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| Promotional image of RuPaul for season 10 |
This Emmy season brought with it a
historic win in the reality TV category: the first show to win both
Outstanding Host and Outstanding Program awards in the category’s
history. The winner? RuPaul’s Drag Race,
a popular reality tv show that brings drag queens head to head to compete for a
$100,000 cash prize and the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar”. Recently
finishing its 10
th season to a record high number of almost a
million views, it seems everybody is talking about Drag Race—and the hype is
well deserved.
From its humble beginnings struggling to find a home with a
network, Drag Race has grown into a force to be reckoned with. The show has
featured 140 queens, many of whom have gained fame in their own right; viral YouTube
series, movie deals with Netflix, book publications, and world tours for sold
out comedy shows are all par for the course for Drag Race queens, both crowned
and uncrowned. The show is a magnet for diversity and creativity, featuring
queens of nearly every style and walk of life in its lifetime. Using their
skills in singing, acting, choreography, comedy, and sewing, contestants must
complete challenges that focus on creativity and innovation to impress the
judges. Each week sees the birth of something new, from original runway looks
to handwritten lyrics. The queens themselves embody a variety of styles—horror,
camp, glamour, fantasy, and punk all find a place on the catwalk, even within
the same episode. Sitting in the middle of this long-nailed, rhinestoned chaos
is RuPaul, the eye of the metaphoric drag hurricane.
RuPaul appears on every episode polished and camera ready, the
unquestioned expert of all things drag and the ultimate judge of the show. However,
compared to the actual queens on the show, RuPaul’s quantitative creative
output on Drag Race is minimal. He shows up to the mainstage every week wearing
his “signature look”—a predictable blonde wig, a long dress or body suit, a
consistent style of makeup. RuPaul doesn’t sing, dance, or act in the show; many
of his lines seem scripted ahead of time, and his music career relies on catchy
pop beats and autotune. So how did RuPaul create this drag empire and earn his $16
million net worth?
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| Season 10 contestants on the show |
The answer is simple: RuPaul
is creative, but his creativity manifests itself less flashily than
that of the queens on his show. RuPaul’s talent lies in his business savvy, the
way he rose through the ranks of the entertainment scene to claim his spot at
the top. He regularly enlists the help of other celebrities to do the dirty
work for him: the show frequently features the vocals and choreography of
Todrick Hall, the popularity of guest judges like Christina Aguleira and Lady
Gaga, and the know-how of long-time judges Carson Kressley and Michelle Visage.
When describing the properties of creative people, Csikszentmihalyi likens them
to “the color white that includes all the hues in the spectrum, they tend to bring
together the entire range of human possibilities within themselves”. RuPaul is
the embodiment of this creativity, incorporating all the skills and talents of
his contemporaries and drag queens of every style and harnessing them to create
the celebration of culture that is Drag Race. With his particular genius, RuPaul
has brought drag onto the mainstage; spawning everything from high fashion to
memes to no small amount of merchandise, Drag Race is revolutionizing the world.
With his unique, combinational creativity, RuPaul has stamped his name on all
of it, regardless of his own personal creative output, and that is where his true
strength lies.
I just binge watched this series this summer and I love it! I also like that you cited Ru Paul as the creative because I think sometimes people give him a bad reputation and just say he is raking in money while he does none of the real work or talent. I'm glad that you cited his collecting for creativity as a positive because I think it is what allows his to be relevant in pop culture while simultaneously relatable to several different groups both within the LGTBQ community and ouside of it.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE RuPaul and Drag Race so this was such a fun read. Its really incredible how multifaceted she is and that she has been able to spur so many careers. Similar shows (namely, ANTM) are fun to watch but I my opinion, don't prepare contestants to be successful after the season ends. Drag Race mimics the reality of the drag world while remaining good and entertaining television, which I think is extremely impressive.
ReplyDeleteI think that (despite the reputation Caitlyn already mentioned) RuPaul is at LEAST as creative as the contestants on the show--in addition to having been a drag queen, he revolutionized reality TV and created a structure in which 100+ other people have been able to legitimize their creative output and show their product to the world. And, of course, you mentioned his business sense too--all three of these factors combine to make RuPaul the powerhouse he is!
ReplyDeleteI think what is so interesting about RuPaul is his rise to fame. We talked about in class how in order to become a professional, you need to put in thousands of hours. While we all discussed how this isn't the case, I find it really inspiring how RuPaul, as you mentioned, rose through the ranks of the business. I remember when I first heard of RuPaul's Drag Race, it was almost a taboo subject because openly talking about LBGTQ+ rights and folx was seen as highly controversial. There is obviously a lot of work to be done in regards to LGBTQ+ rights, but it's incredible to see all of the representation of wonderful creative minds that are bringing forth creative content and ideas for the world (e.g., RuPaul, Queer Eye, Ellen Degeneres).
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