Drag, Patricia McCabe Duff, Sofia Spatola………………………………………………………………………………96

Drag

Patricia McCabe

The keyword I have chosen is drag, in reference to drag queens and drag balls. According to a definition from Wikipedia, drag queen means: “Drag is parsed as changing one's clothes to those of a different sex, while queen is said to refer to a homosexual man.” (Wikipedia, 2022). Although this website is not the most reliable, Wikipedia can be a relevant source to adolescents who want to learn about vernacular that they ‘should’ know living in a media centred society. Despite this, I believe this definition does not show today’s current representation that can include people in drag of any gender or sexuality.

Drag’s history starts with the term “cross-dressing”, meaning dressing alike to the opposite sex, which led to what became more popularly known as a drag queen in the late 1900s (Wikipedia, 2022). Drag is known for the idea of someone creating another persona of themselves to perform and provide entertainment for others. This usually includes the LGBTQ+ community, especially in spaces such as drag bars or shows, but has sometimes become an activity for straight people to enjoy as well. What started as a simple idea seen as playing dress up became an entire artform and community. For instance, the scene became popular in New York in the 80s when gay and trans people would host ballroom shows in underground clubs categorizing and competing for their drag looks.

Understanding drag is essential to understand the experiences of young people due to the vernacular that is used in their everyday life. These terms consist of “slay”, “queen”, “boots”, “fierce”, “tea”, and many others. These stem from AAVE (African American Vernacular English), but at its root comes from Black and Latin drag queens. What is common of today’s young people on social media is to appropriate the culture and slang of Black people, and in this

case drag queens, and claim it as their own. This can be harmful to those who originated this vernacular because it is not acknowledging their origins nor is it used with its correct intent.

In terms of the mental health of adolescents, drag can be influential due to the representation that it gives young people of colour and the gay community. Drag allows for selfexpression and creates a safe space for people who do not feel welcome in their everyday lives. Films and television shows such as Paris is Burning, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Pose, and Drag Kids

are great representations of drag and its influence in popular culture today. As well, Marsha P, Johnson, a drag queen and gay rights activist involved in the Stonewall riots, is just one of the trailblazers who has paved the way for LGBTQ+ youth (Wikipedia, 2022). Drag is still not fully accepted, in ideas that the act of drag queens performing or teaching for all ages has been under controversy for sexually exploiting children and ‘turning them queer’. All in all, drag is the opposite of harmful, but to those who make it a problematic idea that expressing yourself and loving who you love is a bad message.

Resources for further understanding: https://www.proquest.com/docview/2556417327?parentSessionId=NyL5Z8ySJGkTI8oyr4c8fH CYyNubKIW%2FwOgdfcXftu8%3D&pq-origsite=primo&accountid=15182 ^ scholarly https://www.losangelesblade.com/2022/08/29/you-cant-hate-kid-friendly-drag-shows-lovecheerleaders/ https://twitter.com/latelateshow/status/1537669366828834816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcam p%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1537669366828834816%7Ctwgr%5E4666a95c28467fb7bf47 73b549acf4f6b1385025%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.out.com%2Fd rag%2F2022%2F6%2F17%2Frupaul-drags-homophobes-who-want-ban-kids-drag-shows ^ informal/social media

References

Wikipedia Contributors. (2022, November 3). Drag queen. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_queen

Wikipedia Contributors. (2022, October 28). Marsha P. Johnson. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsha_P._Johnson

The Duff

Sofia Spatola

One of the most significant terms that comes to mind when pertaining to adolescents and youth is the term by Kody Kellinger. The term Duff is an invented slang term that is the acronym for “designated, ugly, fat friend”. This term is significant and relevant to the study of adolescence and health because it connects to the issues of self-esteem, labels and insecurity. These themes all pertain to the mental and physical health and development of young adults and teens. The term is based on the book written by Kody Keplinger that describes the character of Bianca who is deemed to be the “Duff” in her friend group. As she sets out to prove her high school peers wrong, she struggles with her own sense of identity and self-esteem which is connected to her physical appearance. The acronym is a way to describe the psychological presentation to others in a social setting. It can be used in a sense to establish power within a group setting and establish hateful narratives toward a person in which they are inferior. The “duff” of the friend group seemingly makes everyone around them present as being more attractive or better-looking. This idea is indicated in the text entitled Inside Lives

Psychoanalysis and the growth of Personality by Margot Waddell. Waddell writes, “These apparent value judgments of actual behaviour and physical characteristics are based on observation, but they are also subject to the predispositions of the observer.” (Waddell 18-19). Physical observation is vital enough to severely impact the growth and development both mentally and physically for youth and adolescents. In the hierarchy within a friend group, the “duff” is at the bottom. The term’s history stems from the author’s personal experiences when she was in high school where a similar occurrence. Keplinger’s novel was turned into a movie in cinemas where visually, characters would reenact her personal experience and narrative. Visually, the movie shares the very real encounters that people experience in school or social

settings. The term relates to the severity and importance of young adults and their perception of self. Labeling people on the basis of their physical presentations has an impact on their mental health and makes genuine connections harder to find. The subsequent effect of issues that come from name calling are long-term and impact everyone involved. The term relates to the school bullies, stereotypes and self-esteem which are all clearly connected to adolescent health and development. This is significant to the way that adolescents view themselves. The danger of this physical observation is that there is a clear domino effect. If a parental figure has undergone harsh physical observation by others, then without intention or choice, the child is exposed to this. Throughout developmental years for adolescents, exposure is vital to their perception and understanding of identity and bullying in various settings. If there is interest in learning more about the term “duff”, the movie starring Mae Whitman shows a visual exploration of the effects of being labelled. As well, Joseph Walderzak explores the notion of group identity in his journal entitled Man-Candy, Hot Body, and an Army of Skanks: Mean Girls

as Revisionist Text. The term duff is damaging and can impact a person greatly. Potential consequences such as body dysmorphia, depression, eating disorders along with many other illnesses and symptoms can stem from triggers such as name calling and labels and this needs to stop.

Works Cited:

Joseph Walderzak (2019) Man-Candy, Hot Body, and an Army of Skanks: Mean Girls as Revisionist Text

and the Teen Film Genre, Quarterly Review of Film and Video, 36:6, 498-519, DOI: 10.1080/10509208.2019.1593016

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10509208.2019.1593016?needAccess=true

“The Duff.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 20 Feb. 2015, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1666801/.

Waddell , Margot. “Chapter 2: Beginnings Excerpts .” Inside Lives Psychoanalysis and the

Growth of Personality, Routledge , 1998, pp. 15–19. The Tavistock Clinic Series.