Rewriting ‘herstory’: Sasha Velour’s drag as art and activism

ABSTRACT

Following its move to VH1 in 2017, Season 9 of RuPaul’s Drag Race (RPDR) was positioned to capture a larger audience than ever before, boasting the strongest field of competitors in its ‘herstory’. This article maps the career trajectory of Season 9 winner Sasha Velour to determine how she distinguishes herself from previous champions. While winners of RPDR are expected to possess the virtues of charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent, Velour’s articulation of fame post RPDR has been informed by charisma and uniqueness, coupled with a consistent performance of an ‘authentic’ persona. Since winning Season 9, Velour has been an outspoken advocate for the transgender community and the need to diversify drag, in addition to drawing attention from the mainstream fashion industry for her art and style. Drawing inspiration from RPDR’s virtues, I argue that the performance of charisma and uniqueness are essential to interpreting the success of the drag celebrity persona as part of the ‘fame cycle’ beyond RPDR. Velour’s star image is distinctive for centring art and activist performance as vital to her public persona across transmedia platforms, allowing for the promotion of positive change for the LGBTQIA community worldwide.

KEYWORDS:

• RuPaul’s Drag Race
• Sasha Velour
• drag
• activism
• celebrity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. 11 ‘main’ series (at June 2019); plus 4 seasons of RPDR All Stars (Season 4 of All Stars controversially crowned 2 winners).

2. I have used the feminine she/her pronoun for Velour throughout, as she has specified this as her preference (Velour 2017). I have also used the feminine pronoun for RuPaul for consistency.

3. In addition to previously mentioned spin off series such as RPDR: All Stars, and Drag U, Drag Race Thailand premiered in 2018, with the premiere of RPDR: UK in October 2019, and Canadian, Australian, and Celebrity Drag Race announced for 2020 (Bond 2019).

4. Alyssa Edwards (S5; AS2) was famously accused relying on her personality to balance a lack lustre performance by fellow contestant Phi Phi O’Hara in episode 4 of RPDR: All Stars 2. In a subsequent episode, judge Carson Kressley also remarks that Edwards just needs to ‘make a face’ to win him over, much to the displeasure of the other remaining contestants.

5. In comparison to past winners and fan favourites Sharon Needles (1 million followers); Courtney Act (1.2 million); Shangela (1.3 million); Vanjie (1.3 million); Aquaria (1.5 million); Alaska (1.6 million); Katya (1.7 million); Trixie Mattel (1.8 million); Adore Delano (1.9 million); and Bianca Del Rio (2 million).

6. Despite the negative fan response to Ganache, she insists she was just ‘being herself’; and her ‘authentic self’ at various turns. She seemingly ‘blames the edit’: ‘Unfortunately a lot of the moments made it seem that I was shady … a lot of that came across as me being hateful’ (Damshenas 2019b).

7. Quibi (‘quick bites’) is described by CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg as ‘premium, episodic content optimised for pocket-sized screens’; but definitely ‘not a substitute or competitor for television’ (Sperling 2019).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Renee Middlemost

Renee Middlemost is a Lecturer in Communication and Media at the University of Wollongong, Australia. Her research focuses on the fan participation, celebrity and popular culture, and has been featured in collections The Routledge Companion to Cult Cinema; Crank It Up: Jason Statham - Star!;and Aussie Fans: Uniquely Placed in Global Popular Culture. Her recent work has been published in journals including Celebrity Studies, M/C Journal, and the Australasian Journal of Popular Culture. She is the co-founder of FSN Australasia, and a co-editor of Participations.