Gnoming on

I'm reminded that it was the bus that was called Priscilla. So I think I will call my gnome Drusilla, Gnome of the Desert. She is starting to look somewhat alarming and therefore a lot like a real drag queen.

I've always found drag queens quite confronting. On the one hand, you can't help but admire the incredible courage it takes to be a full-on drag queen. On the other, I find the parody of ultra-femininity (especially when it's held up as superior to the female version, as it is in this movie and nastily so), quite offensive. Still, I find ultra-femininity pretty off-putting when it's demonstrated by a woman, too.

It's not something I think about much, so I haven't got far in my analysis, but there is something profoundly misogynistic in the classic drag queen, and not just in the exaggerated, grotesque make-up, wigs, falsies, huge heels, feathers and frills. It's also in the argot of feminine pronouns, 'bitch' behaviour and the adoption of extreme stereotypes of women's behaviour (always the worst of it).

The most peculiar thing about drag queens to me is that many straight men seem to be transfixed with fascination when they are watching a drag show. Go figure.

Anyway, all that aside, let's celebrate the courage, artistry and bravado of the drag queen. Drusilla is coming along quite well, although her rouge is catastrophic.