sashay away - down the runway
By Megan Kreuger
2 / 25 / 2024
Season 16 of RuPaul’s Drag Race is currently airing, which means there are fourteen new queens strutting their stuff down the runway—and as these drag artists duke it out to determine who will be crowned the season’s winner, viewers are able to witness drag culture’s close ties to fashion. From its origins, drag and ballroom culture have centered on self-expression and creativity, allowing performers to innovate and push the boundaries of fashion. This means that, whether the general public realizes it or not, drag artists have had an immense influence on high fashion and beauty culture for decades.
For those less familiar, drag is a performance art in which individuals dress and perform as a character, usually one of a different gender. Makeup and costumes are quintessential aspects of the art, used by drag queens and kings to bring their personas to life. While what we understand as drag has been a part of many cultures throughout history (such as Greek theater and Japanese kabuki theater), drag balls and ballroom culture originated in New York in the 19th century. The subculture lent a safe space in which Black and Latinx queer people could compete and freely express themselves, usually as a part of Houses, groups of individuals who performed together and became each other’s family, especially in cases where they were not accepted by their blood relatives. Drag served as liberation from social norms, and fashion was a primary tool used by performers.
Following the Stonewall Riots in 1969, which lent greater visibility to the LGBTQ+ community, drag began to become more recognized in popular culture with figures like Divine and Lady Bunny paving the way for drag queens to enter mainstream entertainment. The 90s were a huge decade for the drag scene as the House of Xtravaganza appeared in pop singer Madonna’s “Vogue” music video and RuPaul’s career took off with song “Supermodel (You Better Work).” During this decade, drag contributed to increased interest in avant-garde and gender-nonconforming fashion which took runways and television by storm. Alexander McQueen and Jean Paul Gautier, for instance, demonstrate the influence of drag in their extravagant couture. Designer Evan Clayton also points out the haute couture of John Galliano and Dior as a further example of the connection between drag and high fashion, remarking, “In [their] heyday, [they were] putting those girls in high drag. And that doesn’t come out of nowhere, that comes from a reverence for the art form.” Celebrities like Lady Gaga and Billy Porter have been noticeably influenced by drag culture when it comes to their gender-bending avant-garde styling, while Shania Twain credits drag artists with inspiring many of her makeup looks.
Needless to say, drag has just gotten bigger in the past decade, with television programs like RuPaul’s Drag Race, Pose, and Queer Eye centering on queer culture and fashion, and contributing to the growing acceptance of drag. Many commercially successful drag queens known for fashion have not only inspired the fashion industry, but actively graced the catwalk and showcased designer’s campaigns, including Violet Chachki for Prada’s Fall/Winter 2018 show, Gigi Goode and Symone for Moschino Fall/Winter 2021, and Symone for Baja East Fall 2021. Queens additionally work closely with the designers responsible for their custom outfits, with Marco Morante, who has worked with RuPaul’s Drag Race since 2009, Abraham Levy, costumer for Pose and frequent feature on Drag Race, and Diego Montoya, who has collaborated with many drag superstars starting with Sasha Velour in 2017, being especially well-known for their work with drag artists. And when it comes to fashion, the 2019 Met Gala also must be mentioned– not only was the theme, “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” relevant, given the prominence of camp’s opulence and flamboyance in drag fashion aesthetics, but it was the first time drag queens had graced the event’s red carpet, with Violet Chachki and Aquaria being among the gala’s guests. Equally as significant is drag’s contribution to the beauty industry. Many drag queens have pioneered their own cosmetics lines, such as Trixie Mattel’s Trixie Cosmetics, Kim Chi’s KimChi Chic Beauty, and Miss Fame’s Miss Fame Beauty (Miss Fame also served as a representative of the L’Oreal Paris brand in 2016). The rise of drag queen-owned brands is beyond appropriate, considering that these artists invented the makeup techniques beauty influencers have been using for years, including contour, baking, cut creases, lined lips, and many others.
Queer ballroom culture has long contributed to a more inclusive view of beauty and provides a space for queer individuals to express themselves through fashion. However, since the 90s, and especially in the past few years, the impact of their artistry is far more easily seen in mainstream high fashion and pop culture spaces, as famous brands and designers celebrate drag artists’ invention of styles and trends by showcasing them on the runway and in Hollywood. And speaking of pop culture phenomena, the 16th season of Drag Race is already establishing itself as a memorable season for bold runway looks. Many contestants such as Q and Nymphia Wind have spoken on the show about making their outfits themselves, demonstrating just how inseparable fashion and drag art really are. Viewers can look forward to seeing how these rising drag stars impact not only the drag community, but also the larger fashion and beauty industries.