This book explores the connections between drag stardom and contemporary sexual and cultural politics in the RuPauls Drag Race franchise. With Drag Race alumni achieving fame in fields such as music, fashion, theatre and beyond, this edited collection interrogates the relationships between gender, sexuality, performance, identity and celebrity culture that lie at the very heart of the show.
RuPauls Drag Race has recently completed its 15th season after having won 26 Emmys. The show is a popular culture phenomenon, broadcasting drag into the homes of middle America, spawning spin off shows and an ever-expanding international franchise. Its success has made global stars of its host, guest judges and contestants alike. This edited collection explores the connections between drag stardom and contemporary sexual and cultural politics that RuPauls Drag Race stages and dramatizes. Alumni of Drag Race have gone on to become globally famous. Adore Delano and Sharon Needles have launched music careers. Violet Chachki is the first drag model to become the face of Bettie Page Lingerie whilst Jinkx Monsoon has achieved success as a Broadway star. In 2017 RuPaul was named as one of Time Magazines 100 Most Influential People. Above everything else RuPauls Drag Race is a show about celebrating the glamour, artifice and the labour of fame. Whilst Drag Race has already attracted scholarly attention (Brennan & Gudelunas eds. 2017) the relationships between gender, sexuality, performance, identity and celebrity culture that lie at the heart of its dynamic and appeal remain to be explored.
RuPauls Drag Race and the Cultural Politics of Fame will be a key resource for academics, researchers, and advanced students of Media and Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, Performing Arts, Media and Film Studies, Communication Studies and Sociology. The chapters included in this book were originally published as a special issue of Celebrity Studies.
This book explores the connections between drag stardom and contemporary sexual and cultural politics in the RuPauls Drag Race franchise. The chapters included in this book were originally published as a special issue of Celebrity Studies.
1. Charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent: RuPauls Drag Race and the
cultural politics of fame
2. From Paris is Burning to #dragrace: social media
and the celebrification of drag culture
3. Assume the position: two queens
stand before me: RuPaul as ultimate queen
4. Drag Celebrity Impersonation as
Queer Caricature in The Snatch Game
5. Rewriting herstory: Sasha Velours
drag as art and activism
6. Labouring in the image: celebrity, femininity,
and the fully commodified self in the drag of Willam Belli
7. No one is
trash, no one is garbage, no one is cancelled: the cultural politics of
trauma, recovery and rage in RuPauls Drag Race
8. Fifteen Seconds of Fame:
RuPauls drag race, camp and memeability
John Mercer is Professor of Gender and Sexuality at Birmingham City University, UK.
Charlie Sarson completed his PhD at Birmingham City University, UK and researches representations of gender and sexuality.
Jamie Hakim is a lecturer in culture, media and creative industries at Kings College, London, UK and researches digital media and queer cultures of embodiment, intimacy and care.
