Research Publication by Kyle James McAuley (Heriot Watt Fashion Communications Year 4)

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Is this art adapting to societys need for entertainment inclusivity?

Con

n t e s t 1. History 2. Diversity 3. Pop Culture 4. Public Engagement 5. Breaking the Mould 6. Me, Myself & Drag 7. Lets get Digital 8. Additional Features 9. Refrences

DR G A

“It’s sort of piss-take on culture, because a drag queen is a clown - a parody of our society. It’s a sarcastic spoof on culture, which allows us to laugh at ourselves - but in a way that is inclusive of everyone.”

RuPaul.

History of D r a g

imit no l

Drag has

& Art is subjective

Drag is Art

BIO QUEENS

KING S

QUEENS

DIVERSITY IN DRAG

RTISTS TRANS A

CLUB QUEENS

DRAG

E L i T A S R E V IS

DRAG IS Univ

ersal

Drag is Expressive

Drag is ART

Drag in Pop Culture

D R A G I S...

DRAG IS MAINSTREAM

DRAG IS THEATRE

...ACTING - ACTIVISM - ADVENTUROUS - BUISNESS - BROADCASTED - BEAUTIFUL - CREATIVE - COMPASSIONATE - CHARISMATIC - DRAMATIC - DARING - DIVERSE - EXPRESSIVE EXTREME - EMOTIVE - FIERCE - FABULOUS - FLAMBOYANT GLAMOUROUS - GAY - GROWING - HILARIOUS - HORROR HEADSTRONG - INTERESTING - INNOVATIVE - INCLUSIVE JUSTICE - JAUNTY - JAZZY - KILLER - KIND - KNOWLEDGE LOVE - LUXURY - LESSONS - MAGICAL - MAGNETIC - MAJOR NERVE - NOTICEABLE - NOSTALGIC - OPTIMISTIC - OBSERVANT OPPOURTUNITIES - PASSIONATE - POWERFUL - POSITIVE QUIRKY - QUEER - QUEENLY - RADIANT - RESPECTFUL RELIABLE - STUNNING - SOCIABLE - SPECTACULAR - TRANSFORMING - TALENT - TENACIOUS - UNIQUE - UNIVERSAL UNDERSTANDING - VIBRANT - VIVACIOUS - VERSATILE WONDERFUL - WEIRD - WILD - XANY - XENAS - XFACTOR YOUTHFUL - YOU - YERN - ZANY - ZAZZY - ZAPPY.

DRAG IS DYNAMIC

Drag has been shot into mainstream culture within the past few years. We see a change and development within society and its acceptance towards Drag Culture. With publications like Vogue, Plastik, Entertainment Weekly & Vanity Fair displaying Drag on its front cover this showcases the diveristy and continuing growth of acceptance for the artform. Normalising it to the public. The television show “RuPauls Drag Race� has sky-rocketed into a cultural phenomanon and recieved multiple awards for the best reality show of the year several times. The show has given so many amazing entertainers a platform to showcase their drag and compete against others to become the next drag superstar. The franchise has expanded to the UK, Thailand and Holland. With future seasons in Spain and France in the works.

This has created an amazing display of diversity across the drag scene and we are able to see so many fantastic artists and fall in love with them. The drag race franchise has expanded into conventions, tours and mass media coverage displaying drag at its best. This continuing movement of the artform in society is a refreshing change of pace, but there is always room for growth and to expand this even further as the years progress.

...POP CULTURE

PUBLI C ENGAGEMENT

Within the drag scene it would not gather its support if it were not for the public and the audiences reaction to the drag community. With the culture being supported at shows and having viewing parties for drag race. We see that Drag is loved and expressed by all but with this being mentioned, is the audience completely acceptable of all aspects in the drag scene? It is beneficial to educate and learn from people, with Drag being so inclusive there are very few boundaries within the artform, however there is mass hysteria surrounding who can particpate in drag. A series of questions were asked on my personal instagram to see exactly where people lied within the taboo questions on determining if everyone should be given the same platform in drag and the mass hysteria found behind cultural acceptance of not just men partaking in the performance art. Women and Trans people are noticebaly subjected to lesser than that of a cis gay man who partakes in drag. Whereas women are the stepping stone to drags evolution and development with the years to come. The expendability to these women and trans people who wish to be given that platform is unjustified and everyone must be treated as equal in this community, otherwise we are just as bad as those who tear us down and continue to degrade LGBTQIA+ culture.

With t he g iven i nformation it i s clear t hat m y followers are supportive and f or m ajority o f the polls published. This was a great relief and understanding for many of them to be knowledgable of the subject. However we do see some of the polls with over 30+ people against females being able to compete on “Ru Pauls Drag Race”. This is so interesting to m e to recieve feedback against having women on a televised platform that showcases their art. Gender has nothing to do with it.

Another result which got m e thinking w as t he stereotypes question. For people to think there are no stereotypes in the drag community truly baffled me as Gay cis white men in female drag are the stereotype for what a “Drag Entertainer” is. With the given result we do see a large majority of my following were with the times and understand the growth and development of the Art of drag as well as a movement for the LGBTQIA+ community.

H Y P O T H E S IS

FEMALE REPRESENTATION ON DRAG RACE

BREAKING BOUNDARIES

With the drag scene being considered an inclusive and diverse art, we are still lacking a further conversation on why there is no further platform given to Drag Kings, Bio Queens and Trans Artists. For drag queens to come into the spotlight and be the only main reason for exposure within the queer artform is baffling.

The show “Ru Pauls Drag Race” and surrounding spin off series’ have been a very progressional and diversifying show with Drag but for many years we lacked the representation of women in drag on such platform, until 2020 where we were exposed to female superfans of the show being made over and allowed to try drag for the first time and express their inner drag persona which was such an amazing episode to watch. It helped to showcase to a younger audience who watch the show drag is not just about men in wigs, its about any gender being exposed to all of the colours in the crayon box and expressing themselves. The show also had a spin off series called “Ru Pauls Secret Celebrity Drag Race” which was celebrities partaking in the art of drag to raise money for their chosen charities. In this program in multiple episodes we are showcased with all female members being made over. From generational differences like Vanessa Williams to Maddison Beer this creates such an open conversation about inner expression and art which needs to be carried further as the show progresses. With these women being on the show, it did cause a lot of backlash as it not not as “difficult” for women to be partaking as they may not have to go through the entire parts transformation process or for some people it is considered lesser than a man doing it. This mindset people have to make everything a compeition is the reason that we are not exposed to the full inclusivity and range of drag...

... If men and women could go past a day without being compared or pit against one another then there would be no reason to question why women are just as valid in the drag community as men. This also contributes towards the aspect of Drag Kings not being given as big a platform as the queens are. The very first drag king I saw televised on a popular tv franchise was “The Boulet Brothers Dragula: Season 3”.

Dragula is a drag competition which focuses on the aspect of Horror/Alternative Drag. The show had its first Drag King on series 3 and this created an entire question as of why we are not seeing Drag Kings everywhere. They are truly an important part of the community and women are the progressional step towards a generation of fully accepting and unaware audiences learning to either better themselves or to better others on the route the Drag community should be going in.

BIO QUEENS

DRAG KINGS

TRANS ARTISTS

DRAG ME UP

L AT E X

Who is my Drag sona?

Per

I partipate in Drag as an expression of gender and to involve all aspects of a perfomative character into my lifestyle. Drag to me is a passion I have and something I use as a creative outlet. It allows myself the ability to use my skillsets in makeup, styling and design to create my drag persona (Latex).

Latex is described as a female illusionist who explores herself through fashion and creative conceptual looks. From her striking looks to campy performative background she is an inclusive queen with a variety of talents. Drag allows for a bigger platform to who Kyle is and elevates himself to an entire new community of queer people.

Drag is revolutionary.

Drag breaks boundaries for people and is seen as an outlet for many peoples lives.

An escapism which allows participants to be in another world so uniquely different to their lives.

“I d o n ‘ t d e f i n e d r a g

D r a g i s d e f i n e d b y m e”

LATEX

Gender Shapeshifter

Make-up Illusionist

Drag

DIGITA D IGITA D DIGITAL DIGITA G GITA GITAL L IGITA IGITAL IG g o e sD IGITAL

Drag as a main form of queer entertainment has been dominating the entertainment industry for the past few years. With 2020 coming into play we were struck with the Coronavirus.

COVID-19 shut down clubs, venues and restricted all fields of live entertainment. With this drag was taken to a new level it had never been at before. Being strictly digital. Performers took what they had and started publishing more online. This could range from posting a series of fashion looks, makeup posts and even digital performances. The drag comunity has really came together during these difficult times and provided complete support from one another. Many large queer event companies have also take the liberty of creating Digital shows with a line up of queens to perform via communication platforms like Twitch and Youtube. The lockdown period has really pushed people out of their comfort zone and to be creative with the materials they have which is why we see such a drive for drag entertainers to keep up with content. COVID-19 has been emotionally difficult for everyone and that need to perform or be in a public setting again is a very hard thing to bare without. Drag is used for many as a gateway into channeling their emotions and the constant need to be on a stage is difficult to bare without. As the crisis continues the performers will continue to adapt to the everchanging goverment guidelines in the UK and still continue to showcase amazing queer talents online.

My Experience

Over the course of lockdown and being limited to no ways of performing I also decided to take my drag digital. I did a makeup series over the lockdown focusing on characters of American Horror Story and done a look everyday for 12 days straight transforming into 1 character of every season. This pushed me out of my limits and I done things I never expected to do before with my makeup and I was able to really perfect my craft and keep getting better at it. As well as this I was asked to be involved in a large digital drag show, which I agreed to. I was very excited about this and being given that oppourtunity was fantastic!... ...However that being said I did find it very draining sometimes to do an entire day of being in drag to take a few pictures/ film content and then take it off again almost immediately after. This really was a mind-numbing process and it did make me realise how much I personally thrive off of the attention of being in Drag in a public setting.

LATEX

Murderous Mugs

The makeup series was such a fun experimental project to channel my creativity. The series really allowed me to create so many vast and mixed looks s howcasing m y talents in m akeup artistry, t ransformations and editing (as I edited together a ll o f the looks except f or 1 ). This type o f development has allowed Latex to grow as a character and fine their own unique avenue of drag to explore, as well as allowing Kyle to grow as a creative person and really be able to experiment. These examples of my art are a primary d isplay o f what can b e accomplished w hilst being excluded from public drag performnaces/gigs. Drag is not over because their is a pause on reality. Art must continue to be made.

Additional Research

G R A P H D E S I G N E R S

C

BB EE AA U U BB EE RR TT EE N N SS

David Carson

INTERVIEWS This article was eye opneing in terms of the Drag King community, it touched on a few issues but I think at some areas they stepped out of line with the title and was a tad demeaning at points.

Nontheless it was still informative and addressed some key issues.

This was an informative piece which explored and ellaborated on specific Drag artists of all natures that have not been included on Drag Race, which discusses their artistry and why they deserve to be on. Very informative and a nice tone to the article which allows readers an insight into these artists.

This interview discussed Michelle Visages (Infamous Drag Rcae Judge) opinions on having women on Drag Race and was very informative and honest. It was fantastic being able to see such a positive outlook on a subject which is deemed controversial, but really should not be.

This article was very interesting and really allowed a more professional insight into Drag and a behind the scenes aspect of why people do Drag from a psychological perspective.

Interesting and a very unique perspective on the artform.

PinkNews focused on some controversial statements made regarding Drag Race not including Trans Artists and Bio Queens on the show. Really opinionated tone and very straightforward. It could be considered a bit demeaning.

This conversation was very informative and allowed readers to understand the difference to being a trans individual and participating in the art of drag. It was an insightful read and really addressed an important topic which is necessary to discuss in todays society.

them.com discussed the latest season of Dragula and how it is ground breaking for being inclusive and involving the first Drag King to be showcased on a larger televised platform. It is very informative on the matter and educational for people who maybe are not aware of the show and the reason behind alternative drag styles.

Metro discussed D rag Race w inner Sasha V elours d iscussion o n more queer representation in the scene and being all round inclusive in terms of what drag race can offer and her thoughts on the matter. A very interesting read, Sashas is a very intellectual person when it comes to queer history, rights etc. And she has a very strong mindset in what is right for others. The article brought that to life and was very interesting to read.

Here we have a discussion on why Dragula has showcased more diversity than Ru Pauls Drag Race. The piece is a very controversial topic and I was not too keen on the comparison between the two. As two seperate queer television series’ they should not be put against each other to determine which is the best. As any queer media/coverage is and will be positive for the community as a whole. But it was a fun and diverse article to read. I just have my opinions on comparing two different shows that both stand for queer inclusiveness.

Gay Times brings to light why Drag Race is such an important TV show and what it has done for the queer community.

This piece was very well written and I enjoyed the tone and message it stood for. This really showcased how important it is for queer people to be showcased on normal tv and be expressed in the best way possible.

PHOTO

GRAPHY INSPIRATIONS

MAGNUS HASTINGS

INFORMATION

Magnus Hastings i s a British queer photographer who specialises in shooting members of t he L GBTQIA+ community, specifically he shoots mostly drag artists.

He i s a very f amous photographer i n the queer scene. H e has w orked for several large publications including Attitude, Time Out, Boyz and QX international. His style of work i s very i nspiring and a lmost minimalistic i n a sense. The crisp shots are fantastic and the large variety of queer models he photographs is great. His shoot idea o f the white box w as a lso a very unqiue shoot, all shot in the same space with over 40 different models showcasing a large r ange o f diversity i n the queer community.

Josh Cadogan

INFORMATION

Josh Cadogan i s a Manchester based queer n ightlife photographer w ho specialises i n taking i mages o f queer culture and exploration of t he queer community through different aspects and visuals. Cadogan actually photographed myself at M anchester Pride 2019 and since then have been in love with his work style since. His shots are mainly in action and involve movement or a performative aspect. He photographs s uch a diverse array of queer people from sex workers to drag queens, Cadogan i s very i nclusive and creates a great atmosphere with his imagery. I am i nspired b y his in action shots with the drag artists specifically and I would love t o incorporate t hat nighlife edgy feel into future work.

CONTENT In the book it will be filled with a variety of diverse content exploring and focusing on the artform of drag.

Exploring key i ssues i n the community s uch as a l ack of v isual represntation of t he non s teretypical D rag performer being explored and a d iscussion surrounding t he d evelopment and i nclusivity i n the Drag scene within the mass media. The publication will highlight these issues in a minimalist fashion publication perspective by taking inspiration from prior magazines such as Wonderland, Gay Times and Theirry Mugler vintage fashion publication series. The publication will be visually very pleasing with clean graphics as well as a well balance of typography and imagery to make it as expressive yet clean as possible. I hope to convey my emotions behind the publication and really engage with the reader, giving them an insight into my mindset on the matter.

The publication is going to be sold in stores and online. I anticipate the online market to be the most popular souce of selling. I would sell the feature on a website designed like to feature the publication on as well as surrounding information as of why it was made and information about me (the founder). I also want Amazon to exclusively sell the book. Amazon have such a large market with their books/magazines and it makes up a lot of sales for the company. To be exclusively sold on their website this is a great oppourtunity to expand the viewers/audience exposure. In stores, I would like it to be sold in Waterstones as I really enjoy the large amount of books they carry and being such an established brand would be a fantastic oppourtunity. I also think the book would look very visually pleasing with their decor.

WHERE WILL IT BE SOLD?

AUDIENCE My publication will be not have a specific target audience. The publication is aimed at anyone who is looking to learn or be educated on the artform of Drag. I did not want to have my publication directed to a certain market becasue Drag is a subjective art inclusive to anyone from different genders, age, race etc so to me I felt it would be ridiculous to limit the read to a category of people. The publication is being made to educate and inform people who may have no knowledge on drag and educate them as well as have them question some of the aspects of total inclusivity, queer exposure and the digital development to drag. If my publication can allow people to start talking about the subject and really strike a conversation it will be a success in my eyes.

My publication will be brought into life with Book Printing UK, a reasonable and high quality publication company. My publication has been set to 80 pages roughly for a quote with 500 copies being made solely for the books website. The costs would come to £5,154.25 for all copies, estimating that to be £10.31 per copy. The books will be sold for a price of £17.99 per copy (not including delivery charges). If all copies of the publications are sold (not including delivery costs) this will equate to £8,995.00. Meaning a profit of £3,840.75 ( ). This would be a big success for the launch of the publication if we meet all expectations from above. With the distribution into stores and Amazon, there would need to be a further discuss and contracts to be made to work out specifically costs and fees of selling in store etc.

PRODUCTION

M A G A Z I N E I N S P I R A T I O N

MANIFESTO DRAFTS

“Because, T ransgender people who participate in Drag do not have their genders decided based on the art they project.

Because, Women doing drag are just as talented as men participating.

Because, No sub-category of drag should be excluded.

Because, A ll f orms o f d rag are deserving of a platform.

Because, Drag Queens are important in culture, that should not exclude Bio Queens, Trans Artists or Drag Kings.

Because, D igital drag has b rought t he community together.

Because, Society need to take into consideration how impatful COVID-19 has been for the arts.

Because, We thrive off of public engagement in seeing drag live.”

Because, Art is a coping mechanism.

Because, Queer pop culture is an important step into complete acceptance.”

“ Because, Drag is art.

Because, Drag is creative.

Because, Drag is an escape.

Because, Drag is fun.

Because, Drag is expressive.

Because, Drag is exploring boundaries of gender.

Because, Drag is equal.

Because, Drag is prideful.

Because, Drag is not as inclusive as it should be.

Because, Drag is hard. “

“Because, Drag is more than just men.

Because, Drag is subjective.

Because, Drag is diverse.

Because, Drag is for everyone.

Because, Drag is an abstract artform.

Because, Women can do drag.

Because, Men do not control the boundaries women set.

Because, Art is subjective.

Because, Inclusivity is important.

Because, Drag is impactful to queer culture.”

“Because, Women do not deserve to be excluded from an Artform they inspired.

Because, Trans Artists are just as valid as any other artist.

Because, Drag Kings deserve to be showcased just as much as queens.

Because, A lternative art f orms of Drag are j ust as important and deserve to b e showcased i n todays society.

Because, Digital Drag has made a shift in the progressional route Drag was going thorugh.

Because, Drag going Digital is difficult.

Because, L ive performances are g one, w e must adapt.

Because, We thrive off of public engagement in seeing drag live.”

“Because, Equality in the queer community must be addressed.

Because, Bio Queens deserve a platform of their own.

Because, Trans Drag Artists deserve to be highlighted just as much as cis gay drag queens are.

Because, There are no boundaries with Drag.

Because, Ru Pauls Drag Race is opening up to inclusivity in the entire community.

Because, Drag is mainstream.

Because, Drag has shaped pop culture for years upon years.

Because D rag is a n influential artform and aspects are stolen t hat r ange f rom theatre, beauty industry and fashion industry.

Because. The drag industry has sterotypes.

Because, Inclusivity is all we want.”

TYPOGRAPHY The Typography used in the publication has showcased a vast amount of different fonts and placements. This was intentionally done to highlight key areas and showcase some diverse graphic element to the research companion. I am personally a fan of minimal aspects and I balanced out my typogrpahy with spacing as well as showcased more personality especially when i was trying to convey a bold emotion regarding my theme or discuss my drag persona.

The font I used for "Latex" is actually a signature font combination I use to brand myself.

L AT E X

Articles/Interviews: https://www.starobserver.com.au/artsentertainment/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-drag-kings/187101 https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/michelle-visage-wants-to-host-her-own-drag-race-with-bio-queens-and-trans-women/ https://www.dazeddigital.com/film-tv/article/47671/1/8-trans-non-binary-and-female-performers-we-want-to-see-on-drag-race https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/05/02/drag-race-season-12-episode-10-makeover-celebrity-vanessa-williams/ https://www.radiotimes.com/news/on-demand/2020-04-22/rupaul-secret-celebrity-drag-race-release-cast/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/all-things-lgbtq/201801/the-psychology-drag

REFERENCES

https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-difference-between-being-transgender-and-doing-drag-100521 https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2020/08/27/dragula-has-openness-gender-diversity-rupauls-drag-race-severely-lacks https://www.them.us/story/dragula-competition-show-season-three rupaul-drag-race-sasha-velour-winner-exclusive-transgender-drag-queens-12109558 https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/rupauls-drag-race-is-the-most-important-queer-tv-show-in-herstory-and-heres-why/

TV Shows/Movies/Youtube: - Ru Pauls Drag Race Seasons 1-12, Ru Pauls Drag Race All Stars Season 1-5, Ru Pauls Drag Race UK S1, Ru Pauls Secret Celebrity Drag Race, Ru Pauls Drag Race Vegas Revue, Drag Race Holland S1, Drag Race Thailand S1-2 & Canadas Drag Race S1 (First Aired 2009-Present) - Boulet Brothers “Dragula” S1-3, Boulet Brothers “Dragula: Ressurection” (First Aired 2016- Present) - Paris Is Burning (Released 2007) - Disclosure (Released 2020) - Drag SOS S1 (First Aired 2019-Present) - Dragnificent! S1 (First Aired 2019-Present) - POSE S1-2 (First Aired 2018- Present) - Gay Star News Youtube Interview “Just because i’m a woman, doesn’t mean I can’t do drag” (2017)

- WOW presents Youtube segment “Bio-Queens!? The Art of Drag @ Ru Paul’s DragCon NYC ft. Manila Luzon” (2017) - VICE Life Youtube interview “Can’t Drag Us Down: Meet London’s Female Queens” (2015)

Books/Magazines: - WHY DRAG by Magnus Hastings.

- Suck Less by Willam.

- GuRu by Ru Paul.

- Trixie & Katya’s Guide to Modern Womanhood by Trixie Mattel and Katya.

- Drag: The complete story by Simon Doonan.

- Gay Times issues 494, 502, 508 & 509.

- Wonderland Winter 2018/19 & Autumn 2020 issues.