Following on from the first and second part in the series, Chris Williams speaks with more of Cardiff’s drag queens.
What about female drag queens? We’re not talking about female cross-dressing here – that’s drag kings. Female drag queens have been around for a long time – but they are only becoming widely known about now. Known as ‘faux queens’, ‘bio queens’ or just female queens, it can be seen as playing with gender roles and a form of postmodern feminism. In the wider view, drag is mainly seen as a gay man’s game, but we are seeing more queer (including trans) women as drag queens – Cressida Wolf is one of them.
Cressida Wolf, 22
“In terms of being a woman and doing drag I think there is the potential for people to question the validity of it, but personally I think if you can transform yourself and deliver a performance just as well as a man in drag can then there really isn’t much of a difference! And if you can leave an audience confused about whether they’ve just seen a man or a woman perform then all the better!”
How long have you been doing drag?
I’m very new to drag! If I count it from Halloween (I went as Alaska) then it’s about four months, but I only performed for the first time at the beginning of March.
How did you get into drag?
To be honest my interest in drag was primarily born out of watching RuPaul’s Drag Race, and then because of my love for the show I started going to drag shows… and then I guess doing drag myself was just a natural progression after that! I’ve been dancing and involved in musical theatre since I was little, and I’m completely obsessed with makeup so I just thought why not try it! And I love the creativity of it, the way you can completely transform your appearance, blur gender boundaries and express a different side of yourself to the extent where people don’t always recognise you – and I think that’s something that’s relevant to both men and women wanting to do drag.
Who are your influences (drag or otherwise)?
Alaska has definitely been a big influence upon me – she’s creative, hilarious, stunning and weird. And she’s got such a good work ethic, if you look at her tour dates she’s always performing (and slaying) all over the world, and recording music and taking part in other projects as well! I’m also a big fan of Milk for refusing to fit into a particular ‘mould’ that some people may expect drag to be, and for continuously pushing boundaries to create some really unusual looks and performances. Outside of RPDR I’m a huge fan of Creme Fatale and spend a lot of time stalking her Instagram because every look she creates is flawless, and also the person who made me realise that women can do female drag too. I also couldn’t fail to mention David Bowie because not only has he had such an influence on the music industry, he was also never afraid to challenge gender identity and sexuality even at such a difficult time where homosexuality had really only just been decriminalised – and in my opinion that’s pretty fearless.
How have you balanced drag with a day job?
I’m actually balancing a job, studying law part time and drag! At the moment it’s not too bad and it’s something I enjoy doing so I make the time to practice makeup etc. I was recently in an Instagram competition though which required at least two looks in a week usually and that was very time consuming!
What does your family think?
To be honest I think my parents think it’s all a little weird but they don’t mind that I do it and they’re happy that I’m happy doing it. Funnily enough my grandma follows my drag Instagram account and whenever I speak to her she’s always telling me that she liked a look I did or asking me what makeup I used etc. which is nice, and my sister watches RPDR and has been to a couple of drag shows before so she’s down with it all – and should be coming to my next show!
What have you accomplished through drag?
So far I think it’s a little early to say I’ve accomplished a great deal on a wider level, but on a personal level I’m naturally quite shy and (I know it’s cliche!) but I definitely think that doing drag is helping me to become more confident and giving me the opportunity to have a creative outlet while being sat in an office and reading lots of lovely text books on contract law!
Where are you going to take being a drag queen?
It would be lovely if it could be my full time job but I suspect that that’s a very long way off, for now I’m more than happy for it to be a sort of hobby! Hey Mary (DJs Sissy Boy Tears and fellow Queens Medusa Repulsa, Polly Amorous and Lilith) have very kindly welcomed me into their wonderfully weird little family which is great because not only have I got a definite monthly show to plan for, I also get to perform alongside some really talented queens who will no doubt continue to inspire me.
Alphaa Heart, 21
Student Joshua Thomas had barely put on any makeup before he was winning one drag competition in Mary’s and entering and becoming runner up in this year’s Jolene’s Drag Race.
How long have you been doing drag?
I first started putting on makeup in January 2017; I entered a few competitions in early 2017 and started getting asked to do events around the same time as well.
How did you get into it?
There’s not really a drag scene in North Wales, where I’m from, like there is here. When I moved down for university and was suddenly in this wonderful, weird world of drag, I knew I had to give it a go. It took me until my second year of uni to actually get going but I got there in the end!
Who are your influences (drag or otherwise)?
I’m inspired by all sorts really! Mainly strong women, fictional and real. I’m really into gothy/witchy aesthetics so most of what I wear is black, but like any drag queen I love a healthy dose of glitter and glam!
How have you balanced drag with a day job?
My ‘day job’ I guess is being a student. I’m not enjoying the course I’m on so doing drag was actually a blessing, it’s kept me occupied and opened new doors for me.
What does your family think?
My mum is very supportive, my dad and brother aren’t so hot on the idea, but that’s men for you.
What have you accomplished through drag?
So far I’ve won a competition, been asked to support some of the RuPaul’s drag queens and managed to build a decent following in the short time I’ve been doing drag. It’s been a huge confidence boost and I feel like it’s helped me learn so much about myself, the community and the people around me.
Where are you going to take being a drag queen?
I’m not sure if I’d like to do it full time, it’s quite exhausting and unpredictable. But I’d definitely like to continue for the foreseeable future, if gigs come my way then great!
Is drag more than a hobby?
It’s become a lifestyle, I’m a huge fan of drag as well as a drag artist, I live and breathe it. As cliche as it sounds it’s quite literally on my brain from when I wake up to when I fall asleep.
Annie Mated, 32
Games developer Phillip Page also took part in Jolene’s Drag Race, Annie unfortunately went out early but was named the competition’s Miss Congeniality. Maybe Cardiff’s biggest ‘geek queen’, as his answers show Annie Mated is well on his way to having fully realised character… apparently thanks in part to his girlfriend.
How long have you been doing drag?
My first drag performance was just under a month ago and I’d been manically preparing for that for about 3-4 weeks before then, so not long at all!
Why did you start/how did you get into it?
To cut a really long story short, my girlfriend is a professional makeup artist and I had been wanting her to drag me up for a long time, she eventually did, I loved it and wanted to play around with makeup more ever since. I practiced with makeup a handful of times but I didn’t really know what my aim or end goal was. Jolene’s drag race was coming up and Charly (my girlfriend) jokingly threatened to sign me up if I didn’t do the dishes or some other chore that I was being lax with. That eventually ended up with me realising I wanted to do it but being utterly terrified to sign up which I eventually said ‘fuck it’ to. It forced me to come up with a drag name which I wanted to be a gaming or cartoon reference. Charly suggested Annie Mated and I knew I couldn’t beat that as a name, it just fit perfectly especially as I have studied and worked in animation for a good chunk of my career. Annie’s character just fell into place for me then as she is a mix of all the geeky things I love in my life.
Who are your influences (drag or otherwise)?
Like all who are into drag, I love RuPaul and her drag race. It showed me that there’s a whole spectrum of drag that doesn’t have to be defined so I can bring my own unique take on drag.
As an artist I’ve always been influenced by anything sci-fi especially Star Wars. I also love Japanese culture. I’m a huge geek so I also take a lot of inspiration from a plethora of cartoons, games, comics and films but I try not to limit where inspiration comes from.
How have you balanced drag with a day job?
So far, it’s been tricky but manageable. I make video games for a living which is in itself a very time consuming job so time is the biggest factor. It’s just meant that my evenings and weekends have been busy preparing, making things, and practicing for my performances. It’s actually been really fulfilling learning lots of new things, working out choreography and being creative with what I can bring to my performances.
What does your family think?
My family have been absolutely amazing. My parents both think it’s great, my mum especially is really getting into it. She’s awesome!
My girlfriend has been super supportive, I literally can’t think of how she could show her support more. She’s helped me with makeup and she’s been a great person to bounce ideas off. She’s brutal if she doesn’t like an idea but at least I know it’s a crap idea. Towards the start of me playing with makeup and doing drag there were a few awkward points. She’s a trans woman so things were a bit weird when I didn’t know why I was doing drag. As soon as I had a clear vision for what my drag act could be we both had an easier time viewing it as an art form and she just completely gets it now and I literally couldn’t have done it without her.
What have you accomplished through drag?
Whilst I haven’t achieved much from a career point of view with my drag I have still accomplished a lot on a personal level. I’ve done a few performances which is huge for me and it’s given me a reason to re-learn things like nunchaku performance. It’s also helped me to not care as much about what people think, both in and out of drag as there’s just no time to worry about that sort of thing when you’ve got to be on stage looking great and putting on a good show!
Where are you going to take being a drag queen ?
I’m going to be getting some more performances under my belt to gain more experience and to figure out more ways to bring something different to the table, like my nunchaku act. I also want to create some sort of video content for Annie Mated to use my skills in animation and storytelling but I’m still figuring out exactly what that will be so watch this space!
Is drag more than a hobby? It already feels like it’s more than a hobby for me but that could be because drag just takes over your life especially when you’ve entered a competition. There’s wigs and outfits all over the house! If it is still just a hobby, it’s definitely teetering on the edge of becoming more.