For the nine seasons of its bright and bold existence, RuPaul’s Drag Race has amassed a faithful following — and with good reason. A heady mix of lights and colors (dominated of course by its trademark shocking pink), it entertains with enormous array of garb and frills, sassy choreography and energetic lip-sync dueling in the best tradition of drag artists. The scripting is adept and the dialogues punchy. For his part, RuPaul employs the full range of his practiced charm, interacting with the contestants sensitively with the occasional tinge of sharpness, and delivering masterfully the show’s already extremely popular catchphrases. The fan base is intimately familiar with most of the details of the competition, but as always, here and there, little, but revealing snippets of information have escaped the general attention.
Below are some of them.
1. Not many people are aware that the show managed to provide enough food for thought to several academics who penned a book of essays – The Makeup of RuPaul’s Drag Race. While the authors criticized some aspects of the program, for the most part they did so fondly and with appreciation for the positive message of the show and the enjoyment it brings to its followers.
2. Fenton Bailey, the producer of the show, has always seen a strong political meaning beneath the hugely entertaining façade of Drag Race. He once said of the drag queens “Every time they bat their eyelashes, it is a political act”. Together with his fellow co-producer Randy Barbato, throughout his career Bailey has affirmed himself as a one of the most creative advocates of celebrating drag culture and the freedom of self-expression.
3. Unfortunately, another member of the crew behind the wonder which is Drag Race, has had less amicable relationship with his colleagues. Lucian Piane, the composer of the show, has suffered bouts of illness and emotional distress which prompted outbursts, addressed, among others, to his former teammate RuPaul. He has since apologized, blaming his poor form on marijuana-induced psychosis. It is worth noting that the apology was graciously accepted by Ru Paul who has asked others to extend similarly compassion and understanding to Piane’s plight.
4. On a lighter note, a maquillage trend propped up by the show, reached dazzling new heights of appreciation as a result of its popularity among the contestants. The “cooked makeup” technique used habitually by drag queens crossed into the mainstream territory and suddenly became a thing among makeup artists everywhere. Instagram is now filled with-step-by step guides on how to bake your make up properly. The method favored by drag artists has evolved, but the basics are the same — leaving the fluid make-up products such as concealer to “sit” on the face on top of the foundation, with or without translucent powder sprinkled over it, for anything between 10 and 20 minutes without blending. The skin warmth infiltrates the product allowing it to “cook” on the face, creating as a result a perfect fusion and digital grade smoothness of the application.
5. Actually, the glamorous makeup demonstrated by the contestants created sufficiently big impression on the public to prompt a demand for video tutorials on how to replicate their particular looks. Initially publicized as part of preparing Halloween costumes, some of the techniques of creating these complex and deeply transformative looks are now becoming part of daily routines for many who, just like the participants in the show, have found the courage to love themselves deeply and celebrate uniqueness.
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