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Dressed in jeans and T-shirts, three drag queens fielded questions about cleavage, makeup and personal experiences during Friday night’s “How to do Drag” workshop in the Multi-Purpose Room of Memorial Union.
While only 10 people attended, the intimate setting provided more opportunities for the three queens to share their stories. No drag kings were there to offer their words of wisdom, but A. Jacquinth Porter, known as AmanDa Fondle, told the audience, “It’s easier to make hair than to hide it.”
Richie Grant, who performed as Lady Emma for Saturday night’s drag show, was the first to provide insight into a routine that used to take him six hours of preparation. Grant recommended shaving the day before the grand event, avoiding liquid foundation, wearing two pairs of nylons and putting the outer layer of clothing on after caking on the makeup. He said that he had spent approximately $3,000 on his costume materials during his three years of experience.
“Finding women’s shoes for a size 12 is very hard and very expensive,” Grant said.
Matthew Briggs, a.k.a. Ms. Stacy, stressed the importance of “playing and working with three shades of eye shadow color from different palettes.” He has been performing for a little more than a year, but said that after the first try he knew it was for him. “I loved it. I pushed myself and it was hard at first because I didn’t ask for help.”
Starting out was hard for Grant as well. His anxiety stemmed from being “the new girl in town” and the fear that the other queens wouldn’t like him – or that they would be jealous.
The queens briefly touched on the differences between drag queens, transsexuals and transvestites. During the queens’ clarification of how to create or enhance cleavage – which involves a slew of makeup products, body cinchers and strategically placed duct tape – the issue of getting breast implants arose. Grant said that it was a severe move, although some queens have done so.
When a drag queen begins to undergo operations to become a female, it is at that point when they could be referred to as a transsexual. Assigning the terms transgender, transvestite, female-male impersonator are trickier, as it depends on the wishes of the individual. Typically, being a drag king or queen, which transvestite can also refer to, is for entertainment purposes, while a female or a male impersonator can extend beyond the stage.
Besides the aesthetic necessities of being a queen, they discussed their experiences as performers, how they got their stage names and the differences between venues. Grant, who has traveled as far as Vermont for a show, found the differences between performing at Rupununi’s in Bar Harbor and the Orono area to be the crowd, but said that people of all ages tended to be enthusiastic and supportive.
While Briggs and Grant said that they never really had any negative reactions from friends or strangers from coming out or performing, Porter described an encounter with a man who had insulted him while he was in drag.
“Basically, he didn’t expect me to chase him in six-inch heels, but I did,” Porter said.
