The drag queens of England are booming, thanks to unexpected new fans

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The drag queens of England are booming, thanks to unexpected new fans
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  • 📰 TheEconomist
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Many straight women love the world of drag for the broad array of body sizes and fashion styles on show

British is to cherish understatement, DragWorld is the most treasonous gathering since the Gunpowder Plot. Tread the pink carpet at London’s Olympia convention hall and your eyes are drawn to either a 10ft-tall silver stiletto or a well-chiselled man in nothing but multicoloured pants and striped socks. Donna Trump, Poppycock and Rococo Chanel work the crowd. Punters hunt for gold among stalls hawking fake eyelashes, fishnet tights and wigs in outrageous shades of yellow, purple and pink.

There is, of course, nothing new about men in tights. In his book “Queer City: Gay London from the Romans to the present day”, Peter Ackroyd likens 18th-century “mollies” to present-day drag queens. For much of the 20th century, drag acts were a mainstay of gay bars and clubs. But the crowds flocking to DragWorld demonstrate how an underground pastime has broken into the cultural mainstream. This year more than 10,000 people showed up to the two-day event, now in its third year.

Perhaps surprisingly, women seem keen to take make-up tips from the queens. One such fan, queuing for a £17 meet-and-greet session, confesses to copying some of their looks, albeit in a toned-down way. The beauty industry was quick to spot the market’s potential. Pretty Polly, a tights brand, and Lush, a cosmetics firm, have stands at the show.

Others are attracted by the broad array of body sizes and fashion styles on show. The convention presents a less restrictive idea of what it means to be a woman than do glossy fashion magazines, argues Mr Stone. A barrister’s clerk, who has donned silver sequined trousers and a bright pink top for the day, says she appreciates the freedom to wear whatever she likes without judgment.

Gay men largely welcome drag’s newfound popularity. One, who is collecting queens’ autographs in a notepad that booms “u ok hun?”, reckons it shows society has moved from tolerating gay culture to embracing it. Brad Williams, who sells fake eyelashes with his business and romantic partner, agrees. “Before it was: ‘Here’s a cookie cutter. Fit in’,” he says. “Now to fit in you almost have to be different.

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