Drag queens have been a universally recognized source of wisdom and guidance since time incarnate, and that might be because they learned the lessons of life the hard way. As gender rebels, theater freaks, and curious people dismissed by the mainstream in decades past, drag artists have to fight every step of the way to find success.
As a result, they have plenty of important lessons to share with the rest of us, and plenty they wish they could share with their younger, baby queen selves, too. At this past weekend’s DragCon LA, where thousands of fans mingle with their favorite drag artists and performers, I visited some prominent queens to ask them for wisdom that might save other aspiring performers from making the same mistakes they did. Though they may seem polished and serene, drag icons have plenty of missteps under their bedazzled belts, and they’re ready to share their lessons with us, the common folk.
Drag Race Season 6 star Darienne Lake was holding court all weekend on some comfortable chairs, which itself displays a kind of wisdom from which other queens, forced to stand all day, might learn. The advice she’d want to give her younger self was short and sweet: “Know your worth,” she said, “and then charge double.”
Tammie Brown, the Drag Race Season 1 contestant who once lectured RuPaul about walking children in nature stood nearby, next to a giant mural of her face with a pursed-lip expression that looked simultaneously surprised and enthusiastic (or maybe like she’d just blown a kazoo so hard it flew out of her mouth). Tammie’s advice to her younger self: “It’s always important to not be so hard on yourself,” she said, adding, “I’m always hard on myself.”
Her tips for releasing self-imposed pressure include practicing Buddhism, listening to good music, and doing yoga. She didn’t mention walking in nature, but it couldn’t hurt.
Mimi Imfurst may have mellowed a bit since her notorious early appearance on Drag Race Season 3. She could be found lounging in her Christmas-themed booth, wearing a Mrs. Claus outfit and surrounded by sexy toy soldiers and burly elves. When asked what advice she would give herself when just starting drag, she laughed. “Number one,” she said, “don’t.”
But then she got a bit more serious. “You’ll be amazed at how far drag will come, twenty years later. … It’s amazing the diversity of audiences embracing drag. It’s going to cause a seismic shift in equality. Parents will raise kids to be open minded.”
Of course, there aren’t just Drag Race girls at DragCon. Plenty of talented local queens and future superstars mingle on the pink carpet. Among them was Irene DuBois, a Seattle-based dynamo who’s now just on the rise. (Full disclosure: After I saw Irene perform a particularly jaw-dropping rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody a few months ago, I immediately hired her for the comedy-storytelling show I co-produce called Queens of Adventure, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.)
Irene had three highly practical pieces of advice. First of all: “Be nice to everyone.” Not bad, as life advice goes.
Second: “Don’t buy anything unless you know what you’re going to wear it with.” Again, a generally useful tip for all of us.
And third: If you’re one of those queens who wears five layers of pantyhose at a time, “cut out the toes of your first four layers of hose, and then cover them with the fifth layer,” so that they don’t squeeze your toes so tight they’re in excruciating pain by the end of the night. “It changed my entire attitude about drag,” Irene said.
