Drag artists - am I the only one who doesn't find them funny?

I like them. At least now they look a lot better than when I first saw them doing their acts in the 60s

I preferred the Two Ronnies when they dressed up for their sketches or Les Dawson with his Cissie and Ada. Comic acts I don't mind.
Danny La Rue was fabulous as a music hall act as was Lily Savage but I don't like the brashness of drag artists.

Chestnut Is that a serious question? I'll happily answer it but it will derail the thread into another debate on what is and what is not racism.

Chestnut

Blondiescot drag is actually all about being inclusive and the fact that you can be anything you want to be.
But you can't use blackface to be black for any reason at all, so you can't always dress up as whoever you want to be. It is always deemed offensive and mocking of black people, no matter what the circumstances. Why is this different?

I don't find it offensive or demeaning to women at all, I'm afraid - I don't really get the comparison to blackface either. If you actually watch the likes of Ru Paul's Drag Race, for instance, they are always talking about how the women in their lives are an inspiration to them. It's all about inclusion. As Michelle Visage, one of the resident judges on Drag Race says "For all the people who never felt like they fit in, they have a place in drag."

Doodledog

NellG

I think they are worrying if there is a feeling of 'black face' and offence about what they do Doodledog. In 2021 anything that invites that type of comparison has to be hitting a nerve. So not sure it's me who needs the flavour of the OP explained to them.

I never mentioned either black face or offence, Nell. I think you are seeing things in my posts that aren't there.

Not in your post, I'm reading things in the OP that are there. Hence my comment.

Blondiescot drag is actually all about being inclusive and the fact that you can be anything you want to be.
But you can't use blackface to be black for any reason at all, so you can't always dress up as whoever you want to be. It is always deemed offensive and mocking of black people, no matter what the circumstances. Why is this different?

Drag just doesn't interest me. I therefore know nothing about the performers, who or what they are. or any of the detail other posters have written about.

I just find it boring. I would rather read a book.

NellG

I think they are worrying if there is a feeling of 'black face' and offence about what they do Doodledog. In 2021 anything that invites that type of comparison has to be hitting a nerve. So not sure it's me who needs the flavour of the OP explained to them.

I never mentioned either black face or offence, Nell. I think you are seeing things in my posts that aren't there.

Oh god, I absolutely love drag queens. I'm addicted to Ru Paul's Drag Race UK - they are lovely people and I think the higher their profile and the more they share their stories, it can only be a good thing, especially for young people who may be struggling with their sexuality. Many of them have spoken about being bullied at school, for instance, or shunned by their families.
The current season featured two non-binary queens and the discussion they had about the whole "non-binary" tag and so on was really enlightening and explained it in a way which made it very easy to understand.
As another poster has said, it's not about parodying women or shaming them - drag is actually all about being inclusive and the fact that you can be anything you want to be. Surely that is something to be celebrated - not to be ashamed of who you are?

I'm inclined to agree, I do think they parody women as a sex, they come across as very one dimensional "wag" type only, with all the accoutrements of fakery which are imo unrepresentative of the female sex per se and tend to veer into bitchiness. I recall I felt that, as a child, when I saw Danny La Rue, if I remember rightly he presented a bossy persona with snide comments, an exaggerated version of a woman, but I knew he was a man and wondered why he put all that effort into emulating some sort of quasi female that was completely over the top, which is what many of them do now.

Having said that I suppose I'm not consistent, I have always found Dame Edna hilarious, and have laughed at Paul O'Grady's alter ego Lily Savage who does play up to his moniker. I like his understated Liverpudlian humour. I also admit to snorting into my flat white when I met up with my Brighton pal and she told me of a local drag queen down in her neck of the woods, the sublimely named Betty Swallocks

Side stepping from drag queens to transwomen, I've got a bit of an issue with Eddie Izzard not so much for cross dressing or presenting as a woman, but making the ridiculous comment about being in "girl mode" Eddie is 57 Women around that age can often be struggling with menopausal symptoms, I was mine was late and had just started at that age so ffs it doesn't make one feel like a girl anymore, woman please! it's not all fluttery fun, flicking one's hair and flashing perfectly manicured nails, there's a bit more to being a woman of a certain age than that Caitlin Jenner's not much better either when being asked what she found the most difficult aspect of being a woman her reply, "deciding what to wear" I'll put that down to living with a Kartload of Kardashians.

I think they are worrying if there is a feeling of 'black face' and offence about what they do Doodledog. In 2021 anything that invites that type of comparison has to be hitting a nerve. So not sure it's me who needs the flavour of the OP explained to them.

My parents had pubs/restaurants throughout my childhood, in one there was entertainment on a Sunday lunchtime, which ended up usually being a drag act .

These were some of the kindest, gentlest and funniest men, I was fascinated by watching them transform, they also taught me a lot about make-up and the importance of always removing every single bit of it.

Drag is an art form and like all art forms it divides opinion.

They are not my cup of tea but drag artists are winning an growing audience.

Not for me at all.
Seamstress, it is a bit reminiscent of ‘blacking up’, which became unacceptable. This time though they’re parodying women and that’s evidently OK.

I don't think anyone is worrying about them - the question was why they are popular, and people have explained which ones they have found funny and which they haven't.

I think that their being like clowns is an interesting one - taking characteristics to extremes for comic intent. On the whole I don't find that sort of humour appealing, but I'm not a fan of clowns either.

I agree with Chestnut that Courtney Act is gorgeous. I don't know of anyone saw her in Celebrity BB a while ago - it was clear from that that she is also intelligent and emotionally aware. I don't think that Courtney is a 'drag queen' in the same sense as some, though - she doesn't parody women at all - in fact many would love to look as good as she does .

suziewoozie

NellG

SW Maybe, but I don't tend to feel threatened by other people's artistic self expression so can't toot the horn for that particular bandwagon I'm afraid. I think women have bigger fish to fry than worrying about people in garish frocks and too much makeup. I use the word people because women do it too.

I don’t feel threatened either but I think they do women a disservice and are part of the overall problem.

In what ways?

NellG

SW Maybe, but I don't tend to feel threatened by other people's artistic self expression so can't toot the horn for that particular bandwagon I'm afraid. I think women have bigger fish to fry than worrying about people in garish frocks and too much makeup. I use the word people because women do it too.

I don’t feel threatened either but I think they do women a disservice and are part of the overall problem.

Agree 100% seamstress.
I just do not get them.
Never found them funny or entertaining,the total opposite actually.

SW Maybe, but I don't tend to feel threatened by other people's artistic self expression so can't toot the horn for that particular bandwagon I'm afraid. I think women have bigger fish to fry than worrying about people in garish frocks and too much makeup. I use the word people because women do it too.

They’re def not for me! Really don’t like them at all.

Not funny.
I’ve never got Mrs Brown either.

I see them in the same category as clowns, and I don't like them either. I'm not keen on anything where a person's face is covered or disguised. So many young women now look exactly the same because of make-up, botox and surgery, you think they have come off a Barbie production line.

I agree with most posters - Nell I think your analysis is too generous and sidelines the impact they have on women and thus women themselves But then, that’s what we’re used to as women

I think they are like any other performers. Some of them are really gorgeous- Ru Paul for example, some of them are hideous, some of them are funny, some aren't. I don't see how you can lump them all together.
Women can drag up as well.

I'm not a fan, but understand it to be an expressive art form. I think the comfort angle can be eased if it's thought of as people expressing their being through traditionally female means, ie make up, colour, clothes and performance - rather than seeing what they do as a parody of women. In short, it's not about shaming women, it's about celebrating the expressive part of themselves.