What A Drag

Most people associate ‘drag’ specifically with camp men in brightly coloured dresses, stilettos and fake boobs. Drag Queens have formed a popular representation of queer identity for many years, with ‘Lily Savage’, ‘Ru Paul’ and friends being the stereotypical, flamboyant queens who converse with the masses.

Some of us have more contact with drag queens than others. I must admit to being somewhat intimidated by the various larger than life characters that frequent some gay bars in Belfast when I was first introduced to the scene. There is no doubt that whether you are straight or gay, members of the public instantly recognise a drag queen.

However, it seems the term “drag king” is somewhat less well known among the public. I was a little surprised to find that my heterosexual friends had never ever heard of a drag king, but I guess, how many male impersonators present daytime television?

One open-minded friend did hazard a guess. If a ‘drag queen’ was a man dressed up as a woman, surely a ‘drag king’ should be a man dressed up as… a man?

I really don’t imagine I’d have to accurately explain the term to many lesbians. There is something ridiculously attractive about a woman in a smart suit or other typically male attire. And yet the closest popular media gets to drag kings are androgynous advertising ploys and Sarah Waters novels.

I’ve often heard gay males say that they don’t fancy ‘men dressed up as women’, they fancy men, yet few lesbians can say they don’t feel some pull to an attractive drag king. I believe the attraction lies in the fact that despite the masculine appearance – there is still that unmistakable femininity.

However, if you’re doing drag – don’t make it too convincing. That could be disasterous.