It’s hard to think of a reality show as revolutionary as RuPaul’s Drag Race. For more than a decade, this reality series, created by RuPaul Charles and airing on MTV, has astounded viewers, with each season offering a new batch of Drag Queens ready to show off their many talents in the fight for $200,000. It’s a thrilling competition filled with intense challenges and jaw-dropping artistry, yet the series has always thrived in its mission of representation. In a genre that for so long used LGBTQ+ and people of color as caricatures, Drag Race stood out as a space for minority performers to finally receive their due. It has always been the series’ mission to uplift these marginalized voices, and it’s largely succeeded in that goal… mostly.
Because despite the many one-of-a-kind approaches to this competition, the judges just can’t seem to resist asking extremely unique performers to blend in with the crowd. For many seasons, audiences have expressed their distaste online at how often Queens with atypical makeup and styles are pressured to shed their differences for something more conventional. It’s a frustrating trend on a show that is meant to be about how it’s our differences that make us beautiful, one that, to the disappointment to all, just made its return in last week’s episode.
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Should Know That Our Differences Make Us Beautiful
While RuPaul’s Drag Race claims that anybody can excel in the series as long as they’re talented, audiences have long noticed how the judges seem to harbor particularly harsh critiques for performers who stray from conventional beauty standards. Whether it be Milk being chided for blurring the lines between femininity and masculinity, or Dusty Ray Bottoms having their trademark makeup look be called out for not looking like the other girls’ (despite still looking amazing), the judges seem to have an issue with performers taking pride in being aesthetically different from those around them. This usually manifests in the esteemed panel asking them to “try something different” by attempting to look similar to everyone else. And the worst part is: this rarely even works! Fans have awkwardly laughed at the unfortunate irony that many of these girls are swiftly eliminated after they try to do what the judges say, with their attempts to look like a more “typical Drag Queen” being met with confusion and low placements from the very people who advised them to do so. It’s been unfortunate to see so many unique girls face this backlash over the years, and it’s even sadder to see that it made its way onto the current season.
RuPaul’s Drag Race’s 17th season has come during a time when fans are hungry for new approaches to the competition, with many of the early favorites being performers who shirk what many would consider “normal.” This is why viewers were so shocked when Lucky Starz, arguably the most unique performer, was eliminated first, as well as in the last episode when Arrietty – a Queen who the fandom considers one of this season’s most gorgeous competitors – was asked to change her makeup because it didn’t match the girls around her. While Drag Race should be appreciated for all of its amazing representation over the years, this continuous criticism discourages audiences from considering anything outside of one style of Drag as amazing. Performers who are different are literally judged as lesser than (if not sent home altogether), creating a huge setback for a program whose motto is “if you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you supposed to love somebody else?” And while it luckily doesn’t show up as often as it used to, the fact that it appeared at all this season makes it clear that the series still needs to work out its issues with accepting every Queen’s style, no matter if it’s what the judges expect.
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‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Needs To Make a Change
While it’s unfortunate that this issue showed up on RuPaul’s Drag Race yet again, it absolutely is not too late for the series to recognize it and make a change. This is not the first time the show has been called out, and each time it’s been able to remedy the issues that have upset fans. Yet it’s the persistence of this kind of bias that disturbs audiences so much, as not only does it yield disappointing reality television, but it speaks to a flaw in the series’ judging altogether.
How can viewers feel confident that the absolute best performer wins each season if some of the most talented Queens are eliminated simply for looking different? It’s a harmful approach to critique that can make audiences believe that only heteronormative approaches to Drag should be considered beautiful. Luckily, the show has ample time to fix and move on from this, and they had better do it soon – unless they want more of the uproar that came from fans after last episode.
