Puppets of traditions
Nobody is free from prejudices, but there are those who seek to discover their own prejudices, understand the reasons for them and do something about them. Prejudices can originate in many different ways, but five minutes are enough to realize that most of them originate in customs and traditions. In other words, a lot of stuff they put into our heads, without asking permission.
This is the importance of having contact with new cultures and knowledge. I’m not talking about a trip to Eastern Europe or Asia, although they are great opportunities for those who have the privilege of attending airports, but the local culture itself. Any small town is full of surprises, with representatives representatives of peoples and niche cultures that the vast majority have never had contact with.
It’s by experiencing different realities and trying to understand them that we stop being puppets of traditions and start building our own path. We discover more about the world and about ourselves.
That was the feeling I had when I read “Qual é o Babado?” (What is the frill?), a book with Drag Queens interviews from Foz de Iguaçu-PR, homeland of journalist Murilo da Matta, responsible for the work. The book tells a little about the Drag scene, which is already very present in Brazilian cities, something I didn’t even imagine.
Its emphasis is on five characters: Yuri Amaral (Madame Yala), Andrê Gustavo (Magenta Canterlot), Mateus Garcia (Luna Blue), Jean Lucas (Soraya Sucata) and Matheus Gonçalves (Alma Latina). In each interview we discover a little about each one’s past, their personalities, their path to the Drag culture and the challenges they face (ranging from the cost of makeup to confronting an intolerant society).
As I said a few paragraphs above, we need new experiences to discover the world and ourselves, and the Drag Queen art is not just another small universe to explore, it’s also a different perspective on the world.
Drag Queens are rich characters, with a history and personality that changes along with that of their creators. They are the alter ego of their owners. Personas who reveal themselves with makeup, high heels and extravagant clothes.
It’s like the power of the stage that empowers and awakens performances that didn’t seem possible outside of the stage. In each interview I found ordinary people, who when “montado” (“assembled”, this and other terms are very well explained in the book), assume strong and even mystical personalities, such as Madame Yala, who is an entity from the Kingdom of Dreams who “fell in love with the imagination” of humanity.
These personalities are able to explore the world in completely new ways. Some are strong and courageous (as Andrê explains in his relationship with his Drag Magenta Canterlot), others are daring, capable of exploring their own sexuality and different relationships with the world.
Like the Dunning-Kruger effect (the less a person knows, the more they think they know), with this reading I found that I thought I knew what Drag Queens are, and I had a reality check. I have already ventured to address transsexuality in one of my books, which gave rise to Hannah, one of my most beloved characters (Epilogue, 2019). Now I find myself fascinated by the Drag culture, its quest for self-knowledge, expression and identity, with an intimate relationship with fiction.
I’ve already added to my list watching the musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), which is recommended by the interviewee Andrê Gustavo (Magenta Canterlot). I also took note of season 6 of the reality show RuPaul’s Drag Race, which was recommended by a friend who is immersed in this culture (and who has watched all seasons), and the show is often cited throughout the interviews.
It’s not uncommon to come across people who are visibly frustrated and dissatisfied, often because they do not allow themselves to make intense or risky discoveries. On the other hand, I see Drag culture as a healthy tool for self-discovery and creativity. Until this reading, I would hardly be interested in a Drag Queens performance. Today, I look for references on Netflix.
The “Qual é o Babado?” ebook can be purchased from Amazon (just available in Portuguese).
