How RuPaul’s Drag Race Became a Global Phenomenon

RuPaul Charles, also known simply as RuPaul, is an iconic drag queen, musician, and model. RuPaul was a popular fixture in the LGBT nightclub scene of New York and became internationally known after his debut single, “Supermodel (You Better Work),” which came off of his debut studio album, Supermodel of the World (1993). RuPaul went on to become the first drag queen to land a major cosmetic campaign when he became a spokesperson for MAC Cosmetics in 1994, raising money for the MAC AIDS Fund.

This 'Supermodel of the World' went on to host his own talk show called The RuPaul Show while hosting a morning radio show with his old friend Michelle Visage. RuPaul was able to transcend the niche and move into the mainstream, and in 2009 he brought drag to network television with the competition series RuPaul’s Drag Race.

RuPaul's Drag Race and the Unfortunate Lighting

Logo TV aired RuPaul’s Drag Race on February 2, 2009. The formula for the show was simple: each episode consisted of various mini and maxi challenges with each episode ending in a lip  sync battle (Lip Sync For Your Life), where the bottom two queens would go head-to-head for the opportunity to stay in the competition. The first season only had nine contestants and a prize of $20,000, but the opportunity to be crowned “America’s next drag superstar” and show their talent on national TV sent thousands of drag queens to apply.

Season one was clearly a low-budget project, having the worst lighting and filters of any season of RuPaul’s Drag Race and the spin-offs. But it brought the art of drag into the mainstream, which no other show had done before. People were able to see the true artistry of drag, and it began to start a conversation about drag as an art form. Audiences saw how much work went into drag and how talented the queens were. Although season one is almost entirely forgotten, it did the job of laying the groundwork for season two, which included 12 queens and a $25,000 prize.

Groundbreaking LGBTQ+ Representation

When RuPaul’s Drag Race premiered, it was groundbreaking for its representation of the LGBTQ+ community. The queens gave us their heartbreaking stories and created conversations around topics that were typically deemed taboo (like how to properly tuck). Throughout their challenges, they brought up topics that matter to the queer community and gave us a brief history of important LGBTQ+ events, like the Stonewall Riots and why phrases like, “Do you know Dorothy?” and, “My best Judy,” exists.

As the series progressed, the prizes got bigger, with season 14 having a prize of $150,000. The prize is not the only thing that has gotten better over the seasons, as the caliber of talent has exceeded fans' expectations. The fashion and makeup, which was nominated for a Creative Arts  Emmy Award, has continued to improve with each season, making for iconic moments which has led the show to be nominated for multiple awards, including Emmys and Critics’ Choice Television Awards.

But what makes RuPaul’s Drag Race so wonderful is its growth from only allowing gay men to compete to now having trans women (Kerri Colby, Sonique, and Gia Gunn), trans men (Gottmik), and cisgender straight men (Maddy Morphosis) on the show. They have also had a lot of queens come out about their identity struggles on the show and began their transition once they left (Gigi Goode, Bosco, and Jiggly Caliente). RuPaul also no longer says, “and may the best woman win," but now instead says, “and may the best drag queen win,” to include all gender identities.

The Global Phenomenon of RuPaul's Drag Race

With 14 seasons and multiple awards, it was no surprise when global spin-offs started to pop up with RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked! airing in 2010 and The Switch Drag Race (Chile) premiering in 2015. RuPaul’s Drag Race has seen international success with over a dozen  variants in different countries, including the UK, Canada, the Philippines, and most recently France, which is hosted by RuPaul’s Drag Race alum and the first French contestant, Nicky Doll. Other spin-offs have also been hosted by alum, including Canda (Brooke Lynn Hytes) and the Philippines (Jiggly Caliente).

RuPaul’s Drag Race is not the only thing that has seen success, as a lot of its queens have become global sensations and most of them have not been winners as we’ve seen with Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, Trixie Mattel, and Manila Luzon. The show gave the queens a platform to reach a wider audience that has now gone global with the help of social media. RuPaul’s Drag Race is giving its queens their 15 minutes of fame, and they are keeping it on their own merit. Some of them have gone on to become celebrity makeup artists while others have become recording artists and television stars.

To the LGBTQ+ community, RuPaul’s Drag Race is their Super Bowl. With their inclusion and representation, it is no surprise that the series continues to be a massive global success. Spin-offs continue to be announced all over the world, while every season fans are introduced to a new set of queens to fall in love with. The series shows no sign of slowing down, as RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars just finished airing season seven and the original series has announced season 15, which will be airing in 2023.

The original article was posted on July 31, 2022, and can be found on Movieweb.com.