Checking in on RuPaul’s Drag Race‘s latest alumni blackface controversy
Season 7 competitor Pearl has offered up an apology after accusations of blackface this week—but the drama continues to roll
Aux News Blackface
The world of RuPaul’s Drag Race is no stranger to controversy, having weathered any number of cast member-related firestorms over its last 14 years on TV. (Especially when you take the lives and careers of its various alumni, who remain tightly connected to the series even as they continue to pursue their own very public careers, into account.) The latest such battle, for instance, has been centered on season 7 runner-up Pearl, a New York-based queen who recently issued an apology on social media after posting a since-deleted photo of herself on Instagram with darkened skin.
The photo quickly drew ire and accusations of blackface from folks online—including a few other former Drag Race stars, like season 10 competitor The Vixen, who wrote on social media that,
When people carelessly play with blackface and using slurs etc I think the public outrage overshadows the private hurt that we go through. These daily reminders that this world isn’t safe, welcoming or sensitive to our feelings is overwhelming,…White people paint their skin the shade of people who have to defend their skin shade and their surprised they have to defend their choice.
(The Vixen also retweeted an old, and more straightforward, post of hers from 2020, since this just keeps happening: “The Rules of Blackface are simple. DON’T PAINT YOUR FACE BLACK.”) Season 11 competitor Silky Nutmeg Ganache also took a poke at Pearl, referencing an argument that the queen had with series host RuPaul during her season, and posting a screenshot of the since-deleted photo.
As for Pearl, her apology attempted to explain that her intent was not to do blackface, but to portray someone with a “2000's britney-esque tan,” and that
just to be clear, every aspect of the character was inspired by caucasian people, there was no black-influence going on in my mind during the time of conception. but now i see the people that inspired the character are/have been problematic, and by dressing up and parodying as them, i to am contributing to the issue in its own way, something i hadn’t thought of and don’t want to contribute to.
They also wrote, “ i thought the concept of the character would be clear to anyone who saw it, which was ignorant on my part, for which i am sorry.”
This was not, however, the end of it, as fellow Drag Race alum Aquaria, also from season 10, hopped into the comments to provide her own thoughts, noting that, “No shade and not meaning to get into things as I know u don’t mean harm but also u were the color of ur coffee and I’ve never seen a fake tan pumped girl with such a cool and natural undertone across the body.” Which provoked a decidedly less apologetic response from Pearl, who wrote back,
no shade but u might be the last person who needs to weigh in on this — i couldn’t hold a candle to the drama u have gotten yourself into so to see u here projecting is really awkward and twisted. u are nobody to comment on my cosplay when u have been cosplaying me ur whole damn career. to be clear, i do not care what you think about the situation or how i’ve chosen to handle it, my apology is not at all intended for you babe, so just just keep texting your friends about me.
(All other aspects of this story aside: We are starting to suspect that when Drag Race alumni tell each other “no shade,” they may not always be being entirely sincere.)
9 Comments
a “2000’s britney-esque tan,”
There are Britney impersonators in the world, with at least a couple seen on Drag Race over the years. What do they do?
Surely if this tan just had to be achieved, then you’d drag it up by elevating and/or exaggerating without going blackface obviously.
Use bronze or whatever that orange color dickhead wears. It’s drag, not paint by numbers.
Meanwhile Raven parlayed her own light skinned black woman cosplay into a gig doing RuPaul’s makeup (easy enough when she’d been painting herself the same shade) and executive producer credits…
This row about blackface reminds me of something I’ve wondered before. When practiced by people who do not identify as trans how is drag not essentially cosplaying a woman? It’s performed in a manner that could be seen as offensive as it chooses to wildly exaggerate feminine attributes and behaviors in exactly the same way blackface does to stereotypically Black appearances and behaviors and for much the same purpose, entertaining a crowd. I guess if women weren’t offended it’s not a problem but other than the reaction of the people being parodied it seems like exactly the same thing. Or is it okay somehow for one marginalized group of people to mock another as long as they say it’s some type of tribute? Because from an outsider perspective it definitely looks like gay men making fun of women.
There’s been a lot of dialogue about the nuances involved, and it doesn’t help that women already are at a pretty heavy disadvantage in the LGTBQ+ community. It’s a very “gay cis man” community perspective, and even other queens have had debates on using phrases like “fish”, having the privilege to display femininity but be able to take it off when it’s not moneymaking, etc.Drag is a very broad art form, and it’s evolved from simply female impersonation. Long story short, it’s complicated but Drag Race really launched it into the forefront because until recently the show and its format overwhelmingly rewarded “female illusion” instead of a larger artistic package or message.
It’s performed in a manner that could be seen as offensive That’s the point, how do individuals, groups and societies decide what’s offensive? There are people that find drag offensive, there are probably black people around the world who don’t mind blackface.
To me it seems to come down to conventions and accepted behavior for particular societies. Basically, when in Rome and all that jazz. Of course this becomes tricky since a video taken in Rome can find its way to the US in a matter of seconds, but if that doesn’t concern the performer then there’s not much anyone can really do about it.
Drag queens are flaunting social convention(men dress like this, women dress like that). Being black isn’t a social convention.
When practiced by people who do not identify as trans how is drag not essentially cosplaying a woman?Because transvestites exist?
Considering that AV Club couldn’t be bothered to even link to the photo, the appropriate drama, or explain the references, you’re welcome:Pearl was very clearly doing a caricature of the tan, overly filler bitches you see in Jersey, SoCal, etc. She was TAN. Maybe it’s the proliferation of orange spray tan coloring folks’ memory, but white women don’t naturally tan orange- when you overuse the bed or the carrot oil, you come back Snooki. The only other style you could potentially confuse that photo with would be Ganguro, which was itself a rebellion against the porcelain skin expectations levied on women and girls in Japan in the 90s and is ALSO not blackface.Pearl’s comment on Aquaria cosplaying her is a direct reference to Aquaria’s pre DR style: There are performances where she can and has been mistaken for Pearl. Folks forget that Pearl’s style of Drag kicked off an entire offshoot of copycats after S7, similar to the numerous offshoots of Trixie’s mug from the other Chicago girls.And finally, not for nothing but Pearl not only removed the photo out of respect but has been engaging very civilly with non chronic shit stirrers ever since. She shouldn’t have had to do anything to begin with, but the fact that she IS really is a positive reflection on her character.
It bears remembering that while The Vixen knows all the social justice words and can be convincing at playing the role of an activist, she is also a hateful creep (probably an outright sociopath) and has no qualms about taking absolutely any opportunity to grab some clicks and maybe a few bucks.