drag artists should appear for public events— dressed in or out of drag.
Drag queen and Emmy Award-winning makeup artist Lushious Massacr appeared on Bob the Drag Queen’s podcast, Only Child, back in May and made the off-handed remark.
“My hill that I am willing to die on: I don’t like it when drag queens get to a point where they feel like they are so famous they don’t have to get into drag anymore,” she said. “I don’t like it, Bob.”
“Somebody’s gotta get in drag. We have to entertain the children! The whole purpose of what we’re doing here is to be drag queens.”
Bob was quick to catch the playful shade. “Are you talking about me? I do drag! To be clear— I do drag!”
Later, in a red carpet interview, Luschious explained how she encourages drag as a form of political and social resistance. “This country needs more drag queens. We don’t need less! With everything going on in this country, I need these men to get in drag.”
Bob also had some follow-up words for the critics about the topic. “ I’ve done everything from getting arrested, television, stand-up comedy, protesting, Broadway, podcast, and Madison Square Garden IN DRAG! And the list goes on.
“You are literally sitting on your couch in snuggie and you wear elastic waist pants to work telling me to put in a wig. Girl shut up. When you’ve been in drag a QUARTER of the DRAG I have. I’ll listen. Until then click on the FREE content and shut the f*ck up.”
The podcast interview has surged in relevance after Monét X Change posted a 13-minute response video titled, “I Guess I'm Quitting Drag” on July 20.
In it, Monét reopens the debate with her stance that artists should be able to show up to events however they decide to.
“If I sell you a ticket to a drag show, that’s a promise to be in drag, but when you go to the Spider-Man movie premiere, that’s the entertainer's preference to show up however they want to be,” she said. “Tom Holland can be whatever he wants to be on that day, and that’s his prerogative. And I think that simply is not true for drag queens.
“Unlike a superhero costume or basketball jersey, drag transforms the artist into the art… and just because my art transforms me, doesn't mean I stop being a person the moment I create it,” said Monét.
The Drag Race All Stars 4 winner also believes there is an illusion fans have of individuals and their drag personas being one entity. This, she says, is largely due to the rise of the internet and social media.
“We’ve gone from seeing celebrities just perform to watching them exist. And because we see so much of their lives, our brain starts to play a little trick on us. We start to confuse access with intimacy. “
We’d love to get your thoughts on this debate. Sound off in the comments below!