How I Became A Drag Queen

Every member of the LGBT community is alike in one way, and different from the heterosexual community in one way. We never stop coming out of the closet. From our first time, when we grieve over the emotional catastrophe that could be our coming out to our family and friends, to the umpteenth time on the street with a random passerby, we are constantly having to justify our sexuality and ourselves to others. It's not right, but it's our current reality. In a similar way, I've discovered that I constantly have to "come out" as a drag queen. It's not as emotionally traumatic as my first time coming out, but it's as irritating as each minor coming out experience. It's not enough for people for me to simply say that I'm a performer. I've been a performer since I was in elementary school. Plays, musicals, concerts, you name it. But when you say you're a performer, the follow up questions always lead to the inevitable, what kind of performin...

Style is like an opinion. Everyone's entitled to one, but not every one can be right. Style is all about taste. Like food, everyone will like different things, and also like food, my seeing you in something questionable will probably give me an allergic reaction to your horrible taste. But seriously, some people can put an outfit together like no other. These people are usually stylists for fashion magazines and clothing stores, fashion models, or Angel from Rent.  People you wish you were, because they have the innate ability to look good in whatever the hell they can squeeze onto their bodies. No, your Instagram thread does not make you a fashion model. Now, let's get this out of the way: in no way am I saying that I have a good sense of style in terms of fashion. In fact, I probably have some very questionable taste when it comes to my outfits, as my favourite patterns are leopard and cheetah print. No, these are not the same thing, and if you need someone to descri...

A few months ago I embarked on my biggest drag adventure to date. It all started with an idea. A party for myself and my friends where I would teach them to paint their faces into drag queens, while drinking and eating excessively of course (because we are all gluttons and drunks). The party was a resounding success, albeit with some sparsely covered eyebrows and some interestingly blended shadows. Everyone had fun, and an even bigger idea came to me! What if I could hold a paint night, like they do at bars, but instead of painting on a canvas, participants could paint their own face!?!?!? Hence the first ever "Beat Your Face Night" was born (trademark pending, lmfao). After throwing out the idea to the local club manager at Evolution Wonderlounge (Edmonton Alberta Canada, if you're ever in town you should definitely check it out), the planning began.  I formed a partnership with a local theatre and costume company Theatre Garage Inc . to source the makeup, brushes...

Drag is not a contact sport, but should it be a competition? RuPaul's Drag Race is a TV phenomenon, bringing an underground art-form to the forefront of pop culture. Ru herself just won an Emmy, and is nominated for multiple MTV awards. On the show, Ru drives her queens (almost exclusively men dressing up as women) to compete for an ultimate crown of America's Next Drag Superstar. It's a cutthroat, high stakes, sometimes literal race that drives these queens (because there have never been drag kings on it **hint hint Ru**) to their limits, and to the constant critique and ridicule of the judges to fit a certain bill. But RuPaul's drag race is reality TV. Promo art for RuPaul's Drag Race (RuPaul pictured) Meanwhile, in my current home of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, a similar competition is taking place: Alberta's Next Drag Superstar (ANDS), totally not bridging on a copyright violation. Drag performers, not just drag queens (yes folks, Alberta is more ...

Ugh. This is the one part of drag I won't ever understand. Yes, men are able to put away their dangly bits and imitate women, but WHY!?!?!?!?!? It's not comfortable, it's not good for you, and honestly, it would be so much easier just to be a lady with a bulge. In any case, below is a discussion of tucking, both technical and not, to be as tight as possible. You can tuck without tape, and it's essentially the same procedure just with a gaff (special underwear) instead of tape, but your tuck is definitely not as tight. For a nice, tight tuck, read on wannabe ladies. Reader Warning: some of the visualizations/discussion below are not altogether PG. Probably more R rated. Be warned. And here we go: Okay. Tucking is the process through which a man puts his balls up into his abdomen, and pulls his dick into his ass crack to give the appearance of having a vagina instead of a penis. The testicles, when descending as a child, exit the abdomen through the inguinal ca...

Eyebrows You would think that this doesn’t belong in the finishing touches section of a tutorial…and you would be right!!! I fucked up, and forgot to include eyebrows in the eyes post. Oh well, better late than never. Yes, eyebrows truly dazzle, and they are one of my favourite parts of my drag face because I like bitch brows. So much. A high, sharp arch and dark, harsh lines really bring the resting bitch face to the forefront, and when you combine it with my mountain peaks of lips, it’s a truly bitchy sight. The newest trend however is an ombre eyebrow.   This is where you fade your eyebrow into your face towards the bridge of your nose, avoiding harsh lines. You can also ombre the colour to make it darkest towards the outside of your face, and lightest towards the fade. In either case, start your eyebrows with a light colour to plan out the shape, either a light eyebrow pencil, or a powder eyeshadow. If you want a guideline for positioning of the start, end,...

Two weeks, two performances. To see my first ever drag performance check out my previous post HERE .   While that will always be an important moment for me, my second performance sits very close to my heart as well. <3 OUTreach at the University of Alberta  is a student organization in Edmonton providing LGBTQ+ resources, events, socials, and community on campus (check them out, they're amazing!). Every year (for the past 14 years) they put on an amazing drag show to showcase not only local talent, but also amateurs wanting to put on their first performances. But why is this so important to me??? Why because OUTreach gave me my FIRST EVER drag show back in 2015, and that was where I first realized I wanted to do drag. Oddly enough, it was also my first time seeing a future boyfriend in drag, and his was one of my favourites of the night. It did help though that he performed the incomparable Christina Aguilera, as even if the performance had sucked I would still have ...

I am so pleased with my first performance! I wanted to showcase the multiple personalities of my drag character, and I think I did that with Greedy and Papi, two songs sung by incredibly talented ladies.  I also may have showcased just a little bit more skin than some, but hey, if you've got it flaunt it! Check out the video on youtube by Dragging Our Heels linked below: Rowena Whey - Greedy Thank-you to everyone who came out to support me and all of the other amazing queens who performed last night at the Sunday Review. I can't wait to show more of what I have to offer!

Lashes Yay lashes! With every flutter you cause a hurricane across the world because of the damn sheer size! The number or volume of lashes you choose is again, up to you. If you haven’t noticed a trend by now of CHOICE, then you haven’t been paying attention, and I recommend going back and rereading my endless squabbling. To start, curl your natural lashes, and apply mascara. You don’t want to have light lashes peeking out of your solid black falsies. A nice trick from Mathu Andersen (makeup artist to the stars): when applying mascara, use a wet sponge behind the eyelashes to prevent mascara from getting on your face. This goes for your initial application on your eyelashes, and on your falsies. Before you consider applying your false lashes, make sure they are trimmed to the correct size for your eye, and length for your desired look.   Now apply eyelash glue to the seam of the lashes, and wait ~30 seconds for the glue to get tacky (sticky to touch). You can spee...