Singer , worker and idiot box host RuPaul has been touted as the most famous pull pansy in the world and has helped bring the campy performance - oriented brand of crown of thorns - dressing into mainstream popular culture . In 1994 , RuPaul ’s sassy single " Supermodel ( You Better Work ) " demote into the top 30 on Billboard Music ’s pop chart , catapulting the multitalented personality into a successful career with résumé highlights include a high - profile cosmetics hunting expedition , bestselling autobiography and hit realism video serial . But RuPaul is n’t the first man to become a household name by donning a dress and high heels .
During the early twentieth one C , Julian Eltinge , born William Dalton , became internationally famous for his uncanny ability to act like a lady . detail environ his initial interest in mimicking charwoman ’s style and body language are hazy , as root stories offer different theories , such as Eltinge ’s mother clip him up like a young woman , him stumbling on his grammatical gender - deflect knack while taking dance lessons and female caricature on stage being a lifelong pipe dream of his [ sources : Landis , The Julian Eltinge Project ] . Whatever the predate event , in 1911 Eltinge won theatrical acclaim for his cross - dressing theatrical role in the hit dramatic play " The Fascinating Widow , " which would start the door to his ultimate position as the Padre of modern drag queer . Transitioning from the stage to the tacit silver filmdom , Eltinge overtop one of the highest salary in show job at the prison term , launch three fan magazines dedicated to his craft , accumulated a cabinet’s - worth of merchandise endorsements and even performed for a delighted King Edward VII of the United Kingdom .
Considering the era ’s restrictiveviews on genderand far-flung disclaimer of homosexuality , Eltinge ’s onstage drag public presentation surprisingly did n’t tittup many present-day feathers ; distaff audiences in particular delighted in Eltinge ’s seemingly magical transformations into woman . But in his personal life , Eltinge displayed a distinct unease with his stage hocus-pocus of posing as female fictitious character . highly concerned that fans might take for granted he thwartwise - appareled backstage or , even speculative at the clock time , engaged in intimate kinship with men , the knight bachelor made well - publicized displays of his masculine passion and pastimes that let in packing , cigar smoke and fishing .
By the 1930s , Eltinge ’s dumb film star had blow over as " talking picture " attracted larger audiences at the movie house , and his gender metamorphosis shtick had lost its trinket . His story , however , is only one pit stop along the extensive historic highway of crisscross - dressing and puff queen mole rat .
An Early History of Cross-dressing and Drag
The history of hands playing female roles on phase stretch out back millennia . In ancient Greece , women were barred from participating in dramatic public presentation because it was hold too dangerous . During the Middle Ages in Europe , the Christian Church continued the tradition of banning woman on stage as a moralistic precaution to preserve their sexual propriety . At that prison term , theater existed only in the contour of church pageants that reenacted Biblical stories , and it was n’t until the 17th century that opera house first opened up stage use for adult female [ generator : Gerwitz ] . During Shakespeare ’s heyday in England , men would play both manlike and female role , and in 1660 , King Charles II countermand the curtain on gender restrictions on degree , at last allowing women to diddle themselves . Over the next few tenner , it even became democratic for women to depict male quality , in a conceitedness phone " rear of barrel roles " [ reservoir : Torr and Bottoms ] .
Incidentally , the loosening of sexuality restrictions in Western dramatics take place as stage rules tightened in the East . In 1629 , Japan instituted a ban on female histrion , specifically targeting all - distaff kabuki troupes . Through the nineteenth century , manly actors would have to serve as onnagata , or distaff imitator , in kabuki productions [ source : Morinaga ] .
Back in Britain , although men were no longer require to play female characters , they still carried out the custom at times , only for comedic rather than spectacular effect . And instead of man attempting to looking convincingly like women on stage , a British theatre of operations genre calledpantomimeevolved around masculine - look actors feigning unmanliness for jape , while a female player played a untested male admirer [ source : The British Players ] . The first dumb show – also known aspanto– play spread in 1723 , and the gender - flex tradition of men costume in women ’s dress , wigs and extravagant makeup to lampoon stereotype of older , sexually versed , women guide off and would later inform music hall roleplay across the pond .
Before the rise of urban centers andmovie theatersin the United States , journey music hall show were one of the most popular forms of family - friendly amusement from 1870 to 1920 . Alongside kooky move such as ventriloquists and recreational acrobats , pantomimelike drag performances were also popular and considered safe for audiences of all geezerhood . Although these former drag entertainers intended to mock rather than emulate their put - on heroines , the campiness of their routines would suffer into contemporary " glamor drag " shows that require more verbatim female impersonation .
At the turn of the century , homophobic anxiousness over men tog up as charwoman did n’t stoke much public complaint , but as gay human gradually come out of the press , pull became more closely linked with homosexuality and transitioned to more of an underground prowess form . As a by-product ofProhibitionand the advance of illegal speakeasies in the 1920s and other 1930s , braw men also found novel plaza to congregate off from the prying eyes of the law . great U.S. cities like Chicago and New York experienced a so - called " pansy craze , " and more prevention catering exclusively to gay clientele , along with bawdy pull performances , form up [ reference : Valenzuela ] .
By the 1950s , police force had begun crack down on gay - well-disposed establishments and enforce anti - cross - dressing jurisprudence ; in New York , for instance , men were legally bind to put on no fewer than three pieces of male clothing in fiat to not be catch for drag [ source : American Experience ] . Amid intensifying anti - gay hostility , in 1965 , theImperial Court Systemwas set up as the first drag queen formation , and that variety of residential district building among puff queen would ultimately establish to be a worthful resource within the liberal gay residential district that had begun wee itself more publically known .
Drag Queen Culture
By one estimation cited in the originative playscript on early pull queen polish , " Mother Camp , " the United States was home to about 500 regularly performing drag tabby by July 1966 [ source : Newton ] . That was also the same twelvemonth stage fable Jim Bailey first wow interview with his spot - on embodiment of Judy Garland , but Bailey would jib at being collocate in with a retarding force queen headcount [ source : Petrucelli ] . Although Bailey pull in an impressive following for his spot - on imitations of distaff Hollywood icons for more than 40 years , his preference for being labeled an illusionist and not a puff queer speak to the subtlety of cross - dressing nomenclature .
The term " drag queen " come up from a mash - up of " retarding force , " which has subsist in theater idiom for centuries to refer to men dress in women ’s clothing , and " queen , " an anti - slang word for an effeminate homosexual man . And while drag queen today are consociate with gay population , not all man who have performed drag are queer ; often , these are entertainers like Bailey who prefer choice of words like " female impersonator " or " illusionist " to depict their trade . Drag queens who wear thin female clothing and makeup only during performances but discover as male offstage may also be erroneously tag transsexual or as a transvestic , an honest-to-god terminal figure that ’s discharge out of favor today because of its past association with homosexuality and crisscross - trim as mental pathologies . That said , transgendered and transsexual people who demo on and offstage as different genders or biological sex may perform puff as well .
Cross - dressing and retarding force public presentation subsist as an underground culture for much of the twentieth 100 , and the profile of drag queens increased alongside that of LGBT community in the tardy sixties . When the infamous Stonewall thigh-slapper occurred in 1969 at New York’sMafia - run Stonewall Inn , one of the city ’s only gay legal community at the time , homosexual number were illegal in every state but Illinois [ source : American Experience ] . On June 28 , New York City police ship’s officer bust the bar seeking to arrest homosexual patron en flagrante , and when the crowd resolve to fight back or else of capitulate , high hound - wearing drag poove and transsexuals were on the frontlines of the six - day skirmish that formally bespeak the start of the homophile right field movement in the United States .
Even in the face of legal repression and social banishment , pull queen communities get down to orchestrate more formally in the mid-1960s . In response to the police force shutting down a string of gay bar , José Julio Sarria , San Francisco ’s first openly gay political prospect and local performer , founded the Imperial Court System that united the retarding force queen and gay residential area at large for annual pull balls and other event [ source : Imperial Court System ] . Chapters now exist in cities across the United States , Canada and Mexico and largely service as benevolent organisation that avail support HIV and AIDS bar and research .
Drag testicle also have become cornerstone fêtes within African - American drag queen communities . like to a fraternity system , up - and - coming retarding force queens can bring together up with local house headed by older , experience house " mother " or " beginner , " who help neaten vernal members in their retarding force pursuit and offer moral and social support along with shelter if they ’ve been kicked out of their homes . Periodically , drag queens and Rex from various houses will confront off at balls that sport walk - offs between protester competing in categories such as Femme Queen Impersonation and Male Face [ reservoir : Trebay ] . Jenny Livingston famously captured Harlem ’s African - American ball culture in her 1990 documentary " Paris Is Burning , " which also offer an sexual coup d’oeil into what it study to transform into a drag fagot for a Nox .
How to Become a Drag Queen
For vaudeville - turned - still - film wiz Julian Eltinge , hone his distaff imitator appearance before step metrical foot on stage was an backbreaking process . In a 1913 clause published in Theater Magazine , Eltinge described make himself over and how his hand – as oppose to his face , as one might assume – provoked the most anxiousness as he strived for feminine authenticity . As a result , he would drop an hour and a half before pall call painstakingly painting and powdering his script and consider their positioning constantly throughout his performance , as he wrote in Theater Magazine : " The size of the hands can apparently be decrease by the way in which they are hold , and any woman with a little practice can perfect herself in this graceful treatment " [ source : Eltinge ] .
Quality pull amusement need a comparable amount of preparation today , as one of the most celebrated moments in pull history attests . In the 1970s , a San Francisco drag collective call the Cockettes put on such a lusterless show at their New York debut that Gore Vidal spit them with the pithy reassessment , " no natural endowment is not enough " [ source : Valdespino ] . Perhaps pull queens contain notice , since the makeover process not only takes time and money , but also an inside - out embodiment of a crew - pleasing character .
A close shaving is a canonic first footprint to fecundation , since stubble will ruin a madam - for - the - night ’s looks . This is followed by a think diligence of full - coverage foundation to even out pelt tone [ source : Logo TV ] . Drag pouf typically wear out magnified amount of money of cosmetics to determine and mince masculine jaw lineage and musculature and emphasize their declamatory - than - lifespan personas ; accessories like false eyelashes and wigging help complete their above - the - neck opening spirit . In pull speak , " beating one ’s face " or " beating one ’s fool " is code for slathering on the right amount of cosmetics [ seed : Etkin ] . Before go dressed , male performers must gather , tape or use a cloth twist called agaffto veil their genitals from view in stiff - fitting costumes [ seed : Logo TV ] . To enhance their décolletage , drag queens may also prefer from a kind ofbreastformsthat either confiscate directly to their chests or set inside brassiere cups . Si breast class , which lean to search the most naturalistic and conform to a person ’s dead body temperature to keep them in place , can be 100 of dollars , depend on the sizing and quality [ source : Drag - Queen.com ] .
Wardrobe and cosmetic styling will look on the overall look a pull poove is die for . Fishy drag , for example , aims to look as womanly as potential , as defend tocamp dragthat humorously maintains a manly look in a garb [ informant : Etkin].Glamour dragplays up the beauty pageantry angle with big hair’s-breadth , sparkly gowns and plenty of jewelry . No matter the category of drag , wizard RuPaul maintains that the ultimate substance should be " do n’t take liveliness too earnestly " [ source : Fernandez ] .
Once done up , pull queen stay on mindful of posture , stride and outspoken modulation to continually fancy effeminateness . And all of it , from the wig to the stance , serve to complement a novel identity , via quirky drag queen monikers such as Lady Bunny , Coco Peru and Hedda Lettuce .
Drag tabby serve up dissimilar purposes depending on the type of event they work . They may , for instance , be employed as party promoters , milling through crowds and ensure that guests are having a good clip . retarding force revues are more theatrical affairs that generally feature rim - synched birdcall and saltation routines performed by drag queens for cash baksheesh . Higher profile drag poof may also be name on to emcee fundraisers or other soirees . And while they may get in some special air pocket money in drag , most typically prosecute it as part - clock time body of work due to late - nighttime 60 minutes and minimum compensation ; in a study of retarding force queens in Key West , Fla. , for example , most made less than $ 200 per week [ source : Taylor and Rupp ] . But for a golden , bewigged nonage , it ’s potential to make it expectant in drag .
Famous Drag Queens
As it normally go in any leg of show business , success and celebrity only happens to a slender nonage of those who seek out stardom . That goes for retarding force queens to a greater extent since their recess wiliness appeals to narrower audiences than more mainstream word form of entertainment . RuPaul , as mentioned earlier , in all likelihood is the most successful personality in drag history , but there are plenty of other illustrious names who have left their glittery imprint on other queens and lover alike .
This is just a spangled fistful of drag queens to know :
Danny La Rue : Britain ’s combining weight to RuPaul in term of public adoration , Danny La Rue stumbled on his knack for stage craft while engage in the Royal Navy during World War II [ reservoir : Barker ] . Duringpeacetime , La Rue honed his natural endowment for female impersonation , and by the 1970s , he ’d take in a fortune as one of the most popular level actors – albeit costumed like an actress – in the rural area . La Rue died in 2009 .
Doris Fish : contain Philip Mills in Australia , Fish moved to San Francisco and became one of the colorful urban center ’s most beloved pull poove in the 1980s [ generator : Out ] . Fish also save and starred in the cult alien film " Vegas in Space . " He expire from AIDS in 1991 , the same year " Vegas in Space " was released .
churchman : Divine befriended film producer John Waters in their childhood home of Baltimore when he was still going by his birth name , Harris Glenn Milstead . Waters featured the salient drag queen in a serial of his camp cinema , include the 1988 " Hairspray , " in which Divine portrays the protagonist ’s portly mother Edna Turnblad . Divine died shortly after the release of " Hairspray " from complications pertain to throw an blown-up heart and soul .
Dame Edna Everage : Although Australian Barry Humphries , who make the character of Dame Edna Everage , would n’t likely refer to the purple - hairy housewife as a retarding force tabby , her international popularity deserves recognition . Beginning in the 1970s , Humphries hoof the Dame from Australian leg to Britain and finally landing her own Broadway show in 2009 . Unfortunately for fans , in 2012 , Humphries announced he would retreat the good Dame [ reservoir : Lawson ] .
Lady Bunny : An amusement jack ( or Jill ? ) of all trades like RuPaul , Lady Bunny made her name as a multitalented comedian , DJ and actress [ root : Gilman ] . recognise for her key signature enormous blonde wig , Lady Bunny also is the founding father of the New York drag fete Wigstock that endure from 1985 to 2005 .
To get word more about the fabulous subculture of drag , shimmy on over to the links on the next page .
Lots More Information
As someone who has attended her comely share of pull revue , perplex to research and write about drag ’s history and polish was a peculiarly fun chance . I was surprised to quickly find out that there has n’t been much mainstream coverage or scholarly research into retarding force . ill-tempered - dressing in Elizabethan theater often is mentioned as an historical touchstone , which then leaves a centuries - wide interruption between it and modern - day puff . When you take a closer look at that intervening metre , what ’s interesting is that Man dressing up as women did n’t become a countercultural phenomenon until it became associated with homosexuality . As a result , the social answer to male crossing - dressing for entertainment can also be interpreted as an elongation of the broader acceptance or rejection of more fluid model of grammatical gender and intimate orientation .
That pronounce , a drag queen probably would n’t be interested in broach that horizontal surface of treatment ; she has a routine to nail and a crowd to captivate .
