As you may (or may not) know, I've been obsessively watching stuff about drag queens since Rowan passed. Drag and makeup tutorials have helped me get through this. I'm coming to some philosophical conclusions about it which I will elaborate on more as I find the words for them. Today I want to talk about the crafts behind the craft of drag.
Drag has a lot of elements to it. There is the performer, of course, but there is also all that goes into creating the illusion of that performer. Makeup, wigs, clothing, padding, accessories, shoes, jewelry. Some drag queens are amazingly talented and create the majority of this for themselves. Others excel at some aspects but rely on other crafters for the rest of it. In fact, some queens, like Bianca Del Rio, supplemented their incomes by making things for others until they found success on their own.
As people were walking the red carpet to the crowning ceremony, they were being asked who they were wearing. Now, with actresses, this question can get shitty, because it's sometimes the only thing people ask them at all. But with drag queens, the question is important because often the person who designed their costume isn't a famous designer. It's someone who works within the drag community to help make this art possible. In one case, the queen was wearing a dress she made herself, so she was using this platform to advertise for clients.
This is how jobs are really created. As drag queens gain success and need more supplies, more artists will find success as they meet these demands. Job creation stems from artists, from the people who are building the new things and inspiring others. It comes from the need for entertainment that we all have. It isn't about rich people who have tons of money and won't make jobs now getting more money so they might be inclined to make jobs. That honestly doesn't even make any sense.
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