Serving the Drag Body: The Real, Virtual and Racialized Bodies of Drag Queens

• In Event: 090 - Section on Sociology of Sexualities Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 03. Intersectional Approaches to Sexualities Research

Abstract

In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, drag queens create their own spaces by forming krewes, holding extravagant balls and performing at the local bars. In this paper, I introduce these Louisiana drag queens to the academic discussion of drag by developing an analysis of drag bodies and performers’ experiences of embodiment. I explore the intersections of these extraordinary performers’ embodied identities and analyze the ways drag performance affects other aspects of their lives. I explore the creation, perception and presentation of at least bodies – the boy body, drag body and virtual body. I spent approximately 80 hours in the field, interviewed six drag queens and interacted with over 30 performers at bars and over social media. The drag body is constructed through the embodiment of specific gender norms and racial features, and performers freely manipulate their social skin, sometimes through dangerous methods, to embody an identity for an audience to enjoy and cultivate body capital. The drag body is racialized, stereotyped and harassed in its physical form and virtual representation. Drag queens have a unique experience of their bodies as a fluid performance of identities presented for audiences to appreciate and critique.

Author

• Ray Siebenkittel, Louisiana State University