August 30, 2010, 6:00 am
When Women Become Drag Queens
friday's idea
http://ideas.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/30/when-women-become-drag-queens/ (http://ideas.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/30/when-women-become-drag-queens/)
Today's idea: In an odd result of the mainstreaming of gay culture, ordinary women are flaunting their inner drag queen, inspired by pop stars like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, an article says. This raises the question: What's the point of drag now anyway?
Culture | First, drag was men borrowing — and often parodying — the most extreme womanly characteristics. Then female pop stars from Cher to Lady Gaga incorporated drag into their stage personas. Now Everywoman is getting in on the act, writes Wesley Morris in The Boston Globe. An illustration is the drag queen RuPaul's new show, "RuPaul's Drag U," in which professional male drag queens coach biological women "who feel disconnected from themselves" to sashay outrageously down the runway in giant wigs and heels with drag monikers like Saline Dion.