Tackling Masculinity in RuPaul's Drag Race

A recent episode of RuPaul's Drag Race, a competition TV show between 16 men competing to be the next drag superstar, reminded me a lot of the issues we discussed with men and masculinity during Tuesday's class. As the documentary we watched showed, men are supposed to be associated with being "competitive, strong, powerful, etc." and should refrain from being a "bitch, pussy, faggot, etc."

In the newest episode of RuPaul's Drag Race, RuPaul married six heterosexual couples during the week's challenge. The catch? The women were dressed up as grooms and the men were dressed up as the brides. Although many of the men were caught off guard since they thought their soon-to-be wives were getting the make-over, a lot of them appeared to be very into the challenge. One of the men explained how he was the one who wanted to come on the show in the first place, and another man discussed how he believed in equality and he didn't understand why dressing in drag or same-sex marriage was so taboo in America (he was raised in Holland).

One man, however, stood out to me due to his obvious discomfort in having a make-over. This man explained how he played professional basketball and how he was terrified of "locker room talk" and being harassed by his teammates for being on the show and dressing up like a woman. Josslyn Foxx, the queen who made him over, explained to him that him being this show could also be an eye opener for his teammates and an educational experience for them to realize that dressing in drag and being gay isn't a big deal. From that point on, the man began to take to heart what they were saying, even running off stage to throw up at one point because he did not understand how the drag queens could wear such heavy make-up, clothes, and high heels while also being critiqued very harshly by the judges. In a sense, the show's highly competitive level almost emphasizes that "competitive" nature that is supposed to be inherent in men.