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Fan accounts are multi-medial across social media platforms which positively promote the Jeffree Star image. They shape Star's persona by reiterating what Star presents publicly, providing value and authenticity to his star image. Fan accounts not only celebrate Star's star image, they are devoted to him, aspired by him and inspired by him (Stacey, 1994) and show this in their feeds.

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Responses from other influencers revolve around the Jeffree Star Cosmetics brand and Star is responded to via his makeup. This creates a sub-cultural interpretation of the star image from this certain type of audience where as this is different with the responses from Star's fans who are not posting videos about him or his makeup.

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Star in highschool

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Peters, B., M., (2010), 'Emo Gay Boys and Subculture: Postpunk Queer Youth and (Re)thinking Images of Masculinity', Journal of LGBT Youth, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, p.129-146

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Peters, B., M., (2010), 'Emo Gay Boys and Subculture: Postpunk Queer Youth and (Re)thinking Images of Masculinity', Journal of LGBT Youth, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, p.129-146

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Star's former persona consistently correlated to a punk rock style through his makeup, fashion and behavioural choices. His tattoos represent him as a celebrity with an alternative edge who has a rough exterior which contradicts beautifully with his love for the cosmetics industry and wearing beautiful makeup himself.

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This is an exploration of gay youth subculture and emo boys. The study is a mesh of findings and related theoretical understandings about gay emo subculture, masculinities, style, and alternative gay youth. This study looks at gay male teenagers who identify with emo, a movement that stems from music and aesthetics creating a particular visual for these young people. The study is concerned with the larger ramifications of desire, gender, and queer life for young people who associate with emo. The analyses will move through a lexicology of what gay emo can be, an understanding of the aesthetics of gay emo youth subculture, and a reconsideration of notions of marginality within mainstream gay community. The piece will position youth and difference in a very pivotal way to explore the problematic hegemonies of fictionalized/fetishized masculinity within the gay community. The result will be an exploration of alternative queer youth as a cornerstone for contemporary gay "identities."

Additional information

I want to thank the students who responded to my blogs, the young people who guided me through my attempt to create a foundation for the arguments, theories, and questions posed throughout this project. Moreover, I want to express my deepest thanks to Dr. Robyn Diner, who helped with the research and parts of the editing process.

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Emo Gay Boys and Subculture: Postpunk Queer Youth and (Re)thinking Images of Masculinity

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This is an exploration of gay youth subculture and emo boys. The study is a mesh of findings and related theoretical understandings about gay emo subculture, masculinities, style, and alternative gay youth. This study looks at gay male teenagers who identify with emo, a movement that stems from music and aesthetics creating a particular visual for these young people.

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Lovelock, M., (2017),  '‘Is every YouTuber going to make a coming out video eventually?’: YouTube celebrity video bloggers and lesbian and gay identity', Celebrity Studies,  Vol. 8, No.1, p.87-103

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Lovelock, M., (2017),  '‘Is every YouTuber going to make a coming out video eventually?’: YouTube celebrity video bloggers and lesbian and gay identity', Celebrity Studies,  Vol. 8, No.1, p.87-103

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Lovelock discusses the emergence of gay and lesbian YouTube stars and their visibility within this network, of which is rarely found in mainstream media. He expresses that the YouTube celebrity now has its own regime of entrepreneurial, self-branding and the commodification of the 'authentic self'. He suggests that the vlogger's success lies within their likeable, relatable, comedic personalities and in their willingness to share personal information which is the commercial appeal of themselves to their audience. This embodies Star's YouTube career as a homosexual man constantly in the lime light of the social media community and who is successful for being his own appealing self through the well presented, unique, self-brand. Lovelock also explains that due to homonormativity and proto-normativity, this creates a 'legitimacy' of the models of gay and lesbian selfhood. This then makes gay YouTube stars function as valuable figures of identification for young members of the LGBTQ community and gay 'role models', such as Jeffree Star, are positioned to mitigate the experiences of young homosexual people in their day-to-day lives. Vloggers' ability to mobilise their sexuality in the form of emotional-labour on YouTube deviate a particular view of success to an emotionally-defined model of 'proud' gay sexuality. Star plays an important role in this way through not identifying with his sexuality at all and consistently portraying that he is comfortable with who he is without having to add a gender label to himself and his brand. This is monumental for young LGBTQ community members in the 21st century as there is an uprising of new ideas of identity and how we express ourselves, which Star is a major role model for.

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A significant number of YouTube celebrity video bloggers (vloggers) have used the platform to come out publicly as lesbian or gay. This article interrogates the cultural work of YouTube celebrity coming outs, through the case studies of two of the most prominent gay vloggers: Ingrid Nilsen and Connor Franta. The article explores how the coming out moments of these vloggers, as articulated in their coming out vlogs and the wider media discourses surrounding these, make legible a normative gay youth subject position which is shaped by the specific tropes, conventions and commercial rationale of YouTube fame itself. I define this subject position as 'proto-homonormative'. It positions a 'successful' gay adulthood, defined through the neoliberal ideals of authenticity, self-branding and individual enterprise bound to the phenomenon of YouTube celebrity, as contingent upon a particular personal relationship with one's non-normative sexuality. I interrogate how the emotional contours of Nilsen and Franta's coming out narratives, their represented abilities to channel their non-normative sexualities into lucrative celebrity brands and their construction as gay and lesbian 'role models' by the mainstream media delineate a journey into 'acceptance' and 'pride' in one's gay sexuality as the expected narrative of contemporary gay life. This narrative, I argue, cements the default normativity of heterosexuality in mainstream culture, and produces a narrow framework of 'acceptable' gay youth subjectivity which is aligned with the ideals of neoliberalism embodied in the figure of the YouTube celebrity vlogger.

Additional information

Author information

Michael Lovelock
Michael Lovelock is a PhD candidate in the School of Art, Media and American Studies at the University of East Anglia, UK. His research explores the construction of gay and queer identities in reality TV, celebrity culture and digital media, and has been published in European Journal of Cultural Studies and Journal of Gender Studies.

Funding

This work was supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council [AH/K503009/1].

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Su Holmes and Jamie Hakim for their guidance and suggestions in relation to previous drafts of this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

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'Is every YouTuber going to make a coming out video eventually?': YouTube celebrity video bloggers and lesbian and gay identity

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A significant number of YouTube celebrity video bloggers (vloggers) have used the platform to come out publicly as lesbian or gay. This article interrogates the cultural work of YouTube celebrity coming outs, through the case studies of two of the most prominent gay vloggers: Ingrid Nilsen and Connor Franta.

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Through magazine covers, Star presents his alternative 'punk-rock' style which he increasingly makes popular through his powerful star image.

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jeffree Star (@jeffreestar)

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Comments

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REACTING TO HATE VIDEOS with JEFFREE STAR!

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Views, likes and subscribers. Success as an influencer.

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- Big personality
- Not used to persona
- Intimidating
After watching Dawson's documentary, it completely changed her opinion on Star. She explains that Dawson and Star  "in the same room together, is awesome".

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My Honest Opinion On Jeffree Star | Controversial Corner

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YouTuber Jeffree Star reveals he split with boyfriend in emotional new video: 'There's no easy way to say this'

After five years, they are no longer an item.

Self-made cosmetics creator and makeup reviewer Jeffree Star released an emotional Instagram post and confessional YouTube video Saturday confirming that he and his longtime partner Nathan Schwandt have split up.

'We broke up... Sorry for the silence, I've been trying to heal,' Star, 34, captioned a still from his YouTube video, in which he has a grimace on his face from crying.

In a teary-eyed selfie video posted to his Instagram Story, Star appears uncharacteristically makeup-free and with tears streaming down his face, announcing his new video that catches fans up as to what happened.

In the 17-minute clip, he recounted the reasons for their rupture, which he insisted was not due to any 'crazy drama,' but rather, due to the intense nature of their busy schedules and lifestyle.

'We were both so busy being there for each other that we forgot to be here for ourselves, and that's what 2020 is - focusing on ourselves.'

Specifically, the death of two of their beloved dogs last year took a toll on their collective mental health.

'We haven't processed our dogs fully because this lifestyle is so crazy and we're always on to the next thing,' Jeffree explained.

He also made sure to let fans know that there is no bad blood between the two.

'Me and Nathan will be friends forever, I will always have love for him. Are we in love with each other? No, but we love each other and he will always be in my life.'

Earlier this week, fans of the makeup mogul had expressed concern when Jeffree tweeted and then deleted distraught messages such as, 'Dear God please stop the pain' as well as, 'My dogs always make me smile when I'm down'.

But on Saturday morning, his messaging seemed just a little more positive, when he tweeted, 'The hardest part has been waking up and he's not laying next to me anymore.. But I'm a tough b***h and 2020 is going to be my year.'

Astonishingly, just last month Jeffree closed the deal on a $14.6 million sprawling new Hidden Hills, California mansion for himself and Nathan, 26.

The home includes eight bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, a dramatic ballroom, a master bathroom complete with a sauna, a spa room, two-story gym, wine cellar, pool, outdoor kitchen and built-in BBQ area, two guesthouses, an unfinished barn AND a studio space.

Thus far, it is unclear whether the YouTuber and owner of Jeffree Star Cosmetics, who has an estimated net worth of around $200 million, will live on the property alone, or whether Nathan will remain as a guest.

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YouTuber Jeffree Star reveals he split with boyfriend in new video

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After five years, they are no longer an item. Self-made cosmetics creator and makeup reviewer Jeffree Star released an emotional Instagram post and confessional YouTube video Saturday confirming that he and his longtime partner Nathan Schwandt have split up. 'We broke up...

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The official online store for all things Jeffree Star Cosmetics, Inc.

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KUSH INFUSED MASCARA... Is It Jeffree Star Approved?

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The article concludes that Star does have a heart, yet he does not want to us to know it, as he needs to maintain his star image online.

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Star has somewhat normalised smoking weed through the promotion of his merchandise and the practice of smoking weed on his YouTube channel.

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TESTING OIL BLOTTING SHEETS.... AND SMOKING IT!

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Star's involvement in the marijuana industry makes the industry look and seem like a professional practice due to him acting as a cultural intermediary helping the industry grow and appear in a positive light.

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Fans of Jeffree Star and his eponymous beauty brand, Jeffree Star Cosmetics, have quite a few reasons to look forward to this weekend. Not only will his beloved Blood Sugar Palette and Star Mirrors be back in stock on Saturday, he's introducing a new product that I'm guessing will live in the "Fashion & Accessories" section of his online shop, for lack of a better category: weed grinders.

Star took to Twitter to do something other than subtweet Manny MUA on Wednesday, announcing the April 14 launch of limited-edition Jeffree Star Grinders, round tins that have sharp teeth that shred the weed put inside it when the top and bottom halves are turned. (Weed not included. Sorry.) The grinders will come in two shades and sizes: a baby pink 63mm grinder and a hot pink 55mm grinder.

And yesterday, Star tweeted what appears to be a photo of the grinders in use - or at least about to be used - with the caption "We love a smoking queen 🔥 This Saturday is gonna be lit..."

Despite Star's outspoken enthusiasm for marijuana - he has recently been tweeting about his love for Alaska's dispensaries and plans to film a "stoned getting ready in Alaska" video - it may seem like weed grinders are a strange choice when it comes to products a cosmetics company might make. However, this launch is apparently the result of fan demand. Star once tweeted that he'd made one just for his boyfriend, Nathan, and the response was so enthusiastic that he decided to mass-produce them.

Despite marijuana being legal in for non-medical purposes in only nine states, this is arguably one of the least controversial things Jeffree Star has done.

Should you enjoy weed and the color pink as much as Jeffree Star, you can get your Jeffree Star grinder starting tomorrow on jeffreestarcosmetics.com.
More Jeffree Star content to light up to: Check out 7 tips to help you fall asleep faster:

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Jeffree Star's Newest Product Launch Has Us Very Confused

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Fans of Jeffree Star and his eponymous beauty brand, Jeffree Star Cosmetics, have quite a few reasons to look forward to this weekend. Not only will his beloved Blood Sugar Palette and Star Mirrors be back in stock on Saturday, he's introducing a new product that I'm guessing will live in the "Fashion & Accessories" section of his online shop, for lack of a better category: weed grinders.

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Marijuana Industry

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The life cycle of a makeup YouTuber is pretty rote at this point. You start small, reviewing products and making how-to videos. Eventually you invest in a ring light, make a little money, and start buying Anastasia Beverly Hills brow powder so you stop looking like Groucho Marx. You get in on challenge videos, doing your makeup in the back of a car, for example, or while blindfolded or with drugstore products only. You make more money, start selling your own merchandise or, if you're lucky, do a collaboration (you call it a "collab") with Morphe for brushes or palettes or setting powders. Then you say something offensive - maybe it was a few years ago and you forgot you ever said it, maybe it's some bygone tweet that is probably, definitely racist - and then you have to make a video apologizing. As proof that you're being sincere, you demonetize the video and film it without makeup or filters. Everyone is mad at you. You wait it out. Then you get back to work.

Jeffree Star, a 34-year-old makeup artist, entrepreneur, and prolific YouTuber with 16.6 million subscribers, must know this routine by heart. Once a musician and club bunny running around LA in the early aughts, he launched Jeffree Star Cosmetics in 2014 and is now successful, controversial, and rich. In 2018, Star made $18 million from his YouTube channel alone, making him one of the top five earners on YouTube, in addition to the estimated $100 million worth of product sold through his cosmetics line.

Star has also had to apologize - a lot. Like in 2017, when racist videos he'd made more than a decade prior began circulating ("I apologize deep down to the core of my fucking being," he said at the time), or when footage of him following women and screaming the n-word at them resurfaced. There were other controversies, too - the video of him harassing a Warped Tour attendee in 2009 (which he never addressed), or the time his former best friend and cosmetics industry competitor Kat Von D accused him of shady business practices in 2016 (which he denied) - but honestly, who can even keep up?

For the entirety of his YouTube career, Star has gotten pulled into, or involved himself in, just about every major makeup YouTube drama. When James Charles and Tati Westbrook got into a public feud, Star took it upon himself to pick sides. He successfully hassled Kylie Jenner until she fixed her useless and frayed liquid lipstick wands. Star is the reason for the Gabriel Zamora/Manny MUA/Nikita Dragun/Laura Lee catastrophe, where they were exposed for their own histories of racist comments. He even got involved in a fight with NikkieTutorials after she gave Tarte's new concealer a good review, despite its limited shade range. Somehow, all roads in the YouTube beauty world seem to lead back to Star.

Somehow, all roads in the YouTube beauty world seem to lead back to Star.

In early October, fellow YouTuber Shane Dawson (who has 23.1 million subscribers) released the first episode of a six-part (so far) series with Star. Dawson, 31, is a longtime presence on the platform who first made a name for himself with common (if sometimes worrying) YouTube fare - conspiracy videos, food videos, challenges - but has since pivoted, in the last few years, to filming documentaries about other YouTubers. This particular series ended up being a rather shrewd marketing plan: Dawson and Star used The Beautiful World of Jeffree Star as an opportunity to promote a new "Conspiracy Collection" makeup collaboration to their vast combined audience.

The release, which sold out in less than an hour and crashed Shopify when it launched on Nov. 1, included clothes, backpacks, makeup bags, eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks, and a "Shane Glossin'" clear gloss. And the collaboration has been profitable for both stars in more ways than one. While Dawson's video series purported to be an inside look at the beauty industry and what it takes to release a makeup line, it was also a clever means of ongoing reputation rehab for two YouTube personalities who have been dogged by controversies for years.

No one wants to keep talking about "cancel culture" less than me, but it is striking how many chances Star has gotten. He's been accused of racism, of selling poorly made makeup (an outright sin in the beauty community), of being a manipulative jerk to his friends and enemies alike. Sometimes he's sorry and other times he's not; either way, he still has one of the most profitable and best-known channels on YouTube. (Contacted through a representative, Star did not reply to a request for comment about the various controversies and allegations mentioned in this piece.)

There was a time, maybe when allegations of Star's racism first came out, when he needed to apologize for offending people or risk sinking back into obscurity. YouTubers, unlike other entertainers or creators, are almost entirely beholden to their audiences' whims. (James Charles, who lost more than 3 million subscribers in the immediate aftermath of Tati Westbrook openly scolding him on YouTube, had to respond if he wanted to bounce back.) At this point, Star probably doesn't need to make any amends at all to retain his audience. But now he seems to be in search of something more than attention - a deeper level of image therapy. Which is where Dawson comes in.

Dawson had already made one series of video interviews with Star in 2018, The Secret World of Jeffree Star, which shows a more vulnerable side of him; in one episode, Star talks about his many feuds with former friends in the world of beauty YouTube. "I only loved and cared about all these people ... and I'm still the fucking bad guy," he tells Dawson. "As time goes on, I don't feel the need to prove as much, but it's hard, you know? I'm just one person that's had a crazy, fucked-up past and I'm just trying to be a better me."

In their latest collaboration, the "better" Jeffree Star is deliberately front and center. Dawson's trailer for the new series teased YouTuber drama, and more of what Star does best: settling scores and getting into the dirt. In reality, the series turned out to be almost boring, since it was mostly about the two YouTube stars marveling at their own business acumen and crying over their shared success. And yet, tens of millions of people - myself included - watched it. Star clearly hasn't been canceled. But is he worth rooting for?

At 34, Star has already lived a few lives. He was born Jeffrey Steininger and grew up in Orange County, raised largely by his single mother after his father killed himself when Star was a child. He was gay and femme and interested in makeup, a combination that led to some pretty ruthless bullying and harassment.

"When I tattooed my whole body, a lot of it was hiding emotions and pain," Star told Dawson in 2018. "My whole body is covered in scars because I didn't know how to express my feelings when I was younger."

After Star graduated from high school, he moved to LA and supported himself by modeling and doing makeup. He got into clubs with a fake ID and quickly made himself a minor fixture in the LA party circuit. (That said, Star still claims he's never consumed any alcohol or done any drugs beyond weed, of which he smokes a great deal.)

It was in the late aughts that Star joined Myspace and started making music. Today, Star's face is kind of timeless, androgynous, and otherworldly; it doesn't seem to respond to aging or the sun or stress, thanks to a rigid skincare regimen and some plastic surgery tune-ups. Back then, Star's look was even more gender-fucking than it is now. He had sharp, thin pink eyebrows, a shock of bright pink hair, and heavy blush on his cheeks. One of his Myspace photos was of him putting his finger down his throat and vomiting up pink fluid. Star was Myspace personified, a personality that likely would not have survived beyond that particular ecosystem without some significant adjustments. (Remember Tila Tequila? Yeeee ikes.)

In 2009, Star released Beauty Killer, his one and only album, which includes the songs "Louis Vuitton Body Bag," "Love Rhymes With Fuck You," "Fame & Riches, Rehab Bitches," and "Lollipop Luxury" featuring Nicki Minaj. It's absolutely terrible, one of the most 2000s-esque relics you can find on Spotify. The album cover was shot by Kat Von D, Star's then-longtime friend, who would also tattoo much of Star's body. Star ended up at Warped Tour in 2008 and 2009.

In 2010, Star signed with Akon's label; the music producer called Star a male version of Lady Gaga. "He has that curiosity that's going to make people be like, 'Who the hell is that? What the fuck is that?'" Akon said in 2011. The relationship didn't last long; in his first series with Dawson, Star talks about how depressed he was after his career didn't take off.

"Those are dark times for me. Very depressing," he tells Dawson while old photos of him with Miley Cyrus, Kesha, and Demi Lovato scroll by. "I quit as a working makeup artist to do music. I invested so much into it, and all my money and all my time." He ended up going broke trying to make it as a singer. That's when Star pivoted to YouTube.

Star's early YouTube videos were mostly makeup tutorials and some videos with RuPaul's Drag Race friends like Laganja Estranja or Alyssa Edwards. Star's look mellowed out around this time: The big pink wig was gone, traded in for a short, bright pixie cut; while the brows were still pink, they were a little more human. And it wasn't just the makeup; Star's lips were new, his teeth had all been replaced with pearly white caps, and he got a new "vanity" forehead tattoo.

Star's videos from back then are markedly different than they are now. There was less discussion about his dick and where it's going, and he didn't start each video by waving a mirror and saying "Hi, how are ya?" as is his current routine. Most uploads were just straightforward how-to videos. There was less discussion about his wealth and designer goods. But at the time, there weren't that many men doing makeup on YouTube, especially for daily wear, beyond drag queens and impersonators. Even fewer were getting into the industry itself, making and promoting their own lines of makeup. In that sense, Star was revolutionary, a representative for a class of people rarely recognized in makeup.

Within a few years, Star had launched his own cosmetics line with just a few lipsticks - all of which sold out as soon as they became available in 2014 - and he'd become a trusted voice on YouTube for being radically, ruthlessly honest about what makeup was actually worth the hype. He told viewers when a Kardashian-sold product was actually nonsense, called out Tarte for a pitiful foundation shade range, tested wildly expensive products versus their drugstore counterparts (and often sided with the drugstore dupe, despite his own affection for the finer things), and generally took no shit. When Urban Decay started selling a "sex-proof" mascara, Star wisely tested it out by giving his boyfriend oral sex off-camera, returning with makeup running down his cheeks. (Nine million views.) He also brought his viewers into the doctor's office with him to watch his cosmetic surgeries, at a time when YouTubers and other influencers were a lot less eager to admit to getting work done.

He was loud and bombastic and aggressive and often insensitive. Star inadvertently helped other YouTubers establish their own cottage industry of "tea spill" videos about his antics, like this one where Star snapped at a fan on Twitter for promoting his own makeup work. (Star is perhaps best known on Twitter for blocking and muting anyone who criticizes him.) In a way, he simultaneously made himself a target - by documenting so many of his own offenses, by starting so much shit - while also ensuring his own invincibility. The basic currency of Star's world was brutal honesty and calling others out. How could anyone else ever hope to "expose" someone who had already so thoroughly exposed himself?

Undoubtedly, Star has had a rough life. As a man in the makeup industry, never mind the music and modeling industries, he faced a lot of anti-gay and anti-femme-discrimination, violence, harassment, and unwarranted hatred. In one of his videos, where he shows viewers what's in his Birkin, he pulls out a pink drill, a pink comb that's actually a knife, a pink mace gun, and a Swarovski crystal-encrusted fake handgun. "From far away, it does look dangerous and some people won't call me 'faggot' ever again," he says.

But no amount of personal difficulties can excuse cruelty. In 2018, fellow makeup YouTuber Jackie Aina said on Twitter that she wouldn't be able to overlook Star's offensive actions. "I have not and will not excuse his blatantly racist behavior - not his past references to me in derogatory terms, his continued use of the N word, nor his efforts to eliminate spaces and opportunities for people of color," she wrote. "Let's stop making exceptions for people just because we like the way they blend eyeshadow." (Star never publicly responded to Aina.)

This came after years of allegations against Star for racist and insensitive comments. In 2016 and 2017, an old Myspace skit in which Star says he wants to throw battery acid on a black woman to lighten her skin tone started to circulate. Star's former hairstylist came forward with text messages that allegedly show Star using the n-word and calling Aina a "gorilla." In 2017, Desus & Mero gave us an entire compilation of at least a few of the times Star has said the n-word on camera.

That same year, Star made a video titled " RACISM." Wearing a tasteful V-neck sweater and soft makeup, he apologized for his past and offered more context. "In these videos, I say some really disgusting, vile, nasty, and embarrassing things," he says. "I don't know who that person was. I know who I am today. The person that said those horrible, vile things, that person was depressed, that person was just angry at the world, that person felt that they were not accepted, that person was seeking attention. I loved fighting anger with anger. I didn't know any better."

But it wasn't just the videos. Star's old tweets are a graveyard of grotesque threats and insults. "My revenge on you will not kill you," he wrote in 2011. "It will make you wanna kill yourself." In 2010 and 2011, he made a lot of references to getting raped and enjoying it. And while he would later criticize Charles for allegedly hitting on straight boys, his own tweets suggest he attempted some of the very same.

How could anyone else ever hope to "expose" someone who had already so thoroughly exposed himself?

In 2016, Star's former best friend Von D announced in a Facebook post and a YouTube video that she'd decided to "disassociate [her]self completely" from Star. "After years of making excuses for, and rationalizing Jeffree's inappropriate behavior (including, promoting drug use, racism, and bullying) I can no longer hold my tongue," she wrote on Facebook. Her chief complaint in the video was that Star hadn't paid the man who helped design his company logo. She lamented how much Star had changed since they first met, calling him "this big, attention-seeking, fame-desiring, money-driven monster that I want no part in." ( Star ended up making his own video in response, in which he refutes all of her claims.)

Then there are all the fights Star gets into that don't have a single thing to do with him. Star has fought with nearly every makeup influencer or mogul in the country, from Kylie Jenner (he hated her $360 brush set), Jordyn Woods (claimed he knew she was messing around with Tristan Thompson for a while), and the owner of Too Faced (who allegedly underpaid another vlogger). He's cycled through a lot of internet-famous friends in the YouTube beauty world, including Manny MUA, Nikita Dragun, Jaclyn Hill, Laura Lee, and James Charles. All of those relationships have combusted dramatically and publicly, usually ending in tear-streaked, accusatory breakup videos.

Star is your quintessential pot-stirrer, even if he still thinks of himself as a brave truth-teller. It makes for good watching - there's a reason why " Jeffree Star snapchat rant " yields a whole lot of results on YouTube. And his personal brand has obviously been compelling to a lot of people. "I always romanticized this aspect of Jeffree," Von D said in her 2016 video. "The fact that he was this outsider, he was different, and giving his followers a sense of belonging in a world where people tend to reject something so different."

But Star seems to want to be all things to all people. He must know, on some level, that his fame is largely a product of his aggressive behavior, and dramatically changing his approach or cleaning up his act would mean losing some part of his audience. "Me being nice or positive is not what people want to hear, which sucks," he told Cosmopolitan in 2017. But he also, at least lately, has been positioning himself as a sensitive, thoughtful leader in his chosen industry. He wants, for once, to be the good guy.

After years of wild success, Star has undeniably become less of an angry outsider. Now he tends to favor soft tracksuits, his ash-blond hair cut in a bob and sometimes curled at the bottom. He's often wearing highlighter and a wearable lip color, as opposed to the bright yellows and blues his makeup line sells. The look is still dramatic and otherworldly - he sometimes doesn't wear any eyebrows at all - but it's more approachable. On Instagram, when he cries tears of joy (successful makeup launch) or pain (two dead dogs), sometimes he doesn't wear makeup at all. Now that's sincerity!

Dawson, the latest in a long line of Star's "best friends," has also helped reinforce the idea of a new, softer Star. The Secret World of Jeffree Star indicated an attempt to humble himself, or at least appear more honest about his past than he has been. In these videos, he's still wealthy and still talking about it, but he's no longer opting for dramatic moves like cutting designer bags in half with a knife heated to 1,000 degrees. Star shows off his home and his company and explains how he got so rich. He also addresses the allegations of racism, admitting to Dawson that his past comments were horrible, but offering a quasi-defense that when he used the n-word, he didn't say it to a person of color. (This is not a great defense.)

Some of Star's defenses ring hollow, but he comes across as sincere and vulnerable when he's able to connect his actions to his own trauma. "Yeah, I'm a damaged person, 100%. I would never not admit that," he says. Later he says, "I'm scared to ever talk about this stuff," discussing his history of cutting and his father's suicide. "I don't want my pain to be made fun of so I keep it here, where it's safe."

Star and Dawson are, in some ways, unlikely business partners. Star's whole shtick is glamour, wealth, cars, and stuff. He built a closet in his house that's protected by a pink vault door. Dawson's brand, meanwhile, is utterly approachable. He talks about his struggles with mental health, takes his medication on camera so frequently that one of the colors in his new palette is called "My Pills," and discusses his weight loss (and gain). In the 2018 series about Star, he also documents some of his personal life, including proposing to his boyfriend.

It's not clear how much Dawson had to do with the new makeup line "collaboration" on the back end. It seems as if his involvement didn't really go beyond suggesting a few colors and shade names - Star's employees and his production plant handled the rest. Shane's videographer and editor came up with the design for the packaging. (The makeup is... fine.)

There's nothing revolutionary about the products; the most remarkable thing about the makeup line is the ingenious marketing strategy used to sell it.

There's nothing revolutionary about the products; the most remarkable thing about the makeup line is the ingenious marketing strategy used to sell it through what amounts to a miniseries' worth of free advertising on YouTube. The October series was true blockbuster content: The view counts for each hourlong video range from 14 million to 25 million. (The Game of Thrones series finale, for comparison, broke records by bringing in 19.3 million viewers.) And yet, to anyone who isn't already immersed in the cult of personality around Star or Dawson, it's very unclear why the videos would be entertaining.

At least in Dawson and Star's 2018 series, they actually talked about substantive things. In this second one, they mostly cry a lot about how great their clear lip gloss is going to be. There is no dirt on other YouTubers, and almost no drama; instead, you get a lot of vagaries about how toxic the makeup world is, details about what it takes to release a new product, and shots of Dawson watching his makeup get assembled and looking humbled. Dawson and Star act like they're turning the makeup industry on its head by releasing a few palettes and some lipstick shades that seem to be intentionally hideous.

The wildest part is that they might be right. The Conspiracy collection has been a resounding, almost preposterous success. According to Star, they've sold 1.1 million eyeshadow palettes since they launched on Nov. 1, and they're completely sold out at the moment. Shane Dawson merchandise, also sold through Star's company, Killer Merch, is largely sold out as well; if you want an $80 pig backpack or a hoodie that acts as an ode to the guy who helped film and edit the series ( very specific) then you're out of luck for now.

In all likelihood, the collection would've been plenty successful without a miniseries about how they made it. What was more important is that Star and Dawson reframed how the audience should think about them and their success. The series shrewdly includes Star's personal ups and downs, like when his dog died or when his factory was robbed of millions of dollars worth of merchandise. The moral of the story is that they're hard workers, they've had some bad luck lately, they deserve it. Comments on the YouTube videos express exactly that: Dawson and Star's audience is emotionally invested; they want to feel like they're a part of these powerful YouTubers' success.

Most YouTube creators, and specifically makeup YouTubers, can't get away with being a jerk, except for a select few: your Logan Pauls and your PewDiePies. Like all influencers, they need to exhibit some shred of humanity or relatability to keep viewers coming back. At this point, it seems as though Star actually has joined the select rank of un-cancelable YouTubers who could weather any storm. That doesn't mean, however, that Star will stop insisting that he's actually the hero of this story. After all, no one wants to root for a villain. ●

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The life cycle of a makeup YouTuber is pretty rote at this point. You start small, reviewing products and making how-to videos. Eventually you invest in a ring light, make a little money, and start buying Anastasia Beverly Hills brow powder so you stop looking like Groucho Marx.

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WORTH THE HYPE?!TESTING JEFFREE STAR MAGIC STAR CONCEALER! FIRST IMPRESSIONS, REVIEW + WEAR TEST

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TESTING JEFFREE STAR BLOOD LUST PALETTE.. HERE ARE MY HONEST THOUGHTS

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RANKING EVERY JEFFREE STAR COSMETICS EYESHADOW PALETTE | Paige Koren

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JEFFREE STAR Jawbreaker Collection Review | NikkieTutorials

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BLUE BLOOD 💙Collection REVIEW | Jeffree Star Cosmetics

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Apologising for falling back to his 'old' persona of the bad guy and involving himself in controversy. He is publicly announcing he is leaving his controversial past behind.

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Jeffree Star Cosmetics  - Velour Liquid Lipstick commercial

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Jeffree Star ADDRESSES James Charles + Deleted Tweets...

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The Truth About Jeffree Star's Ex-Friends

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Drama channels on YouTube act as free publicity for Star as he embraces his now 'brutally honest' persona rather than his past 'rebel' persona.

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Dear Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson, your fans are mad and here's why

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This channel is all about the best beauty guru, probably in the world ,JeffreeStar. Makeup lovers who rely on JeffreeStar for his honest reviews about makeup...

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All makeup lovers welcome, but this is a community especially for Jeffrees fans! We are a fun and welcoming group for all ❣ We have giveaways, photo contests, challenges, advice & support, amazing...

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Jeffree star The house💜Australian community.

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Welcome to Jeffree star the house 💜 Australian community. A safe, supporting family full of cosmetics lovers! All genders, ages and races are welcome! This group is open to anyone who loves Jeffree...

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Jeffree Star 🌟 Approved has 4,142 members. A supportive group for Jeffree star fans and makeup lovers ❣ We offer fun, memes, makeup discussions, and even...

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Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

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Star's connection to gender identity plays a crucial role in his star image as an individual who his audience can relate to as he is a spokes person for the alternative and different.

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Jeffree Star Thought He Was Transgender | The Dish With Trish Podcast

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When friends with Von D, Star was portraying his bad guy persona which is now, by Star himself especially, something to be left in the past as he is not proud of that person.

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Von D accused Star of being not paying for a logo an artist friend created

She also said the makeup artist was a racist and a bully

She posted on social media that she was 'disassociating' herself from his name and brand

She also posted 14-minute video on YouTube claiming credit for helping Star start his make-up line, and that she now regretted it

Star responded on Twitter claiming it was all lies and that he hadn't spoken to Von D in a year

Step aside Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian, there are two new fighters in the ring.

Tattoo artist Kat Von D and make-up artist Jeffree Star have had a very public falling out on social media this week.

After firing shots at each other and causing a huge divide between their followers, Kat eventually revealed the row was kicked off by Jeffree refusing to pay an artist for a logo.

On Tuesday the 34-year-old came out swinging by posting simultaneously on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook that she was officially 'disassociating' herself from her former friend.

'After years of making excuses for, and rationalizing Jeffree's inappropriate behavior (including, promoting drug use, racism, and bullying) I can no longer hold my tongue after recent events,' she wrote alongside a dramatic picture of the 30-year-old with a big red line through his face.

She apologized to anyone she had introduced him to, stating: 'I just would like to disassociate myself from him and his brand from this point on'.

Star, who first rose to fame through his MySpace page, immediately responded on Twitter.

He claimed he hadn't seen the LA Ink star in over a year, and that she called him out of the blue to accuse him of 'something that wasn't true', after which he told her to 'f*** off' and blocked her number.

'The whole situation is sad and gross. I don't need to clap back or make a video about someone's post. It's getting trite,' he wrote in a series of tweets.

He claimed Kat 'never supported me or my brand and got distant when I launched mine.'

He even got personal in further tweets - which he then deleted - claiming 'now you all know why no man could ever stick around... what a disgusting person'.

Their huge cross-section of followers were quickly divided into Team Kat and Team Jeffree, with a significant proportion wishing they would just make up.

Many accused Kat of trying to stay relevant and looking for attention, but many more praised her for finally distancing herself from the 'racist' and 'bully.'

Camp Kat made countless examples of questionable Jeffree behaviour, such as a 2007 incident where he suggested bleaching a black woman's skin; meanwhile Team Jeffree pointed out Kat was the last person to be pointing fingers, dragging up old unconfirmed reports she had made anti-Semitic slurs (a charge she has vehemently denied).

Kat eventually explained all in a 14-minute YouTube video, recalling how she introduced another artist called BJ Betts to Star for help designing his logo, which Star then used but never paid for. She said he has refused to even take a phone call from Betts ever since.

'As an artist we work super hard at creating something, and it really sucks when somebody just steals that and exploits it, and doesn't give you any credit, let alone payment,' she said.

When she approached Star about it she said he 'told me to f*** off or go f*** myself and blocked my number... that's just how he does it.'

Kat then pulled a 'Kim Kardashian' and showed on her phone the design work Betts said he sent Star, with striking similarities.

'You can't sit there and post all these videos of you like "get ready with me in my Rolls Royce!" and then you cant pay a guy who works really hard for you,' she said. 'What kind of message does that send out. you have the option to have the right thing, why not do that?'

She also slammed Star for showing off on social media, claiming: 'It's obnoxious to constantly promote what fancy car you're leasing or renting or whatever.'

She also expressed disbelief at his claims she had never supported his brand, insisting it was actually her idea for him to launch one. She said she suggested it to him in her living room while he was 'kind of not doing anything career wise, complaining or whining some other brand doing really well at the time'.

She claimed that she set him up with his factory and made countless introductions for him, which she now regrets.

'I'm not looking for credit, I don't need him to give me a shout out every time he posts on Instagram, but at least tell the truth,' she said.

'Just because I call you out on social media about being a bully, doesn't mean you can post a tweet saying Kat Von D has never supported me in my make-up line. Honestly Jeffrey if it wasn't for me you would be where you are now.'

'I just want to apologise, I regret being a part of helping someone become so self-absorbed.

'The Jeffree that he is now is like this monster. This big attention seeking thing, desiring money-driven monster that I want no part in.

'The online bullying, its easy to pick on all these other people who are intimidated and won't say anything back, but Jeffree I'm not scared of you,' she added.

'If someone was picking on you the way you pick on people, I would stand up for you too.'

She then addressed him directly: 'I kindly ask you - and I'm sure you'll watch this because you love when anybody talks about you - all I ask is that you do the right thing, and pay him. Pay BJ.'

However she finished by asking her followers not to attack her former friend.

'I do send Jeffree a lot of love. I'll be here if he ever does want to make amends, but definitely not holding my breath on that one.'

After the video was published, Star posted one more tweet: 'There are 2 sides to every story. The truth will come out later today.'

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Kat Von D and Jeffree Star get embroiled in social media war

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Von D accused Star of being not paying for a logo an artist friend created She also said the makeup artist was a racist and a bully She posted on social media that she was 'disassociating' herself from his name and brand She also posted 14-minute video on YouTube claiming credit for helping Star start his make-up line, and that she now regretted it Star responded on Twitter claiming it was all lies and that he hadn't spoken to Von D in a year Step aside Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian, there are two new fighters in the ring.

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Jeffree stars Instagram story Daddy in hospital

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Star shows his business-man star type promoting his brand. through expressing his honesty, trustworthiness, appreciation of his fans, his 'plastic' look and his open-mindedness. Star is showing his authentic self by conveying that he loves sugar and junk food as much as diamonds and money.

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Jeffree Star at Ulta in Houston Interview

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Former friends Star and Von D portray an unauthentic friendship for the purpose of a television show, from what we know now and how quickly their 10 year friendship failed, we cannot trust the realism in this.

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Jeffree Star on LA Ink - 9/15/11 Diva Foot Tattoo!

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Star is exposing his personal life in the form of discussion about his tattoos which are almost all connected to some point in his life.

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Von D 'exposes' Star in several YouTube videos and explains why she is 'dissasociating' herself completely from him. She explains that 'who he is' is not someone she wants in her life.

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Kat Von D fight with Jeffree Star - KAT VON D EXPOSED JEFFREE STAR

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Star explains that he is, disconnected with his former best friend and has no emotion towards her anymore. At the time of the controversy, he created other issues with other people who were involved such as Trisha Paytas who says she was blocked by Star at the time. She then explains that 'the power of Shane' is the reason why her and Star are now friends.

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Jeffree Star on Kat Von D and what REALLY Happened | The Dish With Trish Podcast

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Star appears happy, genuine and friendly, essentially, he is 'real'.

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The paradox of the celebrity is shown here through the way Star's YouTube channel is a promotional tool but also a platform where he shows most of his life. Through crying and showing emotion, Star is being his true, honest self. Star arguably, as a YouTuber, embodies a continuous self.

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Revealing private life to audience showing raw emotion about his split with his boyfriend conveying honesty. This emphasises the fact that even though he seemingly has everything, he still goes through normal, everyday struggles, 'like us'.

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Jeffree Star - after breakup story on instagram

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Commodification of the star.

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jeffree Star (@jeffreestar)

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jeffree Star (@jeffreestar)

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@jeffreestar Instagram account

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Star is unafraid to break down walls and cross boundaries.

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jeffree Star (@jeffreestar)

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jeffree Star (@jeffreestar)

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Star showing his authentic self through sharing his personal experience of breaking up with his long term boyfriend and showing his emotions.

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jeffree Star (@jeffreestar)

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The inhaler in this photo shoot for the promotion of Star's latest collection represents his attempt to appear as a regular person who has common health issues just like everyone else, highlighting his authenticity.

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jeffree Star (@jeffreestar)

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Dawson embodies Star’s public persona in this video and despite Dawson’s comedic take he has on Star’s image playing on his wealth, busy life and uniqueness, he realises and recognises what it is really like to walk in his shoes and discovers Star's authentic self through his private life. He takes Star’s personality, at the beginning, for a rich diva businessman, however, his true identity is revealed when Dawson learns to understand Star's true authentic self. Dawson’s audience context is different to Star’s but here, we see a coming together of the two audiences, evidently being significant for the two YouTubers' success.

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Star refers to himself as an 'alien', empahising his individual star image which is 'out of this world' and expresses this through his beauty products.

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Star’s entrepreneur persona is revealed in the Shane Dawson documentary. We see a more serious side of Star without losing the connection to him as a genuine human who happens to be wealthy and successful. The extent to Star’s success is also revealed in the documentary, enhancing his role model status.

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The documentary continuously refers to the confusion over Star’s sexuality and gender. Star refers to himself as “just Jeffree” and “an alien” which is monumental as he is expressing his individuality and reiterating his image as being coherently unique.

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Dawson’s reaction to Star’s lifestyle embodies the viewers reaction and Dawson acts as an audience member looking into a celebrities life just like one of us. He is shocked and overwhelmed, however, he remains cautious of Star because of how much wealth and success he has and because of his past controversial star image.

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Star reveals that he has been afraid to show and discuss his life as his insecurities take control over his online life and how much he shows due to his mistakes made in the past. His controversial past and mistakes that he made before the ‘new’ star image was formed, reflect in his human thoughts and feelings about his persona online as a social media star.

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Star portrays a professional image in the public light through the promotion of his lifestyle, whilst gaining publicity from Dawson's curiosity which created this successful mini-series. Dawson acts our eyes and ears as he takes us into the mysterious life of Jeffree Star. He is initially afraid of Star because of his controversial past, but also, he is curious and interested in his life and genuine personality, what he is really like. Dawson does not fully understand where his wealth and fame came from as Star had never discussed this before as it did not fit in with his star image as a beauty influencer. Dawson uncovers an insight into Star’s seemingly unreachable life through accepting him at his worst and at his best.

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Star’s products are known for the amazing quality and value for money. He promotes them as inclusive products for everyone.

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Television programmes such as RuPaul’s Drag Race has created a shift in queer culture making it more mainstream and desirable for everyone, even people outside of the LGBTQ community. This allows celebrities such as Star to embrace who they are and become successful off the back of this.

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RuPaul's Drag Race

"RuPaul's Drag Race" crowned its Season 10 champion on Thursday night. Credit... VH1

On Oct. 4, 1927, the sculptor Gutzon Borglum broke into the rocky face of what the Lakota Sioux called Cougar Mountain, and spent the next 14 years transforming it into what we now refer to as Mount Rushmore. He insisted that he did not carve the faces of four powerful white men who expanded and preserved the Republic into the rock, but, rather, that they were always there, and that he merely "released (them) from the granite."

It is by this process that the very best drag queens reveal themselves to us. Their artifice is not a creation, but an uncovering. Not a molding, but a chiseling away. This week's long-awaited season finale of "RuPaul's Drag Race" shone a spotlight on three queens of this glitter-glued stripe, who bravely and beautifully Ru-vealed their authentic, naked selves to us through a granite dust of lashes, lip syncs and looks. (Kameron Michaels was also a finalist.)

A decade's worth of Racers gathered at the Ace Hotel theater in Los Angeles to celebrate the show's decaversary, reflect upon its impact on 10 years of politics and pop culture, and crown its new spiritual leader. Finalists Asia O'Hara, Aquaria, Eureka O'Hara and Kameron Michaels, as well as their 10 run-hers up, were welcomed to the stage by eight of the nine original Season 1 queens. (Was Tammie Brown busy selling Cameo messages on Twitter? Get on TV, girl!)

As the Season 10 queens walked into the light, the audience exploded. Overnight gay icon Vanessa "Vanjie" Mateo detonated the crowd with her minted rallying cry, and The Vixen gave a black-power salute to thunderous cheers. Aquaria showed us what Sharon Stone's Catwoman would wear to the opera, Asia was chillingly regal in a Thai princess ensemble, and Kameron wore a big pink princess-y thing with no discernible narrative. Eureka O'Hara, in her sixth cousin Scarlett's hand-me-downs, detached her skirt mid-runway, and then weirdly just kind of left it there. (This choice foreshadowed an evening tightly tucked with tearaways and Ru-veals.)

Mama Ru, in Moet Chandon fringe and a weird highlight on her right chesticle that I fixated on throughout the broadcast, held a brief and verifiably well-attended rally. "There are no walls here to divide us, there is only love. Let's say it loud enough so they can hear it in Washington, D.C.! Everybody say love!!!" Everybody said "love." I said it aloud, alone, in my living room.

The four finalists were brought out one by one for their pageant-y, last-pitch interviews. It is hard to believe that Aquaria is the same queen that struggled to compose sentences early in the season. She was articulate, witty and polished to an onyx shine. (I swear, I'm not just fluffing her aura to garner a free cheesesteak from her adorable restaurateur parents.) (Not that I would turn one down.)

When asked, "How would you make America great again?", she gracefully emphasized the importance of inclusion, and in making a statement about creating and filling opportunities, hilariously wove in her Snatch Game catchphrase (snatchphrase?) "any hole is a goal!". Ru thanked her for giving her a "new mantra," and I thank her for giving me my new Tinder bio.

Asia, when asked what she would do to "tear those bitches down" to snatch the crown, answered silkily, "I'm not looking at this experience as an opportunity to tear those bitches down, I'm looking at it as an opportunity to show that I'm the best person for what you're trying to do." Goodness, her shade was as refined as the tip of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz pencil that she was out there trying to win.

Eureka was thrown the classic question of which of her three competitors she would "Shag, Marry, Kill." She wisely elected to shag Asia, unwisely elected to marry Kameron, reasoning, "She's quiet, I talk a lot - it's a match made in heaven!" (sure, honey, until they reach midlife), and to kill Aquaria, shrieking, "Why not?" Her cancer-surviving mom and chill-seeming twin sister beamed supportively in the audience. I want to go to their house for Thanksgiving.

Kameron, who looks and behaves more like our nation's First Daughter in every appearance, was called out for her shady failure to disclose the fact that she does Cher in her act before the Cher challenge, and, when asked her secret to surviving four lip syncs, she icily cawed, "Know. Your. Words." (I would have shagged, married and/or killed one of my creepy super likes to see Monique's reaction to this, but alas, the camera was not on her.)

Sally Jesse Raphael narrated a Ru-trospective of the last decade, and of the show's influence on and by its cultural and political shifts. In a moving montage, we saw images of laughter, tears, Barack Obama, Santino Rice, Drog Can - sorry, Drag Con - and pride marches, including a shot of my beloved Rise and Resist. John Oliver confessed that on election night 2016, he watched five episodes of "Drag Race," saying, "It was basically watching the version of America that I wanted to live in, rather than watching the one that was unfolding in front of history." Everybody said love. Love.

The Season 1 queens were then paired with the Season 10 queens in a lip sync megamix of RuPaul songs that are, and this may shock you, available on iTunes. It culminated in a stage full of drag queens of all ages, colors, sizes and types enthusiastically dancing to "American." No bans, no walls, no cages. Just a gorgeous gamut of American gams, saying love. Love.

Finally, it was time for our finalists to lip sync for the crown. A wheel spin rendered Kameron first to go, and she chose, to a roomful of gasps, to face Asia. Fittingly for a finale celebrating the design of a decade, the first two lip syncs were to Janet Jackson songs. Kameron and Asia drew "Nasty," leaving Eureka and Aquaria to face off to "If."

After Sasha Velour's stunning rose petal shocker in last season's winning lip sync, I anticipated that our finalists would have something up their sleeves, if not other parts of other garments. However, the degree to which these queens packed themselves with reveals was gobsmacking. They looked like they were shoplifting Leigh Bowery in his iconic "birth" number. (Save for Kameron, who just ... didn't.)

Asia attempted a trick that sounds fascinating on paper, and probably looked great in a small rehearsal room - she released monarch butterflies, many of which appeared to be dead, from cameo bracelets and colossal chesticle cones - but the butterflies simply didn't read from the enormous stage, and the bit flopped. (The shot of Monique and Vanjie's reactions will unquestionably be made into a GIF that will survive the nukes.) Unimaginably, Kameron, stunting with the same stripper moves we've seen four times now, beat Asia O'Hara, and Asia, a favorite to win, was knocked out. By Kameron Michaels. The audience screeched. Asia looked as deflated as her now-empty un-fun bags, as trampled as her butterflies.

Next, Aquaria, looking like the foil-wrapped chicken at Yank Sing, and Eureka, looking like Big Bird's slutty purple aunt, faced off to Ms. Jackson's "If." Both of these queens came dressed to kill, and they didn't waste a second. Aquaria quickly unwrapped her chicken to reveal a spiked nude catsuit, and flung open a fan that read "Miss Vanjie." Eureka pulled off her curly wig to reveal a Blond Ambition ponytail, then peeled her purple feathers back to reveal a red dress, then peeled the red dress off to reveal a mirrored bodysuit.

Aquaria revealed that she can lip sync the house up, down, over and out- and that, though she be only 22, she knows her '90s Janet choreo. In another killer Janet reference, she ripped off fake nipple covers. The only loser in this lip sync was Justin Timberlake. It was a dead, humid heat. In an unprecedented turn of events, both advanced to a now three-way Battle Royale. (It should be noted that, for someone who once whined about not having a shot at a "double save," Aquaria didn't seem thrilled to be half of one.)

In the face of rumored bot intervention in the online election, Ru executively ordered that the Miss Congeniality vote would come from the queens themselves, and they chose the consistently congenial Monét. She cackled, charmed, and chewed her trophy, crowing, "Soak it up, bitches!" (Scotch Brite, she just wrote your new slogan. Hire her.)

The stage was set for the final hoedown. Enter last year's crown-wielding winner, the stunning, serpent-wrapped Sasha Velour - an alien Eve in the garden of an extraterrestrial Eden of which she is hopefully the founding mother, and to which we are all moving soon.

Our thirsty threesome was commanded to lip sync to "Bang Bang," by prosperous threesome Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj. Aquaria threw the first grenade with a lit sparkler. Eureka countered with a panel reading "The Big Girl," which tore away to reveal the word "WINS." Aquaria leapt, split and fired a confetti gun into the air. Kameron threw her head around a lot. The threesome was a bit messy, and it was hard to focus on any one person, but there was one queen who came out on top.

Aquaria really does have it all. Her lip syncs have energy, precision and a point of view. Her looks are peerless, and her comedy chops constantly unfolding. She is charismatic, unique, nervy and talented. She is a star, and now, she is America's next drag superstar. The young are leading us, and I am not one bit mad about it.

Recently, I took my 70-year-old friend from South Carolina to her first drag show: the brilliant The Help, in Manhattan. (My friend's husband is a supporter of our current president, and he tried to mansplain to me what mountains are at dinner. What mountains. Are.) She inhaled the show, the queens, and the crowd, and exhaled wondrously, "Oh. This is love."

Drag queens are living monuments to what it means to be an American. They are expanding and preserving our Republic. Their faces are in its mountains. They dynamite its rocks, they sculpt its facade. They release rose petals, and confetti, and butterflies. They release themselves. They release us all.

Our Republic is in peril. Expand it. Preserve it. Don't let anyone tell you what a mountain is. You are the mountain. And you were always there. Release your face from the granite and paint it, honey.

Say love. And, my fish, though the tide against us may feel stronger than ever, keep it pushin'.
Vanjie.

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'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 10 Finale: Everybody Say Love

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RuPaul's Drag Race On Oct. 4, 1927, the sculptor Gutzon Borglum broke into the rocky face of what the Lakota Sioux called Cougar Mountain, and spent the next 14 years transforming it into what we now refer to as Mount Rushmore.