Walking into the Javits Center, 
I immediately felt safe. There was 
something oddly comforting about 
this year’s location of RuPaul’s 
DragCon, an annual convention 
that caters toward fans of VH1’s 
award-winning “RuPaul’s Drag 
Race” and general devotees to 
drag culture. Enclosed within 
Javits’s glass walls and industrial 
architecture 
were 
convention-
goers of all ages, abilities, genders, 
sexual orientations, racial and 
ethnic backgrounds, dressed to the 
tens in multicolored attire.
For those familiar with drag icon 
RuPaul’s immensely successful 
reality competition show — or 
for anyone who has participated 
in or watched live drag shows — 
the aesthetic forwardness and 
diverse array of people shouldn’t 
come as a surprise. Both “Drag 
Race” and drag culture are known 
for championing boldness and 
queerness through their emphasis 
on high fashion, self-love and 
extravagant, campy performances.
With its origins dating back 
centuries ago, the drag movement 
has always encouraged people 
within the LGBTQ+ community 
and 
beyond 
to 
challenge 
preconceived notions of gender, 
as well as to express themselves 
regardless of whatever judgment 
may come their way. “RuPaul’s 
Drag Race,” which premiered on 
Logo TV in 2009 and recently 
received 
two 
Emmys 
for 
Outstanding Reality Competition 
Program and Outstanding Reality 
Host, remains an important and 
influential staple in maintaining 
that doctrine by making drag 
more 
accessible 
to 
modern 
audiences. After a record-breaking 
40,000 attendees gathered at last 
year’s DragCon in Los Angeles, 
DragCon’s expansion to New York 
City seemed like the perfect way to 
continue establishing drag’s legacy 
in pop culture. 
On Friday, Sept. 28, day one 
of DragCon, my friend Ariel 
Friedlander — a Stamps junior and 
local Ann Arbor drag queen who 
goes by the stage name Daya Bee-
Dee — and I arrived at the Javits 
Center at exactly 2:00 p.m. As we 
waited to check in for our tickets, 
I noted that almost everyone in 

our line adorned elaborate garbs, 
colorful 
costumes, 
outlandish 
outfits and lavish dresses. Once we 
made our way onto the upper level, 
the atmosphere was welcoming 
and 
unexpectedly 
calm 
for 
such a highly anticipated event, 
though it gradually became more 
overwhelming on day two when 
attendance nearly doubled.
Fortunately, the vastness of 
the Javits Center allowed for easy 
navigation. To help orient people 
through the gaudy spectacle of 
DragCon, the main floor was 
divided into avenues with tongue-
in-cheek street names: 500 Death 
Drop Alley, 600 Backrolls Blvd, 
700 Charisma Court. In the middle 
of the room laid a long, wide pink 
carpet, which operated as both a 
convenient refuge away from the 
controlled chaos and a runway for 
“Drag Race” queens and fans alike 
to serve sickening looks.
Beside the carpet and “Drag 
Race” 
meet-and-greet 
stations 
stood rows of booths that sported 
jewelry, gloves, twunk trunks, 
leather tights, fetish accessories, 
stripper 
poles, 
makeup 
and, 
perhaps most importantly, wigs. 
Classic bops by Britney Spears, 
Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga 
blared from overhead speakers, 
echoing throughout the room. On 
the far left side, a multitude of posts 
featuring artists like NYC-based 
designer, author and personal hero 
of mine Adam J. Kurtz offered a 
selection of queer artwork and 
other knick-knacks to purchase. 
Even the younger attendees had 
their own “Kid’s Zone,” a space 
that consisted of a bouncy house 
and a large green foam mat, where 
children and their parents sat 
and listened to drag queens read 
picture books with messages about 
self-acceptance. This was queer 
heaven if I ever saw one.
Throughout the weekend, the 
convention 
radiated 
relentless 
positivity 
and 
support 
from 
every direction. Walking around 
with Ariel, I couldn’t help but 
notice the frequent rate at which 
compliments — namely “Yas!” 
and “Love your makeup!” and 
“Slay, mama!” — and Instagram 
handles were exchanged between 
ourselves and other DragCon 
attendees. Each convention-goer 
we met were not only friendly, but 
acted as if we were already friends.
The first person we greeted was 

Desmond is Amazing, an adorable, 
up-and-coming child drag star 
who flaunted a patriotic outfit 
with strawberry-colored jellies. 
While waiting in line for season 10 
fan favorite Miz Cracker, we came 
across Miss Sherry Pie, a jubilant 
New York queen dressed in an 
“Alice in Wonderland”-inspired 
get-up. Later on, we met Double 
O Sexy, a flashy drag queen duo 
from Westchester, Pa. comprised 
of Ophelia Hotass and Onyx Black.
“DragCon means a collective 
group 
of 
creative 
individuals 
and inspiring people joining and 
banding together and slaying the 
world,” said Ophelia, who, along 
with Onyx, was dressed as a hybrid 
of a pink-and-yellow Troll doll 
and a zombie with eyelashes as 
flamboyant as Esma’s from “The 
Emperor’s New Groove.” “People 
are coming here and just being 
themselves, being whoever they 
want to be.”
Indeed, 
all 
walks 
of 
life 
seemed to be present at DragCon, 
including a few notable standouts. 
Among the varied streams of regal, 
spooky and silly personalities 
were muscular, scantily clad men 
in assless chaps and neon speedos 
— known on the show as the 
“Pit Crew” — while “Adventure 
Time,” 
“Rugrats,” 
“Clueless,” 
“It” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” 
cosplayers strutted around. Casual 
encounters with popular queens, 
like season 10 winner Aquaria 
and season six contestant Gia 
Gunn, made for pleasant surprises. 
RuPaul 
himself 
remained 
an 
elusive figure during DragCon, 
but as serendipity would have it, 
he strode past us on day three, 
decked out in a pink vest and white 
shirt. A throng of followers tailed 
behind his slender, formidable 
figure, as he carried a sign that said 
#TakeBackTheHouse and waved 
hello to fawning fans basking in his 
glory. 
Even 
with 
the 
non-stop 
promise of fun festivities and 
queer liberation, DragCon wasn’t 
without its faults: Merch was 
expensive, certain vendors were 
overeager, lines to meet “Drag 
Race” contestants were long and 
time-consuming. In one particular 
instance, Ariel and I waited four 
hours to see season seven and 
All-Stars 
season 
two 
favorite 
Katya, whose line extended for 
what seemed like miles but whose 
Red Room-styled station made 
the trip worthwhile. Though 
most of the meet-and-greets 
were free, taking a picture with 
more top-tier queens like Detox 
and All-Stars season 3 winner 
Trixie Mattel required paying a 
ridiculous cost. Even non-“Drag 
Race” contestants like Nikki 
Blonsky, the lead actress from 
“Hairspray,” were trying to make 
a quick buck; an autograph was 
worth $20 and a picture with 
Blonsky was $30.
The 
absurdity 
of 
these 
incentives — and the general 
exhaustion that comes with an 
event as spectacle-heavy and 
pricey as DragCon — was lost on 
neither of us, nor on other drag 
queens present.
“(DragCon) is like a drag 
queen’s 
shopping 
mall. 
It’s 
basically where all get to come 
together,” Onyx said. “It’s like a 
family reunion, but also like, ‘Girl, 
I wanna get this makeup. I need a 
corset. I need some lashes.’ It’s so 
easy to get everything.”
“For me, (DragCon) is a 
pleasure, but it’s also an assault 
on the body,” said season nine 
contestant and University alum 
Alexis Michelle, who wore a 
stylish 
black-and-silver 
dress 
with a matching feather and 

Everyone loves a diva. From 
Mae West to Marilyn Monroe 
to Aretha, Céline, Madonna, 
Beyoncé and more, the poise 
and inimitable power of the diva 
archetype continues to proliferate 
through time. Arguably the most 
memorable and unique diva of 
our time is Lady Gaga, an artist 
who has fused visual culture, 
the avant-garde and her singular 
voice into a brand which changes 
with the wind, but always 
maintains its originality. Gaga’s 
music alone is a celebration of 
individuality, and combined with 
her experimentation in fashion, 
she consistently creates art that 
will last the test of time. She is 
truly an idol, a perfect example 
of American iconography and 
pop culture at its finest. For 
these reasons, she is heralded as 
an innovator in the public eye, 
but it is also why her upcoming 
film “A Star is Born” is already 
so successful at its release —
seeing Gaga bare-faced and raw 
highlights the soul at the heart 
of her fame, the thing that makes 
her different from the rest.
But the Gaga phenomenon is 
not new, even if this version of the 
movie is: “A Star is Born” has been 
made and remade three times 
before the current iteration, the 
first being released in 1937. The 
original version starring Janet 
Gaynor and its first remake in 
1954 with Judy Garland follow 
the classic storyline that all of 
the films share; a washed-up 
alcoholic male star stumbles 
upon a budding female talent, 
and with his help she becomes 
famous. These first two movies 
ran with the framework to create 
full classic musicals — Judy 
Garland’s film was almost three 
hours of dance numbers and Old 
Hollywood songs — drawing 
on the allure of a rags-to-riches 
narrative to highlight young 
starlets in typical Tinseltown 
fashion. But the most recent 
versions — Barbra Streisand’s 
epic rock musical in 1976 and 
the Lady Gaga / Bradley Cooper 
behemoth this year — take a 
different approach to the conceit, 
instead focusing in on the grit and 
reality behind the shiny image of 
stardom. In both, a well-known 
star is momentarily stripped 
down to her base, allowing an 
eager audience to see the woman 
behind the diva.

When I first saw the trailer for 
this year’s “A Star is Born,” I was 
more excited than I think I’ve 
ever been for a movie release. 2018 
is the year of great music movies, 
“A Star is Born” is among great 
company, like Freddie Mercury 
biopic 
“Bohemian 
Rhapsody” 
and others. The teaser itself 
is a great film, full of emotion 
and a crescendoing close that 
emphasizes the serious approach 
Cooper made as a director to 

fill his movie with music that 
actually holds up alone. I’ve 
listened to the soundtrack’s first 
single, “Shallow,” probably more 
than is healthy. Anyone who 
lives in my dorm has definitely 
heard me screaming it in the 
shower — “I’m off the deep end, 
watch as I dive in, I’ll never meet 
the ground!” This is a testament 
to the power of Lady Gaga; I 
haven’t even seen the movie, 
but the clip of her, no makeup, 
t-shirt and jeans, singing her 
heart out has lodged itself in my 
mind permanently. Many of my 
friends have also fallen prey to 
the trailer, and I assume they too 
are screaming that song in the 
shower. Above my own personal 
excitement, this is evidence of 
why “A Star is Born” has been 
remade three times: It’s not just 
a movie, it’s a phenomenon, one 
that audiences will always love.
But why do we love it so much? 
At the core, “A Star is Born” is 
all about the diva in question. 
Audiences are always a sucker 
for a transformation, whether it 
be in the purest circumstances (à 
la “The Princess Diaries”) or in 
classic rom-coms like “She’s All 
That.” But “A Star is Born” does 
this in a different way, showing 
the artist as a real woman at the 
beginning of her career, being 
brought up the ranks into the star 
we know and love. In this year’s 
version, Lady Gaga is stripped 

down to her roots, upholding 
the conceit of remakes past but 
enhancing it even further. From 
the promotional material and her 
press interviews alone, it is clear 
that the movie is an opportunity 
for fans and the masses alike to 
see Gaga in a new light. This is 
the most obvious draw of the 
film, to take a glimpse behind the 
mask of extravagant excess that 
the singer often creates around 
herself, but the plotline of “A Star 
is Born” adds to its status as a 
phenomenon just as much. It’s an 
interesting take on the American 
Dream, but through the eyes of 
a woman, a relationship and the 
failure of a famous man. In that, 
audiences are given a chance 
to dream for themselves and 
ruminate on the inherent luck 
of fame, stardom and talent in 
the American music industry 
through an interesting lens.
The gender dynamics of “A 
Star is Born” are not uncommon 
in the business, as many women 
in the past have been guided to 
fame by self-destructive men 
over the years. So it’s even more 
powerful to imagine yourself in 
Lady Gaga’s place, knowing that 
her character’s story is not so 
unique in the scape of history. It 
is not all glitz and glamour, and 
“A Star is Born” doesn’t ignore 
this: The film’s common plot 
instead uses the male character’s 
alcoholism as a device to bring 
realism and candor into an 
otherwise fairytale story. That 
realism 
is 
ultimately 
what 
makes the movie’s formula work 
time and time again, and why 
a fourth rendition is popular 
before it has even been released. 
The combination of a common 
story, the allure of seeing the 
diva stripped and a balance 
between the joys and darknesses 
of success allow the viewer to 
simultaneously place themselves 
in the movie and watch as it 
unfolds at the same time. At its 
foundation, “A Star is Born” is 
about rebirth, something that 
through the prism of fame 
becomes vastly more powerful 
than it already is. We all search 
for a sort of rebirth in our lives, 
but it is often hard to tell if you 
are enough to achieve it. The 
success of “A Star is Born” tells us 
that we are enough, and that even 
a diva doesn’t need anything but 
herself to be seen.

The ‘A Star is Born’ 
formula & why it works

DAILY GENDER & MEDIA COLUMN

CLARA 
SCOTT

Pride & positivity abound 
at RuPaul’s 2018 DragCon

SAM ROSENBERG
Senior Arts Editor

SAM ROSENBERG / DAILY

jewel-encrusted crown. “These 
convention 
centers 
are 
made 
of concrete, so stepping on this 
cement floor is really, really painful 
for the body. When you spend two 
days setting up and then three 
days, all day on your feet, a lot of 
the time in heels, the body hurts. 
But it’s great other than that.”
In addition to the economic 
and physical fatigue that comes 
with the DragCon experience, 
the notion of gender and trans 
inclusivity posed as a prominent yet 
barely discussed issue. Inclusion 
is, by and large, a central theme of 
both drag culture and “Drag Race,” 
but it’s often dismissed in the case 
of anyone who isn’t a gay man.
In 
the 
words 
of 
Evah 
Destruction, an Atlanta-based drag 
queen who dressed as Elphaba in 
“Wicked” for DragCon, the biggest 
misconception about drag is “that 
it’s a boys game. That it’s all just a 
man’s world because as of now, it’s 
so much more than that.”
“I know that we need more 
people on the front lines that are 
genderqueer, cis-female,” Evah 

continued. “Anyone that wants to 
do drag should be able to do drag 
the way that they want, but also 
have the exposure just as much as 
everyone else gets. We’re not in the 
’70s anymore. It’s not just for men. 
We need to do better.”
This problem directly affects 
RuPaul, who became the subject 
of 
discourse 
last 
May 
after 
making a series of controversial 
comments 
about 
prohibiting 
openly transgender queens from 
competing on his show. Given the 
disproportionate rates of violence 
and murder against the trans 
community, proper representation 
of queer non-cisgender folk in 
both straight and queer media 
remains to be seen, which is why 
events like DragCon provide a 
potential beacon of hope for those 
who feel excluded from their own 
community.
“There’s still so many people 
that are confused as to what drag is 
and how the line is drawn between 
being a drag queen or a transgender 
individual 
or 
genderfluid 
or 
anything in between,” Ophelia 

remarked.
Even 
with 
the 
immense 
progress made in the growing 
mainstream exposure of drag 
culture, there is still a lot of work 
to be done in terms of making it 
even more accessible for more 
marginalized sects of the queer 
community. As Alexis Michelle 
pointed 
out, 
DragCon 
will 
hopefully keep getting bigger and 
fill up entire convention centers in 
the years ahead. Onyx joked that 
she wants DragCon to transform 
into “RuPaul’s Drag Resort.” For 
now, though, the size and scope 
of DragCon represent a radical 
example 
of 
celebrating 
drag 
culture and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” 
for what they are and the potential 
for what they can become.
“It’s so big for the LGBTQ 
community and everybody within 
that spectrum,” Ophelia said. “It 
gives a place where everyone can 
come together and not be judged or 
picked on. There’s no issues here. 
Everybody is happy and friendly 
and living their best life and living 
their truth.”

WARNER BROS.

FESTIVAL REVIEW

6A — Friday, October 5, 2018
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

