The Edit

Just a few days back Maddie was writing about one of the most famous Drag artists currently gracing our.. everywhere? RuPaul. I've known about RuPaul since what seems like forever. I remember the first time I saw her on MTV singing Supermodel. It was some Spring Break bullshit program, those that MTV used to churn out every year, but she made it worth it. I clocked her but the straight men that were with me were baffled: who was that Barbie doll with the deep voice and legs for days? I knew who she was: it was RuPaul, Supermodel of the World.

It's been many moons now since I saw Ru on MTV and her star waxed and waned until around ten years ago. Then I saw her again on Logo. Do you remember Logo? The little gay channel that could? I do. I had been wanting an all-gay all-day channel since forever. And now we had it, with Drag added for comfort. It was fucking groundbreaking. And there she was: RuPaul was both Tim Gunn and Tyra Banks with a touch of Paul Lynde and a smidge of your sassy aunt all rolled in one stunning Glamazon package. Her charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent were all there. And boy, did she milk it.

She's milked it so well that now we have RuPaul's Drag Race in the United States, Canada, Down Under, the UK, Spain and Thailand. And probably one or two on the way. RuPaul has always been a hustler. From her beginnings as Starbooty stapling photocopies of 'RuPaul is Everything' to light poles to her many Emmy awards as a host, RuPaul has been working non-stop. And I admire that. RuPaul single handedly took Drag out of its slow exile on Wednesday night at midnight in tiny bars in big and small cities and planted squarely on the living rooms of millions and millions of homes. Yes, she did that. 

Now there are hundreds of Drag artists out there who are 'Ru Girls': artists that have gotten the chance of their lifetimes and now are running away with it. Some have movies, many have records out, make up lines, YouTube channels, whole careers built on the image that they cultivated and polished during their time in the competition. From the ones that have left during the first episode (Hey, Porkchop!, Miss Vanjie) to the ones that are now mainstream names (Jinxx, Trixie, Bianca, Sasha, etc). 

Oh, but it's not all accolades. She's been criticised for many things: for not including Trans women in the competition (she has now), for not including women in the the competition (she has now), for fracking (I don't think she goes to that ranch much), for the 'challenges' in the competition (Ru did most of them during her life and they literally have trained those Drag Queens to become superstars) for not doing her make-up and hair (she doesn't have to?), for being too old (!!) and for I don't know how many other things. 

But the one that she is more criticised for is The Edit: some Drag Queens have come for the competition and alleged that it was 'The Edit' what made them look 'bad'. And this is when this song comes handy: Ru has suddenly decided that she's had it with the ungrateful little shits and has read them for filth. No, honey, it was not The Edit, it was YOU. You were petty, and immature and a pain and that came across on TV for the world to see. Do they edit the program to have a 'narrative'? Duh. It's a reality series. Of course they create arcs because it needs to be entertaining. But it's not a documentary of Drag, the same way that Project Runway is not a documentary on fashion or America's Top Model a documentary on modeling. Ru Pau'ls Drag race is entertainment and in that sense, it delivers. 

I still remember when Pearl (remember Pearl? No? Good.) said that Ru was 'cold' and told her something along the lines of "if the camera is not rolling, it's not worth saying' or something like that. And it's fucking true! RuPaul has an act, the same way that all the Drag artists that have gone through the competition have an act: it's a Persona, an alter ego that needs the public to become alive. When Pearl went on some YouTube channels and complained about Ru telling her that what she said was worthless unless it was in front of a camera she was confirming that what Ru told her was true. You probably have not heard much about Pearl because she, even though her makeup was great and did well in her season, refused to follow the advice that was given to her: push yourself out there and show what you're made of. She did some makeup tutorials, and Instagram account that was 'hacked' and some attempts to create a YouTube channel and then... what? I have not seen anything from her in years. Guess you cannot make something from anything... And don't get me started with Tyra Sanchez!

Can the fandom be terrible to the contestants? Yes, that's true, but that's not Ru's fault. When the fandom is composed of Drag Queens, gay men, straight women and tweens and teens, it's gonna get petty. Can some girls appear a 'villains' in the competition? Yes, they can. I remember PhiPhi telling Sharon Needles to go back to Party City and I thought that was iconic. But PhiPhi, a talented artist, was pummeled by the fandom. Same as other Drag artists who have been in the competition (Willam, The Vixen, Widow von Du come to mind) and that have suffered some backlash and they blame it on The Edit. But I don't think there is such thing as an edit to blame for all the fuckery: the producers need the soundbites and the actions. Can they place them in the 'right' moment to reinforce a narrative? Yes, the same way that a take can be chosen in a movie to deliver the director's vision. But the actors need to create the take. The director and the cinematographer cannot create a movie without the actors. Same with Drag Race: we don't watch Drag Race to see RuPaul judge, we watch the contestants and lap it up when they show their charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent. That's why we watch Drag Race: we watch these Queens do incredible artistry and we fall for them. 

The Edit, at the end, has nothing to do with RuPaul and everything to do with who the Queens are. And sometimes, not even the best producer can make some of these girls look great. And that's part of the game. These performers sign up for the opportunity of their lives and most of them make the best out of it. But some others will not and then they will blame The Edit for it. And I'm not here for it. And neither is Ru.

XOXO