Something that surprised me from the finale taping regarding outfit prep for RPDR [Spoilers?]

ButtFartMcPoopus · 15 時間前

This is why we need the construction and sewing challenges back. So much of drag is being broke as fuck and finding a way to create your vision and story with whatever you can scrap together, and that's why there was such a heavy emphasis on challenges that asked for exactly that in the early seasons. So many drag queens are so damn broke because these gigs barely pay the bills, that it was considered essential to be able to do this. No such thing this year, runway is whatever you already brought with you pretty much every episode except for a small handful, and as a result the queens with the biggest budget or longest history with building a wardrobe had a HUGE leg up.

I don't know if they decided it was unfair to rich queens that never needed to learn how to sew, or what? I don't know what the damn deal was with this season. I'll admit it was fun to have the Season Of The Looks this year with all these intensely beautiful runways, but god dammit. Get everyone on the same playing field and make them spend the challenge creating their looks in the workroom ala Season 3.

RubiiJee · 16 時間前

Well it explains why she got so upset when they didn't like her looks, when you've worked really hard to create them and put yourself into debt to do it, and then don't get a single compliment. I get why she'd be a bit more sensitive to feedback.

needhelppackin · 16 時間前

also money will only get you so far. Ginger spent $5000 dollars on a dress that wasn't that great yet in past seasons on drag on a dime challenge and thrift shop challenges requiring little money at all Nina and Raja both created amazing outfits from virtually nothing. if you got the talent money is just a bonus.

UpInRusWigs · 13 時間前

Sharon came onto the show flat broke. To the point where her power was getting turned off. Jinkx worked as a janitor in a school to make ends meet. They've all come from varying backgrounds, it's not up to the show to make up that difference and give you a level playing field.

YOU'RE supposed to be proving something to them.

Some people may say, "well don't do drag if you don't have money", but I don't think that sets the right tone for the show.

In the words of Mother Dust, do not go into drag as a primary source of income because it's probably not going to work. Get yourself a steady job.

A lot of Queens don't make outfits specifically for the themes they give. They go through their wardrobe and make alterations as needed. I mean Detox's Executive Realness was her Mannequin performance outfit. One of MKD's finale dresses is straight from a production of The Producers she was in. Bianca's Black & White dress was a copy of Eva's dress she worked on for Evita. It's the essence of Tim Gunn's MAKE IT WORK.

pbs3615 · 16 時間前

It's always been known that drag wasn't a very lucrative art... They actually mention it on a regular basis, since drag is usually about looking like a million bucks. Check out the Transformations episode with Alyssa, her gowns for the pageants sometimes cost as much as a CAR.

antihexe · 16 時間前

It does seem to me to be a huge disadvantage.

sugarfame · 16 時間前

I thought the show provided fabric. Oh well, poor jaidynn. Makes me appreciate her Prison death look more.

blogginglife · 14 時間前

yes and no. There are obvious advantages to having a ton of money to spend on drag, but Violet (arguably best/second best runway girl ever) doesn't really have any money either and she somehow turns it out. Pearl, too (though people still give her hate for holy tights or repeated wigs). Actually the queens with the biggest wardrobe budgets (Willam, Courtney) I am really not too impressed by. They always clearly look like they are wearing someone else's vision, while some of the well dressed poorer girls (Violet, Pearl) always look like their own aesthetic.

partielofil · 9 時間前

The discrepancy was really obvious in S6 I thought, more so than this season, with Courtney's outfits (those wings!) clearly being at least in part attributable to money.

LegionLG · 13 時間前

It's fucked up, and it speaks to larger discussions about social class and inequality, which are very relevant—but remember that it's drag. And the "Olympics" of Drag, as Ru pitches it, so we assume that their legs should be all the way up already (even if they aren't, but they signed up for the show), and the truths we accept about drag don't change just because it's been integrated into a television show. If we take a look at Paris is Burning, we see that so much of the NYC balls hinged on being broke as hell but looking fabulous. No one should sensibly look at drag and think they're going to make a killing there... before the show took off and booking fees for RPDR queens shot skyward, the Drag Race queens did not depend on drag as their primary income. They were working girls who understood that nightclub drag in and of itself is not a lucrative enterprise, and most fledgling drag queens should understand that as well.

As for the tone that sets for the show... I think enough of drag's identity has been compromised already trying to set "the right tone." Which is not saying "ergo let's victim blame the broke bitches," but honestly, if you're on RPDR—which is supposed to feature the best of the best—you should have the experience, the seasoning, and the drag closet already prepared to accommodate most of the wardrobe required to do the show. It's not an even playing field and it shouldn't be, because drag is not some thing that only exists on Drag Race. What the contestants bring to the show must exist outside of it—meaning (storylines and editing aside) what we see is real and not some machination of the program—otherwise we reduce it to a fake-reality drama featuring actors rather than drag queens.

NuWaveSpecial · 13 時間前

And some queens borrow outfits (which means they sort of have to tell some people). Oh, hi, can I borrow your dress for anywhere from 3 days to 5 weeks in July? On some level, it does show resourcefulness and how connected people are. Fame and Willam had designer duds but didn't win. While Violet probably scrounged or borrowed some of her stuff.

And the whole trash to treasure idea only works for the non-pageant queens I guess. Though they all can manage to work it.

For these reasons, I would prefer they are not so much told in advance the general themes, and rather all given the same fabric once at the show. It seems they didn't want to require people to be seamstresses this year so made it easier. They didn't even have to make the male size of the male/female outfits. Plus they enforced the vertical split when it would have been good to see more creativity with the directions of the split.

Anyhow, they would be on a more even playing field that way. But I still think it's not a deciding factor. After all, Jinkx won. Plus Jaidyn went home not because of her outfits. While Ginger stayed with less than stellar ones.

What throws me off though is a queen like Sasha who was "saving" her better looks. They're all supposed to be better looks. Maybe they should give them more advance notice they got cast so they'd have more time to source outfits. It's complicated. But Violet clearly cracked the code.

headdivaincharge · 16 時間前

I mean Tyra made a lot of what she wore on the runway her season. She was basically homeless adjacent during season 2. And I think Trinity made a lot of what she wore also. I always find those queens more impressive. Part of what has held me back from really enjoying Violet is that even though she is very polished, you can tell that she definitely comes from money and that is a factor in her runways.

needhelppackin · 16 時間前

it is, but at the same time those that make it in the show get so much more exposure and get to up their booking fee so that would more than cover any loan they had to take out for fabric. and everyone who applies knows exactly what the show entails.

Jambeard · 14 時間前

it still surprised me as it REALLY sets a disadvantage for people who don't come from well-off backgrounds

Bitch welcome to life.

pinball-wizard91 · 8 時間前

That's sad to hear. Hopefully the publicity from the show puts her back in the coin so she hasn't lost anything, otherwise she's come out of the show worse off than she went in.

TylssaRilente · 16 時間前

I'm not sure more money is an advantage on Drag Race. Jinkx has mentioned she had very little money and wished she had brought better outfits to SE05, and Sharon's "Party City" drag didn't read very expensive either. India, Kennedy and Ginger have worn some very expensive dresses that did not go over well.

Vncntdl · 16 時間前

Well, this is the "Olympics" of drag and what this usually means is that the would-be contestant has spent years performing/perfecting their drag and building a wardrobe. In most cases, the queens are supplementing their wardrobes with a few extras. This was obviously true in Kennedy's case, for instance, when she brought her Tony the Tiger outfit for the Death Becomes Her runway. I say this not as a slight to JDF (didn't she have a wardrobe already?) or to Protanope (in regards the idea of stipends), but, I mean: yeah it would be great if RPDR gave the contestants money for such things but it was always bloody unlikely. And, as I already said, shouldn't the queens have some clothes already? It's not like everyone is rushing around buying/making 12-plus outfits in the lead-up to the show.

This, I guess, is also what's useful about coming from a drag family or having some close sisters, whom you can borrow some stuff from. Based on what JDF said (about the internet being her drag mom) this was probably not the case, so I'm sure the struggle was real. But still: I don't know that her situation is a common one.

dragracemetohell · 11 時間前

i'm sorry but i don't think the show should pay for queens' attire. could you imagine the budget IF they did that? although Adore probably would've loved it because hi one last Charlotte Russe shopping spree!

lessthanhexagon · 16 時間前

Don't they need to be established or at least have gigs? And if you have gigs you have threads? Perhaps queens should apply when they are confident that they have a diverse wardrobe and also borrowing and splurging on a few things is a good idea.

lifewickedfast · 14 時間前

I think that was for prepping for the runway. Im sure they're paid for bookings/wages they otherwise would've earned on an episode by episode basis (more incentive to try your best, you get more $) Otherwise, whats the incentive for queens to even appear on the show? Unless you're made of money, you won't take 2 months out of your schedule with bills to pay and dogs to put through college. I just don't think they pay a lump sum amount up front.

nathanj594 · 13 時間前

Where's that video of Mariah Successful giving her speech on who the true innovators of the world are. There's your answer.

unfunnypun · 7 時間前

I think they should give everyone a stipend, but that would inevitably lessen the cash prize. On the other hand, you're there to prove yourself, and it makes an even bigger statement if you're coming from nothing, a la Sharon Needles. I wonder if they let you use the fabric whenever you want, I would be cranking out spare dresses to take home if that fabric was free....

illnevertellu · 9 時間前

Hi a couple of things:

-Queens are given a stipend per episode they are on. It isn't much but it's something for the time they are filming.

-Ginger's dress I believe was a dress she paid for for a previous pageant in regards to the $5000 pricetag.

-The outfits list is more of a guide. It's about 20 or so themes queens are given and told to bring outfits for for the show.

-Queens are given time for certain challenges to make garments. I don't know why more of this isn't shown but there is an obvious call for more of this across the board.

Meow_Simpson · 8 時間前

Im sure it's unfortunate for those without cash, but that's kind of the nature of the business. Half of what you put out on stage is shit that you've bought and created and the other half is your performance. There is no charity for queens handing out lashes and rhinestones. You wanna be in the game you need to earn some coin and buy some shit. This is part of the reason why people get pissed at Adore, cause they're throwing tips and buying her merch and music and she's turning up in a $20 tshirt and tights. I get where you're coming from but I think it goes back to the idea that a drag queen should be doing drag for more than a minute before she goes on DR. Queens pay tens of thousands of dollars for their pageant gowns, etc. It's just the way it is. Gaga's stage show and costumes are gone be a thousand times more elaborate and expensive than some 16yr old newcomer's and Chad Micheal's shit is gonna be a thousand times nicer than Jaidynn's. In essence, this is what is meant by "this isn't RuPaul's School for Girls". I'm sure Jaidynn is hard working and talented, but I'm also sure that there a thousand potential artists out there who could be doing amazing things if only they got their shit together and bought an instrument or some paints and canvases. Costumes and jewellery and makeup are a queen's paint and canvas and if she doesn't have the means to acquire what she needs then maybe she isn't ready for DR yet.

oneboytoldme · 15 時間前

I don't buy it. You can look amazing on a dime. The other problem I have with this is that the contestant shouldn't audition if they know they don't have the wardrobe to survive the show, or the means to create looks if necessary. It was Jaidynn's decision to go that route, you can't blame anyone else for her not having a sufficient wardrobe prior to auditioning.

Some of Sharon's looks were clearly budget, and that hooker won by a landslide when it came to fashion sense. Money doesn't buy you good taste. You can't discredit Violet's looks either because she has the money to buy custom couture, because she WORKED to earn that money.

fausgadesign · 12 時間前

This season was about "realness", and maybe in real life Drag Queens BUY their clothes. They don't sew that much? I may be a bit ignorant? but I guess it should be 50/50 sewing challenges and runway looks brought from home.

preposey · 12 時間前

I do wonder though if production at least pays for the plane tickets.

creminem · 2 時間前

I think giving any stipend doesn't make any sense.

They say this is the olympics of drag, right? Well, in the olympics you're not chosen to go and then have your training financed so that you can get prepared and go compete. You're already one of the top athletes on the world in your sport and that's why you earn the right to go in.

For drag race, I think if you're cast, it should be done so under the assumption that you're ready to compete, in every way, which also means being ready for the runway.

paleho · 29 分前

BTW JDF's issue is she apparently lives in bumfuck someplace with no drag or creative outlets to buy things cheap. She said she's just entirely a YOUTUBE queen? Well most others have a drag family. And you have to BREAK THROUGH because it's competitive. Usually on amateur night. NOBODY wants to give YOU their GIG.

Even STACEY worked in drag in Backswamp but probably had no access to the resources of others in terms of people and easy shopping.

In America you can find "drag" on every corner in major places and you can even furnish your entire house CHEAP on consignment in Florida where all the old people move, buy new stuff then die immediately.

AND if you are 350 lbs it's going to be even harder. Very 350 lb sequin gowns out there in the consignment shops. That's why Adore's shit was too short.

paleho · 21 分前

Also fucking hilarious that we get over 100 comments about this and it's about JDF but nobody gives a shit about giving THAT excuse to PEARL (everything is the same) or JINKX (busted garments).

or even Bianca (not exciting enough) for fucks sakes.

Courtney wore bikinis and a set of wings.

flasaydah · 16 時間前

LOL that's how the world works... in order to do anything professionally in life you need coins to do it, equipment,degrees,training.employes list goes on and on... She made an investment which I'm sure she gonna be able to pay off now with all the bookings and shows.

thedragdoctor · 16 時間前

the right thing for the show to do would be to have a few outfits in varying sizes that queens could alter for SOME ( but not EVERY ONE) of their looks, this would level the playing field for not only those with less money but also those queens who could not sew from scratch.....there have been enough challenges when they have rolled in racks of outfits for the queens to use...and i bet some store/designer/wholesaler would donate in exchange for publicity...

and im sure this will get downvoted for being too nice

geleiademocoto · 14 時間前

What? Why would they give them money to buy clothes? That would make no sense. Money doesn't grow on trees, missy!

heyitzhenny · 11 時間前

must have sucked for her since she didn't even get to wear a bunch of her looks lol

downtown-callgirl · 16 時間前

While not shocking, it still surprised me as it REALLY sets a disadvantage for people who don't come from well-off backgrounds, and I think that's kind of fucked up.

I find this blanket narrative about financial disadvantage to be a little thin, I think we've seen plenty of queens on Drag Race who aren't from "well-off backgrounds" and they have turned it out! I feel like Jaidynn Dior Fierce struggled because her taste level wasn't great and her execution was a little sloppy. Money might buy you nice shoes and gowns but an expensive dress doesn't make you a great drag queen.

tedsmitts · 16 時間前

Oh come on, putting a lot of effort into making something is not the same as it looking good. Alaska made saran wrap into a stunning gown, but it could easily have been a mess. I get that it's harder for the big gurls but really.

Turbohand · 16 時間前

I'm not buying it. You can make some pretty exquisite things with inexpensive fabric. It's all about taste and construction.

EJM991 · 16 時間前

It's pretty interesting. You could be at a disadvantage if you were a queen who buys most of your drag, but if you're a crafty queen you could even make it work by dumpster diving and using trash. I feel some of the best looks on the show came from those sewing challenges like Drag on a Dime in S1 or the trash episode of S5 (Lineysha's wallpaper gown was astonishing).

But of course, the runway and look isn't everything on the show since it's multifaceted with its challenges. So maybe a disadvantage on the runway, but you could make them eat it in the main challenges in order to stick around.

tortadechorizo · 13 時間前

Drag costs MONTEY!

paleho · 1 時間前

Oh jeeze.

This show is supposed to mirror RuPauls life which meant he only SOMETIMES had the "stuff".

You are supposed to PROVE your creativity or whatnot then bring some key elements and a finale dress.

That's why they had to put makeup on in the dark because sometimes there is no fucking lighbulb near you in the bathroom applying your drag when there isn't even a dressing room.

They have amped it up a bit with providing some wardrobe especially for groups. But they provide fabric as you saw Roxxxy make two different outfits last minute.

They ALL KNOW they have to build a wardrobe for the show before even deciding if they are ready.

THEN they KNOW they get a list of challenge themes at the last minute. You have to fit what you have into the list or sew. In five suitcases.

You KNOW THIS WHEN APPLYING.

For animal couture Bianca went with FACE PAINT and a print dress that was rather simple but right. COURTNEY borrowed those wings from a previous show she did.

YOU KNOW THIS WHEN CHOOSING TO BE A BAR CLUB SHOW QUEEN. It doesn't pay big money. Adore CHOSE to not work before drag race and tried making money by monetizing her youtube channel.

Instead of having a real side job like Raja, Pearl, Jinkx, Bianca, Alyssa, Joslyn, Manila, Darienne, Mariah, Honey and apparently Fame. etc etc Even COCO had a full time real job but it was in a Vegas Drag Review not a shitty neighborhood bar. Fucking JInkx was a janitor part time in between acting roles at first and that was only about 2 years before RPDR.

She had two gowns she had made, had to put together the BALL outfits which she obviously borrowed or bought from consignment and packed all her drag shit.

She won. By a landslide.

Kelly Mantle was first out.

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