RuPaul's Drag Race

            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?