Place of Refuge

Place of Refuge

11 June 2011

Drag As Therapy

OK,
So I was listening to NPR,
my favorite driving companion,
this morning,
and I heard an interview with RuPaul.
(For the actual interview, see link at the end of this entry.)


Now, I have to admit,
I've always been intrigued by Drag Queens,
even though I never quite understood;
I lived in the West Village
of NYC, 
and happily went to the parades,
but this morning I made the connection
between going in drag
and finding the diva
in you.

And that's really not all that bad of a thing.




I've written before about
how we all
have the potential to be divas,
and I must admit,
I was taken by my friend Debra's comment
that a diva is a designation 
for a special talent,
and to give yourself that title
is a bit pretentious.

And I understand that;
I really do.
If you met me on the street,
you would meet
a very humble woman
who often does not go out of her way to look good
most of the time.
A woman (like many women) who
when using her talents, uses them with restraint,
because she was always taught
not to call too much attention to myself.

Humility is a good
and important
thing;
and I think we all need
to maintain it, to a certain extent,
but not to the extent
that we bottle ourselves,
throttle ourselves,
and refuse ourselves the opportunity
to express ourselves.

To be a diva
is to find the most beautiful thing inside of you,
and to not be afraid to flaunt it.
The world would be,
perhaps,
a much happier place
if we were all comfortable enough 
with ourselves to do that.

This doesn't always mean
dressing like a drag queen,
but if your inner beauty means
physical self expression,
so be it;
it may mean
being smart,
being a good cook,
being a deep lover,
being a gardener:
whatever brings out
the beauty in you.


But since we're so repressed,
so beaten down,
so painfully squelched,
drag is the outcome of self expression.
And drag is frightening,
and brave,
all at the same time.

Drag is therapy.



This blog is the place where I
am in drag,
unashamedly
and proudly--


and I bless RuPaul for this sentiment (paraphrased -
I hope RuPaul wouldn't be too offended
by my added interpretation):

I will make my special talent (be it my body, my mind, or my voice) as beautiful and true as I can possibly be,
as long as I live in it
on this beautiful planet.

1 comment:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I'm sure RuPaul would approve!