Unlike most drag queens, M doesn’t have a set style for Tommi. While her personality never changes, her outfits and makeup are almost never the same. Sometimes he lets her contour be natural, but other times he uses his Simpson ID card to get the harsh lines drag is notorious for.
“Tommi is not me, and I’m not Tommi. We act differently.” “I really like to try different makeup styles,” he says. “I like to change it up a lot. It gives you a chance to be creative.” When M first came to Simpson in the fall semester of 2017, he thought his performing would be put on hold. At the time, his closest opportunity was at Studio 13 in Iowa City. Not only would he need to drive two hours each way to go, but their open stage is on a Wednesday night in the middle of the school week. Luckily, shortly after arriving on campus, The Garden in Des Moines started holding their 18 and up open-stage nights. M is also able to perform downtown Des Moines at The Blazing Saddle. While it can be scary performing on the same stage as established queens, M says the community is very supportive. “Everyone is very talented,” he says. “It’s very intimidating because I’m nowhere near as good as the queens who perform on open stages there.” M’s favorite drag queen isn’t in Des Moines, however. Her name is Utica and she performs in the Twin Cities as a comedic drag queen. “She is the nicest person I’ve ever met,” M says. “She’s always super confident and pushing people to perform better and helping people out.” While people don’t always know how to react when they find out he does drag, M says the response is generally positive. “A lot of people think it’s really cool,” he says. “Especially in the Twin Cities. It’s become a haven for really crazy experimentation in drag.”
29