Season 6 RuPaul's Drag Race alum Vivacious slammed the series in a recent interview. The drag star didn't hold anything back, claiming gender politics heavily influenced the show, and that the show favors the more feminine queens.
RuPaul's Drag Race first premiered in 2009 on Logo, an LGBTQ+ network, before earning a cult fanbase and eventually moving to VH1 in 2017. Since joining a major network, the once off-brand vodka-sponsored show is now one of the most successful series on VH1, drawing more than half a million viewers each week. Vivacious, who appeared on Season 6 of the series, got her start as one of the original '90s NYC club kids and brought an iconic and original style to the show, and she was also known for being kind and supportive of the other contestants. But now, she's sharing her real thoughts on the series and how gender politics influence it.
In an interview on the Out in the Wild podcast, Vivacious said the show over the years has tried more and more to appeal to "Middle America" and tends to favor queens that are "fishy" - or, in other words, "feminine." Since Vivacious' looks are a little more masculine and always unique - rarely the typical beauty queen-esque style seen on the show - she felt she didn't appeal to the Middle American audience. She went on to say that she does drag as an "artist," not to be a female, and then went on to say that it feels RuPaul's Drag Race has become more about the fierce looks than the actual craft of drag itself. Vivacious added that diehard drag fans had moved away from the series because of this.
Despite criticism of the franchise, it's also been called out for being transphobic when it featured the term "You've Got She-Mail" in earlier seasons. The term, which was meant to be a play on words, was not taken well. Despite this, the network is readying for yet another season in 2020. In a casting call, RuPaul said she and the producers were looking for a "showgirl... drag queen," or "girl with cha-cha heels and a pussycat wig." This past season, Season 11, Yvie Oddly was named the winner, who is known for her over-the-top, ultra-femme, and otherworldly fashion sense.
RuPaul fans don't have to wait until the next season of RuPaul's Drag Race to get their fix. There's a strong possibility that Season 5 of All-Stars, a spinoff of RuPaul's Drag Race featuring iconic cast members from former seasons, will air a month or two before the Season 12 premiere. In the meantime, viewers can stream the previous seasons of both shows on VH1 online and catch up on all the behind-the-scenes tea. Hopefully, season 12 will feature a more diverse cast of drag queens that will better represent the art.
Source: Out in the Wild