Drag Performers’ Perspectives on the Mainstreaming of British Drag: Towards a Sociology of Contemporary Drag

Mark Mccormack,Liam Wignall

doi:10.1177/00380385211008387

Abstract

Drag performance has entered mainstream British culture and is gaining unprecedented appreciation and recognition, yet no sociological accounts of this transformation exist. Using an inductive analysis of in-depth interviews with 25 drag performers, alongside netnography of media and other public data, this article develops a sociological understanding of the mainstreaming of drag. There are two clear reasons for the success of drag. First, there is a pull towards drag: it is now seen as a viable career opportunity where performers receive fame rather than social stigma in a more inclusive social zeitgeist, even though the reality is more complex. Second, there is a push away from other creative and performing arts because heteronormative perspectives persist through typecasting and a continued professional stigma associated with drag. In calling for a sociology of drag, future avenues for research on contemporary drag are discussed, alongside the need for the sociology of cultural and creative industries to incorporate sexuality as both a subject and analytic lens.

Highlights

Drag performance has undergone radical change in recent years
Our analysis finds that the mainstreaming of drag is a result of factors pulling people towards drag performance and issues pushing them away from other cultural work
We first show the pull of drag is that it is seen as a viable career that attracts celebrity and potentially fame, highlighting that this perception does not always reflect reality, for performers newer to drag

Summary

Introduction

Drag performance has undergone radical change in recent years. Once known as female impersonation, US reality competition TV series RuPaul’s Drag Race (RPDR) has epitomised dramatic shifts in the practice, consumption and economy of drag in British Sociology 00(0)culture, and internationally. Once known as female impersonation, US reality competition TV series RuPaul’s Drag Race (RPDR) has epitomised dramatic shifts in the practice, consumption and economy of drag in British Sociology 00(0). While there is a developing research agenda in cultural and performance studies about drag practice and representation Brennan and Gudelunas, 2017; Crookston, 2021; Edward and Farrier, 2020), the current dynamics of drag, and the shifting experiences of its performers, are absent from contemporary sociological research. While drag has been present in mainstream culture previously, the current trend reaches beyond a few ‘break out’ individuals to a broader cultural recognition and appreciation that marks a distinct shift from previous iterations

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Conclusion