Strings’ article on RuPaul’s Drag
Race discussed the topics of race and authenticity as it related to the
perceived idea that the Heathers were, not only allowed, but encouraged to take
risks by performing stereotypical acts that represented races other than their
own, while the Boogers were strongly discouraged to take the same actions. The
idea that gender was mutable was generally established, yet the idea that race
was mutable was only believed by the Heathers. Strings’ article clearly brought
forth the racial inequalities in the show and gave multiple examples that
proved the blatant racism and mistreatment of the individuals that were labeled
the Boogers. Multiple layers of negative connotation surrounded the terms
“Heathers” and “Boogers.” The racial inequalities bled through the paper as
Strings discussed specific examples in the television show. For example, RuPaul
discouraged Yara from performing as Amy Whitehouse because Winehouse was not
Puerto Rican, yet continuously awarded Manila’s performances as characters that
were not Filipino. It surprised me that this was the case and throughout the
article, I continued to question why the white/Asian characters were encouraged
to perform as characters from different races, while the black/brown characters
were discouraged. On page 825, Strings discussed the idea that that the
black/brown individuals on the show inhabited “bodies historically deemed
inherently non-fungible or inassimilable to whiteness.” In other words, the
black/brown bodies were marked with race, while the white/Asian bodies could be
perceived as racially ambiguous.
The idea of an inherent racial
authenticity that was ultimately based on stereotypical examples of specific
races, played a significant role in determining whether the characters were
utilizing their ability to perform stereotypical versions of specific races.
The Boogers were forced to remain true to their own perceived racial
authenticity, while the Heathers were allowed to transcend theirs. Even in an
example of three contestants who were all Latina. Yara and Alexis were forced
to be Boogers and continuously perform Latina characters, while Carmen was
“racially-unmarked” because of her light skin and lack of a Spanish accent.
Overall, the article was very convincing
of the obvious racial undertones of the show and produced questions as to how
this show is somewhat reflective of American society. It appears that the
character’s levels of perceived “whiteness” or racial ambiguity were the
determining factor in being allowed to temporarily disown one’s own race and
adopted that of another. Racial superiority was apparent throughout the
reading; the white/Asian race was obviously treated as superior to the
black/brown. What confuses me the most about the show is that it’s hosted and
presumably controlled by a black drag queen, yet the black/brown characters
appear to be more harshly judged. Why would RuPaul, as a black queer, perpetuate
the idea of black/brown races as inferior to white/Asian races and legitimize
the idea that race is such a fixed aspect of black/brown individuals that they
cannot even attempt to perform as individuals of other races, yet the
white/Asian characters could? Is he perhaps simple a product of his culture or
is he simply acting as a realistic judge of these performances?
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