This is reaching and it is critiquing in a way that comes across as if the writer has a superiority complex. There are so many things wrong with this article but the ridiculous and obviously unnecessary claim that Sasha is not bald from chemotherapy doesn’t seem to to acknowledge the point previously made about her mother. Of course Sasha Velour is ‘just bald’. She is not claiming woman have to be beautiful at all times. She is simply demonstrating how beauty can stem from what her mother felt self-conscious about. She is bald for personal reasons that then became her aesthetic, whilst still demonstrating what she was showing her mother on a larger scale.
It simply comes across as petty to over-analyse someones drag persona as if the writer were trying to start an academic paper. The interpretations of Sasha actions and speech have been twisted to suit a certain angle and conclusions that she is speaking with a ‘tight, forced smile’ or is ‘speechless’ and ‘shocked’ in certain moments are actually the opposite of how I have seen the situations be interpreted. The moment with Valentina in particular doesn’t really back up any argument since everyone that I personally spoke to about this moment at the time saw it as Valentina’s child like response being ignored by Sasha because she didn’t want to start an argument in the way that adults will let children believe they know best. In relation to Sasha’s ‘forced smile’ at being compared to Grace Jones, this interpretation both not something I can personally see and, furthermore, not a likely correct one as a quick glance at some of Sasha’s pre-drag race performances show her using Grace Jones’ music and style to pay homage to her work.
In terms of the author critiquing Sasha’s runway, the challenge was to represent where they were from. Sasha Velour, whilst born Illinois is a New York Drag Queen. That is where she performs and where she has taken influence from the drag culture. It is simply ignorant to assume that everyone has enough knowledge about New York and its productions for Sasha to allude to artists such as Keith Haring without explicitly showing his work. She is not, as this article suggest, the epitome of gentrification. She is simply a drag queen that found herself best suited to the New York community.
These are obviously just a few points I feel weren’t clearly explained or needed and I feel like the article in general ignores relevant points such as Sasha’s work in which she acknowledges her white privilege and uses it to benefit others. Obviously I know nothing about the writer but this simply sounds like white writer who has never heard of the word inspiration attempting to target someone who is actually making a difference by nastily critiquing and comparing two drag queens unnecessarily.
This isn’t meant to be a critique of the writer. I simply found the article unnecessary and devaluing towards one of the ru girls who actually makes a difference when there are plenty who are outright prejudice.
