I adore drag queens. There is nothing more fun than heading out with the girls to Friends of Dorothy or sitting down with popcorn to watch the latest episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Drag culture is just so complex and fascinating that I can’t stay away from it. But the longer I enjoy drag shows and drag culture, the more conflicted my enjoyment becomes.
Drag is a male-dominated industry generally based around oversimplifying female beauty and stereotypes. While it can be an amazing way to celebrate self-expression, the LGBTQ community, and the individuality therein, it’s frustrating in the way that it celebrates behaviour in men that women are shamed for. Being overdramatic, wearing too much makeup, and being crass or petty are all things men can (and do) get away with while they dress up as women. When a man does it, it’s entertainment—it’s comedy. But when a woman does it, it’s ridiculous, over the top, and shameful.
For hundreds of years, women were thought of as “soft” and “demure” since most of the stereotypes that were created came from “good” women in biblical tales. In most old stories and legends, any woman who stood up for herself, voiced opinions, or didn’t want a traditional life was cast as the villain (or otherwise shown to be evil). And, as annoying as it is, these stereotypes have persisted long after we knew them to be false.
Even today, when women have traits outside of these outdated stereotypes, there’s a lot of shame and rejection from society, which is why the double standard irks me so much. Female characters with these traits in movies or TV shows are often disliked, while men with the same personalities are adored. Think of Carol Danvers from the movie Captain Marvel. She’s blunt, overly confident, and intense—which is why a lot of fans dislike her character. But there’s plenty of male characters in the MCU with these traits who are loved, and they are loved because of these traits.
Don’t get me wrong: drag is amazing for encouraging people to be themselves, ignoring gender roles, and boosting body positivity, but it doesn’t change the fact that this weird double standard between men and women exists. Women can be overdramatic, wear too much makeup, be crass, and still be normal human beings like everyone else.
I’m not saying drag is the root cause of patriarchy, nor am I saying that drag queens should stop being their amazing selves (on the contrary, I think we need a larger drag community here in Victoria, so let’s keep working on that). I just think that we as a society need to change the standards for how we think women need to act, and for how we expect women to act.
Let women wear as much makeup as they want to feel confident. Let them be overdramatic and way too over-the-top. Let them be crass, intense, or even vociferous. Let women exist in a world where they’re not shamed for voicing their thoughts with the ostentatious confidence of a drag queen.