The Category Is: Commodification’s Uprooting of Ballroom Culture

The AIDS crisis took New York City in its deadly grasp in the 1980s. Fear surrounding this epidemic greatly affected the LGBTQ community, as fingers were often pointed at them. However, before talk of HIV and AIDS even hit the newspapers, the queer community was still not fully accepted by the dominant society; the society that upheld straight, white, men as the ideal. Many queer and trans people were rejected from their families and kicked out of their homes. At the time, society failed to give them a sense of community, so they created their own: The ballroom scene.

Subculture is “a cultural group within a larger culture, often having beliefs or interests at variance with those of the larger culture (Oxford Languages). The “larger culture” of the time still wasn’t keen on a full acceptance of queer and trans people, thus the community of ballroom culture provided the space where full acceptance and free expression was the norm. Often subcultures adhere to shared traditions, argot, and ideologies, which all create breeding grounds for a solid community bond. The ballroom scene harnessed that close bond brought about by shared beliefs, and traditions and argot soon followed. The ballroom scene was a subculture, but does that label change when analyzing the modern-day drag culture seen today?

Born in New York City, the 80s brought about a community for queer and trans people to freely express themselves. The ballroom scene was a safe space, especially for queer people of color. They were able to relish in the free expression of gender and sexuality, breaking away from the heteronormative. What the dominant culture may have labeled as blasphemous and unnatural was instead celebrated. In the 1990 documentary Paris is Burning, director Jennie Livingston compiles six years’ worth of interviews and footage, diving deep into the lives of the New York City ballroom scene. This film provides an observer’s account of what the scene looked like in the 80s and captures the words of important members of the community.

In the film, Pepper LaBeija, a “house mother,” discusses the community dynamics of the ballroom scene. Families are formed, often due to many seeking guidance from older members of the community. Mothers and houses became commonplace. LaBeija says:

“When someone has rejection from their mother and father, their family, when they get out in the world, they search. They search for someone to fill that void…I’ve had kids come to me and latch hold of me like I’m their mother…cause they can talk to me and I’m gay, they’re gay…That’s where a lot of that ‘ballness’ and the mother business comes in because their real parents give them such a hard way to go. They look up to me to fill that void.” (Paris is Burning, 00:23:25–00:24:02).

The ballroom scene is built on community and close bonds. Rejection can lead to the search for a community to “fill that void,” and that’s what often drew queer and trans people to the ballroom scene. This was a community, when society, or even their own family, couldn’t grant them one. Pepper LaBeija was a “mother,” and she had a house that served as both a home for many as well as a competition group.

The main focus of the scene was the balls. Houses would compete with one another through many forms of expression including dress, dancing, and modeling. These competitions were put on using a runway format and often categories had to be followed. Balls were events where queer people could gather to participate or simply be audience members. One interviewee praised the balls and said: “It’s like crossing into the looking glass. Wonderland. You go in there and you feel 100% right…being gay. That’s not what it’s like in the world” (Paris is Burning, 00:04:17–00:04:30). Balls are not only havens, but they introduce some meritocracy, an aspect of many subcultures. Another interviewee summed it up quite well. He states: “I went to a ball, I won a trophy, and now everybody wants to know me” (Paris is Burning, 00:03:57–00:04:02). Balls include an element of success, and merit can be gained if you win a trophy or present an iconic runway look.

For many in the scene, the balls were not just a fun activity, it was an opportunity to present themselves as their preferred gender. This was an important space for trans women because they could freely be themselves. They were fully accepted and surrounded by support. Often, those who were walking the runways in their fur coats and heels were not drag queens, but trans women. Octavia Saint Laurent, another house mother and aspiring model, discussed her experience as a trans woman throughout the film. When referring to the balls she said: “This was not a game for me or fun. This is something that I wanna live” (Paris is Burning, 00:44:18–00:44:22). Trans women laid the foundation for what became the modern-day drag we see today.

The ballroom scene remained separate from the mainstream until Madonna brought voguing into the limelight. However, the scene shifted drastically as time went on. I argue, that what was once a subculture has been plagued by commodification. RuPaul Charles, emerged into the New York City club scene as a drag queen in the 80s, the same time the ballroom scene was a fully established subculture. As the 90s rolled around, he launched into fame with his hit song “Supermodel.” As he continued to harness his fame and all the attention that was being brought to, specifically, drag queens, he created a reality TV show for aspiring drag queens across the world. The first episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race aired in 2009 and drag culture would never be the same.

A reality show already opens the door for commodification to enter, as it has to be advertised and a cash prize is usually involved. This show brought a lot of attention to drag queens and the culture surrounding them, introducing the mainstream world to a culture that previously lived in the subcultural realm. However, as the show has grown in popularity, more aspects of drag culture have become commodified.

In Season 1, Episode 6 of RuPual’s Drag Race. The episode starts with a mini-challenge in which RuPaul has the remaining queens do a vogue-off. When he introduces the challenge, he gives a nod to Paris is Burning, mentioning the documentary itself: “Voguing was introduced to the world in the cult classic, Paris is Burning…” (RuPaul’s Drag Race, Season 1, Ep. 6, 00:03:06–00:03:10). Throughout the challenge, he throws around many phrases that originated in the balls of the 80s and even mentions the House of LeBeija, one of the many houses discussed in Paris is Burning. The main challenge is a ball, but RuPaul gives no further background on the origins of hosting a ball. There are three categories the queens must follow for their outfits, akin to the rules of the New York City balls. The ball episode has become a staple in each season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, but besides a quick nod to the documentary that introduced the world to the ballroom scene, he gives no other mention of the foundation on which drag culture is built.

When RuPaul introduces the main challenge, he also introduces the sponsor: Absolut Vodka. Jeffery Moran, a spokesperson from the brand, enters the room and talks about Abolut’s fruit-flavored Vodka. There are large posters around the room advertising the fruity flavors, and the camera pans over to them multiple times throughout this section of the episode. Following Moran’s short introduction, RuPaul tells the queens how Absolut is going to be included in their looks for the ball. He says: “To further inspire your creations, each of you will represent a different Absolut fruit flavor…” (RuPaul’s Drag Race, Season 1, Ep. 6, 00:08:10–00:08:18).

The inclusion of a sponsor is a clear sign of commodification. Not only was Absolut Vodka just mentioned, but it was also used in a challenge for the queens, furthering the screen time and advertising the brand got. This is just one example of the countless times RuPual has leaned heavily into the inclusion of brands in his show.

In Season 15, Episode 5, released just this year, there is another instance in which Rupaul gives a nod to Paris is Burning. He once again only mentions the documentary before launching into a practice that originated in the ballroom scene. This is also another staple part of the show, and it can be seen once in each season. Reading is the way queens throw insults at each other. They focus on small details and make witty jabs at each other, which often evokes laughter from everyone present. RuPaul even created a catchphrase that he and the queens say before each reading session. As a call and response, RuPaul starts with the question: “Reading is what?” (RuPaul’s Drag Race, Season 15, Ep. 5, 00:06:34–00:06:38) and the queens respond excitedly with the word: “Fundamental!” This phrase, that RuPaul coined, can be found on numerous t-shirts and stickers with just a quick Google search.

While RuPaul does pepper in traditions from the original ballroom scene into his show, he fails to give proper recognition. He is falling prey to commodification, which results in changes to drag culture. Arguably, RuPaul’s Drag Race is the reason why ballroom culture and the modern-day drag we see today are so different from one another.

Commodification has greatly affected numerous subcultures in recent history. Examples of this drastic shift can be seen in the changes rave culture has gone through and how different it appears today. It can also be seen in the way Emo culture is treated by the mainstream. In Emily Lamison’s essay on the Emo subculture, she discusses the way commodification has affected the subcultural existence of Emo culture. She states: “…In order for the ideologies, aesthetics, and media of the counter-culture to reach a mass audience, they are appropriated and transformed, filtered through the lens of mass culture” (Lamison 165). I would argue that RuPaul’s Drag Race appropriated the “ideologies [and] aesthetics” of the ballroom scene to reach a mainstream audience. The ballroom scene and the culture surrounding it are barely mentioned in the show, despite being the foundation upon which drag is built. RuPaul didn’t allow trans women on his show until recently, which disregards the trans women who were an integral part of the strong community the ballroom scene harnessed. RuPaul’s Drag Race is a TV show, which is consumed by mass audiences. Drag culture has been made into a product of consumption that is easily accessible across the world. It’s handed to the mass audience on a platter due to the demise of commodification.

Lamison also mentions an example of commodification at play: “Most commonly, the commodification, or appropriation of subculture in fashion becomes evident through T-shirt slogans and graphics” (Lamison 163). As mentioned previously, a RuPaul Charles phrase, which was appropriated from a tradition in the ballroom scene, has been slapped onto T-shirts and stickers. Especially today, the majority of the drag queens who have been on the show have some sort of merchandise. If someone wants a shirt with a graphic of their favorite queen on it, that is also a quick Google search away. RuPaul’s Drag Race has become a franchise, and with that comes the monetization of the drag queens themselves.

Another example of commodification working to undermine the ideologies and traditions of a subculture is the way rave culture has shifted into the EDM culture that is seen today. Similar to the shift that occurred between the ballroom scene and modern-day drag culture, the foundations of EDM lay in the rave culture of the 90s. In Christopher T. Connor and Nathan Katz’s essay on EDM culture, they explore how commodification changed many aspects of the rave subculture. They state: “Moreover, the inclusion and enforcement of rules limited the free expression that characterized early EDM events” (Connor, Katz 455). The changes in the events, which were led by legal reinforcement, disregarded the traditions and values that were upheld within the community. Seen similarly with today’s drag culture, higher expectations have been placed on drag queens. It’s no longer simply a space where queens can freely express themselves, there is a heavy importance placed on image and social media presence. Also, the exclusion of trans women from the #1 reality show that was giving drag culture the mainstream attention it never received in the 80s, undermines the space that was held for trans women in the ballroom scene.

Modern-day drag culture has reached the mainstream in a way the ballroom scene never fully did. Through RuPaul’s Drag Race, mass audiences can use certain argot and recognize traditional practices without knowing the full background of the subculture that started it all. The effects of commodification are seen in the way RuPaul’s Drag Race has introduced the mainstream to drag culture. The ballroom scene is the foundation and not enough recognition is given to the trans women who created that community and the traditions that surround it. Commodification has allowed ballroom culture to leave behind its label of subculture and shift into the mainstream drag culture that lets anyone say “Werk queen” and not know where the phrase came from.

Appendix

Paris is Burning (1990)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI7EhpY2yaA

Paris is Burning is a documentary directed by Jennie Livingston. After six years of collecting footage and conducting interviews with members of the ballroom scene, she created this film that gives an observer’s account of the New York City ballroom scene of the 80s. The bulk of the film is made up of her interviews and she makes sure to include important definitions and traditional practices, all narrated by the community members themselves.

RuPaul’s Drag Race (2009 — Present)

https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/rupauls-drag-race/

RuPaul’s Drag Race is a reality TV show in which drag queens from across the world compete with one another to win challenges and eventually win the crown. The show first aired in 2009 and the show is still running today. It has since turned into a franchise, with numerous spin-off shows and plenty of behind-the-scenes content for audiences to enjoy. In this paper, I mentioned Season 1, Episode 6: “Absolut Drag Ball” and Season 15, Episode 5: “House of Fashion.”

Bibliography

Paris Is Burning. Directed by Jennie Livingston, Janus Films, 1990.

RuPaul’s Drag Race, created by RuPaul Charles, World of Wonder, 2 February 2009.

Lamison, Emily. “So Emo It Hurts.” Youth Subcultures: Exploring Underground America, Colombia College Chicago, Pearson Longman, 2007, Pgs. 160–169.

Connor, Christopher T., Katz, Nathan. “Electronic Dance Music: From Spectacular Subculture to Culture Industry.” YOUNG, Vol. 28, Issue №5, 2020, Sage Journals, https://doi.org/10.1177/1103308820926102