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    Problematic Production Exploring The Issues Within Rupaul'S Drag Race

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    Michael Whitty
    This document analyzes issues within the television show RuPaul's Drag Race regarding the portrayal of the LGBTQIA+ community. It discusses three main issues: [1] Transphobia prevalent on the show due to RuPaul's preferences for how drag queens should look; [2] RuPaul enforcing an essentialist view of what drag is and how queens should present; [3] A history of racism, with mostly white and skinny queens winning while queens of color face backlash. While the show has increased representation, it still has work to do in addressing these issues to maintain its claim of uplifting oppressed groups.

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    Problematic Production Exploring The Issues Within Rupaul'S Drag Race

    Uploaded by

    Michael Whitty
    37 views2 pages
    This document analyzes issues within the television show RuPaul's Drag Race regarding the portrayal of the LGBTQIA+ community. It discusses three main issues: [1] Transphobia prevalent on the show due to RuPaul's preferences for how drag queens should look; [2] RuPaul enforcing an essentialist view of what drag is and how queens should present; [3] A history of racism, with mostly white and skinny queens winning while queens of color face backlash. While the show has increased representation, it still has work to do in addressing these issues to maintain its claim of uplifting oppressed groups.

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    This document analyzes issues within the television show RuPaul's Drag Race regarding the portrayal of the LGBTQIA+ community. It discusses three main issues: [1] Transphobia prevalent on the show due to RuPaul's preferences for how drag queens should look; [2] RuPaul enforcing an essentialist view of what drag is and how queens should present; [3] A history of racism, with mostly white and skinny queens winning while queens of color face backlash. While the show has increased representation, it still has work to do in addressing these issues to maintain its claim of uplifting oppressed groups.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    37 views2 pages

    Problematic Production Exploring The Issues Within Rupaul'S Drag Race

    Uploaded by

    Michael Whitty
    This document analyzes issues within the television show RuPaul's Drag Race regarding the portrayal of the LGBTQIA+ community. It discusses three main issues: [1] Transphobia prevalent on the show due to RuPaul's preferences for how drag queens should look; [2] RuPaul enforcing an essentialist view of what drag is and how queens should present; [3] A history of racism, with mostly white and skinny queens winning while queens of color face backlash. While the show has increased representation, it still has work to do in addressing these issues to maintain its claim of uplifting oppressed groups.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    Michael Whitty

    Professor Sara Martucci


    Race, Class, & Gender in Media
    26 April 2021

    Problematic Production; Exploring the issues within RuPaul’s Drag Race

    I. I am choosing to analyze RuPaul’s Drag Race and its production/portrayal of the


    LGBTQIA+ community. I chose this medium because I regularly watch the show and
    think I have a lot of ‘tea’ to spill on the problems the show has encountered over the
    years. Also identifying as a gay demifluid person, I think my own epxeriences can relate
    to a lot of the topics I want to cover. This excluding much about race because I am born
    and raised American and I am white. However this will and NEEDS to be addressed
    about this show.
    II. A. Transphobia in RuPaul’s Drag Race: Transphobia is quite prevalent in Drag Race due
    to the nature of the show and how RuPaul trains and ‘prefers’ his own queens to look.
    Exploring the art of gender expression through drag specifically through the lens of
    RuPaul.
    B. Exploring RuPaul’s essentialism for Drag: RuPaul made plenty of clear remarks for
    how Drag queens present themselves. They must have a certain figure, boobs, wigs, and a
    full face of makeup. This ultimately sets a false expectation for what Drag truly is.
    C. Blackophilia/Blackophobia in Drag Race: The show has had a long standing history
    with only crowning queens of similar characteristics being: skinny & white. There have
    been queens of color who have won the show, but there has been a lot of backlash from
    producers and mass media about these queens and their ‘drag.’ This is also where I can
    explore black vernacular being taken on by white drag queens.
    III. “If you can’t love yourself, then how the hell can you love anybody else, can I get an
    amen?,” are the infamous words spoken by RuPaul on every episode of RuPaul’s Drag
    Race. These words, along the phrases of many others, have held a lot of weight and
    power for the infamous drag competition show on VH1. Questions about transphobia,
    racism, and drag essentialism have been long questioned and analyzed about the show,
    but only recently have they come into light and have been acknowledged. Knowing the
    show is hosted by RuPaul, a BIPOC drag queen, there have still been issues with the
    queens and how the show is presented to the general public. Don't get me wrong--the
    show has forever changed the way the drag community is represented--but in the process
    of learning and growing, the show has had issues over the years in keeping their claim to
    fame of uplifting oppressed communities. With various queens coming out as
    transgender, the very few BIPOC winners, and RuPaul’s eye for what drag needs to look
    like for themselves, there is plenty to be analyzed and uncovered so that the show can
    keep their well standing title.
    IV.

    Edgar, Eir-Anne. “‘Xtravaganza!": Drag Representation and Articulation in


    ‘RuPaul's Drag Race.’” Studies in Popular Culture, vol. 34, no. 1, 2011, pp. 133–146.
    JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23416354.

    Gudelunas, David. “Culture Jamming (and Tucking): RuPaul’s Drag Race and
    Unconventional Reality.” Queer Studies in Media & Popular Culture, vol. 1, no. 2, 2016,
    pp. 231–249., doi:10.1386/qsmpc.1.2.231_1.

    Henry, Phillip. “RuPaul Needs to Take Responsibility for the Racism on 'Drag
    Race'.” Them., www.them.us/story/racism-rupauls-drag-race.

    Strings, Sabrina, and Long T. Bui. “‘She Is Not Acting, She Is.’” Feminist Media
    Studies, vol. 14, no. 5, 2013, pp. 822–836., doi:10.1080/14680777.2013.829861.

    Simmons, Nathaniel. “Speaking Like a Queen in RuPaul’s Drag Race: Towards


    a Speech Code of American Drag Queens.” Sexuality & Culture, vol. 18, no. 3, 2013, pp.
    630–648., doi:10.1007/s12119-013-9213-2.

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