By ana maria kresina
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As a foul-mouthed, rough-playing tomboy adolescent, I always resented adults for telling me to “act like a girl”. Regardless of the pretty dresses I wore, or the lovely hairstyles my mother braided, I was always much more interested in playing outside than looking prim and proper.
During summer, I was one of the guys. I consumed the long hot days playing in the dirt, torturing ants, and attempting to build skateboard ramps. But as soon as September rolled around, and the school year began, I no longer was part of the pack, it was finally apparent – I was a boy’s worst nightmare – I was a girl (ewwww).
It was obvious that the issues I had weren’t so much about me being of the female sex, instead I had a huge problem being expected to “act my gender”. Why was I all of a sudden expected to sit silently with my legs crossed, and my hands neatly folded on my lap, instead of sitting comfortably with my legs spread open? Why was it inappropriate for me to spit when I had phlegm in my throat, or practice Bruce Lee kicks, but it was okay for me to spend hours braiding friendship bracelets and baking cookies? The mannerisms I was expected to acquire were absurd to me! What did flipping my hair back, puckering my lips and batting my eyes have to do with who I was? The more I thought about this, the more I realized that gender is just a performance, it’s an expectation of what and who I should be, depending on my sex.
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In attending a friend’s Drag King show, many of the same thoughts about gender-normed behaviors crossed my mind as I watched the all-female assemble on stage lip-sync while dressed in male attire. All of the performers’ mannerisms were masculine and had I not known I was at a drag show, I would most likely think that I was just watching a bunch of young guys sing along to familiar tunes, while busting a move.
But drag is much more than dressing as the opposite sex and getting up on stage. It is the deliberate and intentional performance of gender. Drag takes gender stereotypes and subverts them, allowing for the audience to not only be entertained, but to question the idea of gender.
Drag kings are usually made up of female performers who dress and act in a masculine role – playing off of male stereotypes. They act, dance, and lip-sync to music which is usually and originally performed by male artists. Often the kings imitate an alpha male icon, such as Elvis Presley, John Travolta or Tim McGraw. However, in many cases the performers use their own persona (name, attitude and style) to play their role. At times, the performers need to conceal their breasts and mask their hips. They also add facial hair (or even draw it in) and use a phallic type object to accentuate their crotch.
Similarly to drag queens, kings perform the role of the opposite gender. However, the two vary in many ways. Queens are usually known for their flamboyant and overly exaggerated body movements (swaying of the hips, flick of the wrist, and flaunting of features), while kings’ movements are much more neutral and basic. They also usually have a heavier and slower step and take up more space. “Kinging” is often modeled after naturalism in trying to master the reality of the male gender.
Drag in both cases poke fun at dominant stereotypes in both genders, and then reinvents those stereotypical roles to suit their needs. Pop icons Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake are popular within the drag king scene. Timberlake, specifically, is often imitated because not only does he posses boyish-good looks, but he knows how to dance, wears fashionable clothes, and isn’t afraid to sing in falsetto. There are different genres within drag – country, hip hip, emo and even nerdy. Edward Malapprop from DKUnited, located in Vancouver, often acts within a nerdy-boy persona. Her style of dance and performance would mostly resemble someone like Pee Wee Herman. The genre and style of drag reflects the identity of the individual. Just like style, the persona that the performer takes up is how they wish to be seen.
The representation of fashion identity
Like drag, fashion is the visual representation of identity. The way an individual dresses themselves, reveals a lot about how that person wishes to be perceived. In the case of Hillary Clinton, who is often seen wearing a two piece pant-suit (whether that be for personal reasons or not) is dressed for a specific role. Her outfit might convey strength, leadership, or perhaps it can be even seen as provoking gender identity within the political spectrum; either way she is dressed a certain way which defines her identity.
For many drag kings, the performance is about embodying gender through clothing and actions. Just as fashion is constantly reinventing itself, so are drag performers. To perform female masculinity is a difficult task. The styles of masculinity, like fashion, are forever changing, and these changes must be adapted within the performance. It might be stylish to be an alpha male one day, whereas it might be fashionable to present oneself as a metrosexual the next. Styles such as emo, punk, and hip hop are all also linked to fashion, and ultimately gender. Hence, drag kings play off of these fashion styles to illustrate the absurdity of stereotypes, and to bring awareness to them.
Having come to terms with my gender, I tend to both embrace and reject the ideas of femininity and masculinity. I’ve sported long gorgeous locks, but have also shaved my head. I can wear cute summer dresses, but prefer baggy cargo pants. And although I can bake cookies, I would still prefer to practice Bruce Lee karate moves. Perhaps I would make an awful drag king performer, but everyday when I get dressed I think about how I will be presenting myself, and how I will be perceived. There is always so much more than dressing and mannerisms when it comes to “acting your gender”.
When I first heard of drag kings some years ago I was a little taken aback. It hadn’t occurred to me in a visceral way that anyone would want to be male, but rather had hitherto only considered the desire to have male traits, opportunities and to level social imbalance.
I wasn’t alarmed but rather bewildered. In considering my maleness thus far I had only reflected upon its mundane repetition, expectations of heavy responsibility, and duty towards work, family and community. But never the simple state of feeling male, behaving male or being acknowledged as male. Basically, I had some absurd Leave It To Beaver notion of men within the nuclear family.
So in a way, coming to understand the desire to be a Drag King gave me greater understanding of myself and my place in the world; moreso the struggles each individual faces within themselves to come to terms with society’s broader notions of gender.