“You’re all born naked and the rest is drag”
RuPaul Charles, or more commonly known as RuPaul is one of the most influential and prominent LGBTQ+ figures and drag queens in the world. If you haven’t heard of him you must have been living under a big “heterosexual” rock. Born in 1960 in San Diego California, RuPaul has led the way for gay rights and is considered to be one of the most successful drag queens in America. RuPaul rocketed his career with the hit single “Supermodel (you better work) in 1992 and was the first openly gay American TV host on his show “the RuPaul show” in 1996. Now RuPaul is more commonly known for his worldwide TV show “RuPaul’s drag race” in which he has won three Primetime Emmy awards. RuPaul actively uses social media to spread his main ethos of self-love, and well, a lot of promotion.
Drag Race
RuPaul’s Drag race is a hit international TV reality show in which drag queens from all over the USA can compete to become the next drag superstar. Drag race is not only a TV show but also a medium that RuPaul uses in order to spread awareness about LGBTQ+ issues and give a big F-you to the masculine society we live in. RuPaul uses many social media to interact with the fans of Drag race and give us a glimpse into his personal life.
On Twitter, most of RuPaul’s tweets are promo, promo, promo. If there is anyone who knows how to build a brand its RuPaul, his Twitter gives us a strong viewpoint into everything Drag race, LGBTQ+, or simply just RuPaul. He mentions the guest judges and occasionally gives us a sneak peek at what’s coming up. Although all this info is useful to some people RuPaul’s twitter lacks a personal feel; it can make Ru seem more of a puppet for the show and does create a need to want to see the LGBTQ+ advocate we know he is.
However, not all hope is lost at finding that glimpse into the drag mother’s life… If you head over to RuPaul’s Instagram page you can finally see more of a close-knit relationship RuPaul wants to have with his fans, with posts such as holiday photos with his husband to baby pictures. However, you will still find some promotion there, which again reinforces the feeling that RuPaul may just be a brand.
RuPaul’s online presence definitely gives a business-like feel, although he regularly speaks of self-love, it can’t be unnoticed that RuPaul can come across as feeling like just a brand through his social media. His website further adds to this feeling with RuPaul merch being pushed onto your screen, and the issues surrounding his views on transgender contestants can take away from the open mined, liberal man he is. For a public figure such as RuPaul engaging with fans is what creates good online communication, especially when your main ethos is to spread love. This begs the question, Does RuPaul use his social media communication to actively spread awareness on the LGBTQ+ community, or is it just a tool he uses to build his image?
