Thompson, Violet
2025.
'The next drag superstar': earning and maintaining legitimacy in RuPaul's global empire.
Intersectional Perspectives: Identity, Culture, and Society
4
(5)
, pp. 116-159.
10.18573/ipics.148
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Abstract
Since its conception in 2009, the Drag Race franchise has grown exponentially. Now totalling fourteen global localisations, not including its numerous ‘All Star’ spin-offs, it has emerged as a mainstay in both representing and defining contemporary drag culture. As this empire has continued to grow, consequently, debates regarding the role of the franchise in policing drag performance and artistry have emerged. In becoming an increasingly mainstream purveyor of drag culture, during a time in which drag performance finds itself under political attack and debate, the extent to which Drag Race legitimises, and by-extension, delegitimises performers, requires greater critique. Therefore, this article will assess the extent to which three drag performers, each of whom achieved notable success prior to competing in the Drag Race franchise, negotiated legitimacy throughout their appearances. These being, Baga Chipz, a British performer from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 1, Art Simone, an Australian performer from RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under Season 1, and Pangina Heals, a Thai performer from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs. The World Season 1. Through analysing the framing of previously successful drag performers within the confines of Drag Race, it is argued that the franchise operates to delegitimise drag which does not conform to its Americanized standards. Furthermore, performers, in-spite of their successful careers outside of the competition, are framed as illegitimate or unsuccessful, until these standards are achieved. This has profound consequences for representations of drag performers within the mainstream and drag culture more broadly.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Publication |
| Status: | Published |
| Schools: | Schools > Journalism, Media and Culture |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) |
| Publisher: | Cardiff University Press |
| ISSN: | 2752-3497 |
| Date of First Compliant Deposit: | 13 October 2025 |
| Date of Acceptance: | 8 April 2025 |
| Last Modified: | 13 Oct 2025 17:19 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/181636 |
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