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October/November 2015
BOBBIE DAZZLER AKA AARON REID
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Contents. 4
DRAG QUEENS 5
FIERCE
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
ADVICE
Many people don’t know that Drag Queens are known for there can be many different being confident so find your types of Drag. inner Queen.
FRONT
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Our cover star is one of Aberdeen’s Drag Queens from Cheerz Bar and Club.
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FANS
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BEAUTY
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TEAM TOO MUCH
A fan gives us an insight in to her obsession with Drag Queens.
Some make-up products that will transform you in to a Queen.
BOBBIE’S BIG INTERVIEW. Page 6
I’ve always loved performing, dressing up and all things
Two stars from RuPaul’s Drag Race perform in Aberdeen.
EDITOR’S LETTER
glittery. I think my first experience of Drag Queens was when I was about 13 and went to see the musical, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, in London’s West End. I’m all for being yourself and expressing yourself in a way that makes you happy, which is a big part of Drag. Earlier this year I binge watched Ru Paul’s Drag Race on Netflix. I can’t resist a bit of reality TV and the drama you get to witness. However, what really drew me to the show is how emotional and brave many of these men are. As somebody who has and can still feel like a bit of an outsider or quirky it’s fabulous to see these people doing what they love and staying true to who they are. So I hope everyone reading enjoys my ode to Drag Queens, maybe even find inspiration and be proud to by yourself.
- Anna Hughes MacIver. 3
Drag Can Be DIFFERENT. Anybody can be a Drag Queen and have their own style so here’s some of the most popular and different types of Drag.
PAGEANT Probably one of the most recognisable types of Drag Queen. They thrive in the heat of competition. Thousands of pounds can be invested to complete their look. They can usually be found in sparkly gowns and jewelry. CLUB A club Queen is either from or inspired by the 1980s/1990s New York City club scene. Their fashion and make-up can be unique and sometimes outrageuous.
GOTH This isn’t usually a style that people would always assosiate with Drag. They’re inspired by classic goth and horror films, think The Addams Family. Their wardrobe and makeup is usually all black, except for keeping their face very pale.
FISH These type of Queens want to look like an authentic woman. They take pride in their look and are known for being polished and taking drag very seriously.
CAMP Their aesthetic can be quite clown like as they usually like to exaggerate their features. They’re also known for their humour and being very honest. 4
Words To Feel CONFIDENT. Here’s some quotes from the Mother of Drag to other fabulous people to help you be the best version of yourself.
“If you can’t love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love somebody else?” RuPaul, RuPaul’s Drag Race. “Don’t feel stupid if you don’t like what everyone else pretnds to love.” Emma Watson, Actress and Activist. “Now that I’m older, I realize that the things that made me different are the things that made me special.” Shay Mitchell, Actress.
“And though she be but little, she is fierce.” Helena, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare. “I won’t cry for you, my mascara is too expensive.” Adriana Lima, Model. “I used to be self conscious about my height, but then I thought, fuck that I’m Harry Potter” Daniel Radcliffe, Actor. “Don’t forget to fall in love with yourself first.” Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City.
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BOBBIE’S BIG INTERVIEW. From Aaron Reid to Bobbie Dazzler
In the warm dressing room with a window that’s not been able to open for about four years, the heat is swarming whilst Aaron Reid is getting ready for a Friday night at Cheerz bar. Coming from the distance down the cold, hard steps Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” can be heard. In the drag queens’ dressing room Aaron is in a panic, “I was in such a rush after work. I had to walk my dog when I got so busy I was worried I wouldn’t make it here on time.” As well as Aaron having to get ready, there are two other guys getting dressed up in drag. Half the without the bright lights surrounding them, and in the other half of the room there are two black couches with clothes chucked on
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top of them. Sparkly, black high heels can be found on scattered chairs, under the dressing tables and in corners of the room. On top of shelves there are heads of mannequins wearing perfectly styled wigs. There’s less than an hour until Bobbie Dazzler, Aaron’s drag queen alter ego for the past six years, has to be downstairs in the bar. He’s rushing around. Make-up, brushes and wipes are thrown around in front of his mirror. “Oh my god it’s melting off my face already” white face paint is now covering Aaron’s own complexion. Amongst the vast amount of makeup on the dressing room table there is also blood. There haven’t eve of Halloween. “I’m going to be a white witch,” proclaims Aaron,
“I’ve got this horror blood spray, I might put this on.” His plans for tomorrow night though are drastically different, “I’m going to the bingo.” During the day Aaron works as a travel agent, doing drag came as an accident, “I used to run a nightclub. We booked a drag queen, she never turned up and I was drunk and thought I’ll have a go at this…oh my god it’s melting off my face…yeah I worked there for over a year until it shut down then got asked if I wanted a job here.” Continuing to look in the mirror Aaron says, “I used to be scared of drag queens. The make up and how bold they were just kinda freaked me out.” Becoming a drag queen was a shock to him, never mind to his Mum, “My Mum hated it. My Mum wasn’t really accepting that I was gay so the whole drag
queen thing just topped it all off.” ”
but it’s not bad.”
Beginning to pout in the mirror he says proudly, “My friends love it.
Aaron is slowly fading away and Bobbie is appearing with the application of eye shadow, eyeliner and eyelashes, “I’m a traditional drag queen. Sequins and dresses.” He
Bobbie is starting to appear but it’s clear that Aaron’s personality is very different. Wearing converses, jeans and a checked shirt he has a quiet demeanour but with a big tling, almost claustrophobic room. Moving back and forth from doing his make-up to panicking, his worry creeps up again, “Oh my god this is absolutely awful. I’m a bit stressed out that this looks absolutely awful.” He begins to help one of the other drag queens in the room who’s dressing as a nun tonight. They clearly have a good bond, “People think we’ll all hate each other. We all get on. We all slag each other
very very pantomime. It’s kind of gotten a wee bit more glamorous.” Then he suddenly remembers it’s Halloween, “Do I look as though I’m dead? Bobbie the white witch.” “Bobbie’s a bitch?” the drag queen dressed as a nun jokes from across the room. With a lot of strong personalities in the room Aaron says it’s Bobbie’s tongue that allows him to be different from the other drag queens whilst they’re working at the bar, “I’m the mouthy one. I like getting the audience and staff involved.” Which is different from Aaron, “I
my Mum saw me I swore about 65 times.” He goes from picking up his make up brush to picking up his drink, laughing he says, “I’m the boozy one.” Just over half an hour left to get ready, “I’m melting, I could be the wicked witch of the west.” As glamorous as many people may think the life of a drag queen is Aaron assures that it isn’t, “I’m a dog lover, which takes up a lot of my time. No time for men at the moment.” He thinks that dating can be even harder for men that do drag, “I dated a guy and he recognised my voice and told me to fuck off. They think you want to be a woman. I think they need to look in to the word drag but I understand that people don’t know what it is.”
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His eyes cover the room to check he’s not missing anything from his The next step is applying his lipstick then the look is almost complete. There’s still some drink left in his glass though, “Can someone get me a straw? I can’t smudge my lipstick!” To keep his make-up in place he mists hairspray on to his face and his wig. He then runs to ror to check how he’s looking. On his dressing table sits a spray can of male deodorant. Once he’s back from checking out his full length look he grabs a spray can but this room with the scent of a woman, “so I’m not smelling like my usual self.” With only a few minutes till he has to be downstairs he begins to quickly tidy up his area of the
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dressing room before the next act comes in. He chucks his make up in to a toolbox, his version of a make up bag. Amongst the crowd that are dancing to Spice Girls, whilst being struck by the rainbow array of lights, Bobbie Dazzler appears. Once she’s reached her stage she eyes a middle-aged woman wearing an Adidas tracksuit, she asks her over the microphone, “You meant to be Sporty Spice?” the women doesn’t look too impressed. She isn’t afraid to let her voice be heard, “You all look gorgeous! I’m sweating from my fanny to my face.” People are sitting down drinking but when Olly Murs begins to blast from the speakers many of them get up to dance. More people walk in to the bar, only a few are in fancy dress. Bobbi has no fear,
“Prize for best dressed! So far I’m winning.” A large guy with a very strong Glaswegian accent sitting across the room is trying to get her attention. When she notices she begins dedicates the next song “Hot Stuff” to him. Whilst the song is on she struts from the DJ booth to a nearby mirror to check how she’s tion and says, “I’m nae shy!” He blows her a kiss that she pretends to grab then she blows one back to him. Although the drag queen alter ego paranoia still manages to creep in. Trying to stay positive he says, “This time of night is tough, it gets easier later.” Laughing he states, “there’s more people and by that time I’m fucked.” As soon as Abba’s song “Mamma
Mia” begins though Bobbi is back. This also gets the majority of the bar singing along or up dancing around her stage. There are many differences between Aaron and Bobbie, but they can be seen to share the same kindness. When a group of girls that are collecting money for a charity walk in she tells everybody to give money and even compliments one of them, “Oh look this one looks like Cher Cole!” The night is getting later and later and Bobbi becomes more fun and Aaron insists though, “She’s not glamorous at all.”
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Drag Queen Fan ART. Get to know a fan with our Editor, Anna Hughes MacIver. Photos credit of Valeria Leone.
Valeria is a 21 year old Design and Digital Arts student at Edinburgh Napier University who draws Drag Queen fan art and has began to sell her designs on Redbubble. Why do you love Drag Queens? They’re just so fun and seeing them is like a form of escapism. There’s something incredibly endearing about a man emulating femininity, especially in a male-dominated world where that’s frowned upon. What made you want to draw them? I saw a lot of amazing fan art on tumblr that really inspired me. My drag race obsession just started at the time so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try something new artistically. Who’s your favourite drag queen? Probably Manila because her looks are so conceptual, she’s like a real life cartoon character! Who’s your favourite one to draw? Violet Chachki. She has this retro, burlesque pin-up style that is just so fun and inspiring! What made you set up a shop with redbubble? I’d browsed on redbubble quite a bit in the past and loved their products. When I discovered the work was created by artists I knew I wanted to get involved! Feeling like I didn’t have anything good enough, I left it for months. Then in summer I had a surge of inspiration and drew non-stop. As my portfolio expanded I was able to create a substantial shop. What was it like to have Bianca Del Find Valeria’s shop at Rio “like” your photo of her? www.redbubble.com/people/ It was such an amazing moment! I’d valleone/shop never really done fan art before so I never went into it expecting a response from the people I was drawing. It’s really rewarding as an artist to have your work acknowledged, especially when it’s the queen herself!
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Follow Valeria on Instagram @valleonex
Beauty Products We LOVE. Here’s some of our favourite make-up which will help transform you from drab to Drag.
Red lips will always read instant glamour.
Sparkles are a must have.
Nude tones will go with almost anything.
A good foundation will help to set your look, make sure it has an SPF to protect your beautiful skin. Use different types of mascara to create more of an affect and impact to emphasise your eyes.
If in doubt pout and be pretty in pink.
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A Night With Team Too Much. Laganja Estranga
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Two contestants from RuPaul’s Drag Race Season Six have joined together and are now on a tour with Miley Cyrus. They came to Aberdeen’s Cheerz Bar and Club to do meet and greets with fans and then perform.
Gia Gunn
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