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RuPaul released Supermodel (You Better Work) in 1992 as lead single of debut album Supermodel of the World. It hit charts in US (number 45) and UK (number 39) and became popular in the gay ‘handbag house’ scene

The music video featuring RuPaul in drag became an MTV staple and Kurt Cobain of Nirvana supposedly named it his favourite song to come out of 1993. The video went on to be nominated for "Best Dance Video" at 1993 MTV video music awards and won an award in the category for "Best Music Video" at the 1993 WMC International Dance Music Awards.

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RuPaul - Supermodel (You Better Work) [Official Music Video]

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RuPaul became a spokesperson for MAC Cosmetics' "VIVA GLAM" campaign in 1995.

“Let’s break it down: When you spend £22 on a VIVA GLAM Lipstick, we donate £22 (less VAT) to support women and girls, the LGBTQIA+ community and people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. There’s no catch. It’s just pure giving back.” MAC cosmetics website description of VIVA GLAM

According to Phillip Ing, the Director of Visual Planning for MAC Cosmetics during the release of RuPaul as the spokesperson for the campaign, “up till now [they] always thought [they] wouldn’t have a face because MAC was for all sexes, all ages and all races and all of a sudden you find a person that actually fills that bill as well”

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The RuPaul Show premiered on VH1 in 1996 with Michelle Visage as the co-host. It was a chat show style show which often featured celebrity guests, performances and comedy skits. In this clip we can see how he used to do his own performances and an example of one of the comedy skits.

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RuPaul's Drag Race premiered on Logo TV in 2009. RuPaul appears as the host and the main judge in the "search to find America's next Drag superstar".

The shows format is a competition in which Drag artists compete in various challenges that display their abilities in makeup and performance.

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But perhaps one of the most important developments to come of “Drag Race” is the way it's helped bring drag and queer representation into the mainstream. Drag has existed for centuries, but it wasn't until the premiere of “RuPaul's Drag Race” that the art form was truly brought to the public's eye.

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But perhaps one of the most important developments to come of “Drag Race” is the way it's helped bring drag and queer representation into the mainstream. Drag has existed for centuries, but it wasn't until the premiere of “RuPaul's Drag Race” that the art form was truly brought to the public's eye.

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This article describes how RuPaul's Drag Race brought the art of Drag into the mainstream.

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A brief HERstory of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' and its impact on mainstream media - The Miami Student

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RuPaul is a drag titan.

With several studio albums, various pieces of apparel, books, chocolate bars and even a Chia Pet, RuPaul is the face of the drag industry - which is no surprise given that his reality show has remained on air since 2009.

The "RuPaul's Drag Race" franchise has been a smash hit, and if you don't believe me, just take a look at the many spin offs: "RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under," "RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs The World," "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars" and more.

It has also allowed for events such as "RuPaul's DragCon LA," "RuPaul's DragCon NYC" and "RuPaul's DragCon UK" to take place.

RuPaul's empire is growing, and it doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon.

The show's 15th season premiered on Jan. 10. As someone who spent her entire winter break - and now spring semester - rewatching the series, I couldn't help but notice how much has changed.

In order to understand the evolution of "Drag Race," we've got to go back to season one, which had a significantly lower budget. In fact, it's become a bit of a joke within the fandom for its obnoxiously bright, low quality filter, which would not return for future seasons.

Only nine queens competed in season one, with Bebe Zahara Benet emerging victorious as the first winner of "RuPaul's Drag Race." Since then, contestant numbers have increased and now fluctuate between 12-16.

Other changes the show has undergone include improvements to the Werk Room, where queens get in and out of drag, and the main stage, where queens lip sync and show off their runway outfits. The judges panel has also experienced several changes, with RuPaul and Michelle Visage being the only consistent judges since season three.

But perhaps one of the most important developments to come of "Drag Race" is the way it's helped bring drag and queer representation into the mainstream.

Drag has existed for centuries, but it wasn't until the premiere of "RuPaul's Drag Race" that the art form was truly brought to the public's eye. In this way, "Drag Race" was revolutionary: it gave everyone with cable access to drag.

Sure, there were pieces of media that featured drag such as "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Pink Flamingos," but those were films people had to actively seek out (and cult films that were not popular when they came out). The same goes for drag shows.

"Drag Race" was on people's TVs, in their homes. It wasn't something that needed to be sought out, and as the series progressed, it gained an enormous following and critical acclaim, including 12 Emmys.

In addition to pioneering queer representation on TV, "Drag Race" has also brought transgender representation to light. It's important to note this wasn't always the case, though. Originally, transgender contestants weren't cast. Earlier seasons also used offensive, transphobic language.

Luckily, "Drag Race's" treatment toward transgender individuals has improved, in large part thanks to Peppermint, the show's first openly trans contestant. Peppermint advocated for "Drag Race" to become more trans inclusive during her time on season nine. Now, the show has had several trans contestants including Kerri Colby, Sasha Colby, Gigi Goode and more.

In its 13th season, "Drag Race" welcomed Gottmik, the show's first openly trans man to compete.

"Drag Race" eliminated the transphobic language that was previously used, and it now gives trans contestants a platform to bring awareness to their transitions and struggles. The inclusion of transgender contestants has even encouraged other queens, such as Jasmine Kennedie and Bosco, to come out as well.

RuPaul is perhaps the most popular drag queen of all time, but "Drag Race" has allowed for several other queens to establish a name for themselves and launched them into stardom. Some of my favorite drag superstars to emerge from the show are Trixie Mattel, Katya Zamolodchikova, BenDeLaCreme, Bianca Del Rio, Symone, Shangela, Jinkx Monsoon and more.

Trixie Mattel now has her own makeup brand, Trixie Cosmetics. She's recorded four studio albums, starred in a documentary and runs the Trixie Motel. Mattel hosts a popular podcast and webshow with Katya Zamolodchikova; the two have even published books together and are currently touring.

BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon are also touring together. The duo has starred in "The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Special," a film released in 2020.

Shangela has become a well-known DJ and singer. You may recognize her song "They Call Me Laquifa," which appeared in "Dance Moms" and has since become popular on TikTok. Shangela was also the first drag queen to compete on "Dancing With the Stars" in the U.S.

These are only a few success stories to come from "Drag Race." Each and every success is exciting, though, because we're now seeing significantly more drag queens in the mainstream.

Queer and trans people are getting the representation they deserve.

I can't wait to see how "Drag Race" will continue to evolve in future seasons. Let's face it, the series isn't ending any time soon. With a cinematic universe comparable to (and better than) Marvel, the "Drag Race" franchise is here to shantay and stay.

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A brief HERstory of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' and its impact on mainstream media

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With several studio albums, various pieces of apparel, books, chocolate bars and even a Chia Pet, RuPaul is the face of the drag industry - which is no surprise given that his reality show has remained on air since 2009.

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This review of RuPaul's Drag Race season 1 describes RuPaul's image, claiming it is no surprise to see him in his glamorous drag look and that it is more shocking to see him looking more understated out of drag. This tells us that RuPaul had a glamorous celebrity image.

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They Float Like the Clouds on Air Do, They Enjoy ... (Published 2009)

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“RuPaul’s Drag Race” is a new reality competition that explores what it takes to be a drag star today.

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As displayed in this MTV video, RuPaul didn't always describe himself as high-glam, but instead as "uptown call girl" describing it as "glamorous" but also "grunge".

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You Had to be There: RuPaul at the Mall in 1993 | MTV News

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In this article it is stated that RuPaul took influence from stars such as Cher and Diana Ross, we can see evidence of this in RuPaul's earlier image before he formed his own high-glam look that is assosciated with Drag Race.

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As a child, RuPaul would go on road trips with his family to visit Los Angeles from his hometown of San Diego. He would ask his parents to stop on Hollywood Boulevard so that he could gaze at the stars and he'd wander around the Hollywood Walk of Fame until his family picked him up two hours later.

Little did RuPaul know he would grow up to become the most famous drag queen of all time, who would earn his own star on the Walk of Fame, with a ceremony set for March 16.

"It is the benchmark for the success that I imagined as a kid," RuPaul says of the honor. "[It is] the pinnacle of Hollywood stardom."

Back in his early days, RuPaul looked up to icons such as David Bowie, Cher and Diana Ross. "They were unlikely superstars and outsiders in their own way," he says. "Just knowing that they existed helped me achieve my stardom and helped me to keep going during the times when I didn't have a lot going in my way."

Today, the Emmy-winning host, producer, actor, singer and television personality realizes that he is a role model to many who have big dreams similar to those he did.

"I think having someone see my star and imagine what they could do, knowing that I, against all odds, have been able to find success - I think that's a huge statement to the human soul," RuPaul says.

Nowadays, the 57-year-old is heading into the 10th season of his VH1 reality show "RuPaul's Drag Race," which is experiencing a surge in late-bloomer popularly with its highest ratings ever and two recent major award wins for RuPaul as host. But decades ago, he struggled to make a name for himself as a hopeful performer in the '80s, sleeping on his younger sister's couch in Los Angeles with no car, no paycheck and no job prospects.

"For the first 11 years of my career, I was working clubs and discos, and really the underground. It was my 10,000 hours of the hard yards," RuPaul recalls. "I was really doing everything that I do today - I was writing, acting, singing, performing, all that stuff. It's just that I was too early. A lot of times, it's important to stick it out until your number comes up, so all of the time it takes to stick with it, that's the hard part."

Though he found his groove as a prominent fixture on the late-night drag scene in New York City, it wasn't until 1993 that RuPaul found mainstream success with his hit single, "Supermodel," which topped the charts, earned him an MTV Video Music Award nomination and shot him to international superstardom as a drag queen. The following year, he became the face of MAC Cosmetics, raising money for the company's AIDS fund, and in 1996, he landed his own self-titled VH1 talk show, becoming the first-ever openly gay national television host.

Despite his groundbreaking achievements, RuPaul never trully thought his drag niche would be the answer to his success.

"When drag presented itself, initially, I said this is fine for downtown and the clubs, but I wanted to go mainstream," he says. "That breakthrough when I realized it would work uptown, that was major. It was like I unlocked some Mayan ancient doors that have never been opened, and I went, 'Oh my god! I had the key the whole time!' I had to unlock my mind and get rid of old ideas that didn't serve me."

RuPaul admits that others did try to hold him back at times, but he never took that personally. Instead, he acknowledges that he, himself, was often in his own way.

"Looking back, the biggest obstacles were set in place by me," he says. "I know that sounds so weird and sacrilegious to say, given that I am black and gay and a drag queen and all these things, but I still believe the biggest obstacles were set by me, which is really outrageous."

Although he says he put limitations on himself, RuPaul has always proudly been on the fringe and gone up against the status quo, which is what he says drag is all about.

"The art of drag is a big F-U to masculine culture. Our culture is obsessed with masculinity, which would be perfectly fine if there was some balance to it, but there isn't balance to it," he says. "You go to any restaurant and they're playing fucking sports. Why can't you walk into a bar and they're playing 'The Golden Girls?' What's wrong with that!?"

Experiencing such stereotypical expressions of masculinity at a young age is what turned his attention to art, specifically drag.

"You see this masculine dominance in every facet of our culture," RuPaul says. "So us little boys who never fit into that box, we gravitated toward drag because it was a place that we could find some type of power where we could be recognized as viable, and we thought it was fun."

RuPaul also attributes part of his success to working with the same "tribe" since the early days, something that has motivated him throughout the dark times.

His "Drag Race" producing partners, Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato of World of Wonder, directed his early '90s "Supermodel" music video, and the duo says RuPaul has always been a workhorse multi-hyphenate ahead of his time.

"With Ru, it was a great working relationship from the beginning," says Bailey. "We've had a different relationship over the years, but it's always been a constant collaboration, and he's as inspiring on the show as he is in real life."

While society is evolving very slowly, RuPaul says one place he's seen real cultural progress is with younger people. He's been able to witness this through his fans every year at the DragCon, where he's become a beacon of inspiration for the up-and-coming generation.

"There's an emerging consciousness with people who are 11, 12, 13 [years old]. There's a slight shift in how they view identity and how they view an open mind and open heart," RuPaul says. "It's a small movement, but it is significant. I think that's where the big change is."

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RuPaul Reflects on Early Inspirations and a Key Drag Breakthrough

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Three decades after RuPaul started performing the Hollywood Walk of Fame is honoring him with a star.

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Within this compilation, we can see that while RuPaul is in drag as a judge on the panel, he takes on the role as the strict mentor. Though he still makes jokes and performs, he often takes on a grave face when addressing the contestants, particularly when deciding who to send home. While the other judges applaud he often stays still and keeps his face impassive.

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Drag Race Moments That Left The Judges Gagging 😮 RuPaul's Drag Race

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An example of RuPaul's strict mentor image within drag. Phrases such as "I came all the way across the pond, I want more" suggest he expects people to put their best effort into the competition because of who he is and who his image represents.

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In this clip we can see that out of Drag RuPaul takes on a more playful and easygoing image.

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RuPaul during Scarlett Harlett's Snatch Game walk through

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This article covers some of the anti-transgender rhetoric that RuPaul has expressed in relation to the treatment of transgender contestants on the show.

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RuPaul's initial comments on transgender contestants after past contestant Peppermint comes out as transgender. Comments are vague and dismissive and positioned briefly in the middle of a large and 'heartfelt' look at his life and career.

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When RuPaul Charles was seven, one of his sisters comforted him with a promise. "Everyone who's in charge of the world now," she told him, "they're all making it better, so that years from now everyone on the planet will have at least eight pairs of shoes." Her prediction tells us something about the better world a young RuPaul dreamed of - and that, in the case of his own shoe collection, at least, turned out to be true. Before the boy was even born, a psychic had told his mother he would grow up to be famous, so she took great care to name him suitably. What neither his unusually prescient family - nor a single TV pundit - predicted, however, was that at the age of 57 he would be the star of what has been called "the most radical show on TV".

RuPaul's Drag Race was turned down by every network bar one when he first pitched the idea a decade ago. A pastiche of America's Next Top Model, part talent contest and part reality TV, the format selects a dozen or so drag queens to compete in weekly challenges such as running up a Gone With The Wind-themed gown out of curtains. A judging panel of RuPaul and guests, who have included Lady Gaga and La Toya Jackson, scores the catwalk finales, looking for Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent (the acronym is not an accident), and the bottom two then "lip-sync for their lives" to a pop anthem, before the loser is eliminated.

The show is about to enter its 10th season, the concept has evolved a little every year, and the queens take the contest very seriously, but I've never met anyone who actually cares who wins. What makes Drag Race addictive are the contestants' life stories and the group dynamics which break all the rules of reality TV by favouring camaraderie over cat fights. For all the artifice of their outfits, the queens make themselves emotionally naked for us, by turns poignant, comic, vulnerable and heroic. RuPaul performs the role of grand matriarch, and it's his unexpected humanity which both defines and elevates the show. As one Drag Race addict wrote in Esquire, "Drag Race is an endless reminder that it's possible to find love for others - and ourselves - despite all of the shit and the pain and the heartbreak we go through in life."

The contestants are all "showgirls" - professional drag queens - and part of the fun comes from watching the miracles they conjure; there is nothing these girls can't do with wigs and corsets and enough gaffer tape. Some are plus size, others comic, and some straightforward glamour girls - all unrecognisable out of costume - but beyond the pleasing reality TV formula of transformation, Drag Race is also wildly funny. The frenzied athleticism of the lip-sync challenge, the frantic panics over frocks, the fabulous names - Adore Delano, Tempest DuJour, Eureka O'Hara - all shimmer with knowing irony. Contestants are fluent in the vernacular of drag - "throwing shade" (criticising), "hog body" (an insufficiently hourglass figure), "Judy" (good friend) - making the show feel like an invite to a private party on another planet.

Bought by Logo TV, a tiny LGBT cable network, Drag Race became an instant hit, quickly crossing over to VH1, bringing the subculture of drag into middle America's living rooms. In the coming season, the guest judges will even include senior Democrat and House minority leader Nancy Pelosi. Each episode now averages well over a million viewers, the show is streamed all over the world, and last year RuPaul won his second consecutive Emmy and was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People.

We meet in a hotel near his West Hollywood home. All 6ft 4in of him appears in the lobby, alone, bang on time; he could not be less diva-ish. Though immaculately dressed in a navy checked suit, his manner is playfully informal, and the unwavering eye-contact accelerates the sense of instant intimacy. When we part 90 minutes later, he has wept three times, referenced astral chart movements as though the zodiac were the Dow Jones, and cited various psychics as unimpeachable authorities. He has a fondness for aphorisms - "We're born naked, everything else is drag" - and when he talks about "culture", he means the Kardashians. To infer from all this that he is a delightful airhead, however, would be a mistake. RuPaul is deeply serious, erudite and self-aware, and has clearly given a great deal of thought to everything he says. If the personal is political, RuPaul has been a radical from the day he was born.

"People have always been threatened by me as an African-American man, because of the inherent black rage that all black people have in our culture, the underlying black rage because of what happened to us in this country. It's always there; it's a glaring issue that's saying, 'First of all, let's talk about the black rage.' So one of the ways that I've been able to dilute that perception is to dress as a character that says, 'Look I'm fun, I can have a sense of humour about life because I'm in drag. I acknowledge black rage, but we're going to have some fun.' So then people are like, 'Oh, OK, so we can laugh together, we don't have to address the black rage.'"

He grew up the only son of four children to dirt-poor, "crazy-arse country hillbilly" parents in San Diego, who fought violently before separating when RuPaul was seven. By then he already knew he was different. "When I was a kid I thought, 'OK, I don't fit in, I know that, but I'm smart enough to figure out what I can do to fit in.'" He studied the gender norms and expectations around him and, "I thought, 'OK, I've got it, I want nothing to do with that. In fact I'm lucky that I don't fit in, because now I can play with all the toys and all the colours.'" Drag, laughter and cannabis were his coping mechanisms, and at 15 he moved to live with his sister and her husband in Atlanta, where he quickly hit the nightclub scene, before graduating to New York's downtown nightlife in his 20s.

A club dancer who did "comedy fright drag", he had a lot of fun, but by 28 was broke. "Nothing was clicking. It was my Saturn returns, and it was that crossroads. I wasn't sure if the prophecy [that he would be famous] was true." He weeps unselfconsciously at the memory of how close he came to abandoning his dreams. "But then I was like, 'You know what? I'm going to glam the fuck out.'" He shaved his legs and chest, "went glamazon," and nine months later was crowned Queen of Manhattan at a drag queen pageant, "the pinnacle of downtown success".

But at the end of his reign, he was horrified to see the New York dance act Deee-Lite enjoy global fame with Groove Is In The Heart. "These kids in the neighbourhood were actually behind me in terms of succession to stardom. I was like, 'Wait a minute, how'd they get up there?' It's because bitch you were fucking asleep in the party world, being the Queen of Manhattan. So, I said, 'OK, no, I've got to fix that. I'm not having that.'" He made a demo tape, got signed to a label, and on his 32nd birthday released the dance anthem Supermodel (You Better Work) which went on to be a smash hit. "And that's when my world changed for ever."

The 90s were a riot for RuPaul. An international superstar, he made albums, starred in movies, had his own chat show, and was signed up by Mac as the first male face of the cosmetics brand. But in 1999 he withdrew from public life and moved to LA, to get sober and quit smoking pot.

"Listen, I'm not the greatest actor. I'm not the greatest singer. I'm not the greatest drag queen. I'm not the greatest dancer. My gift has been having the clarity to hear the universe's stage directions and to take advantage of that. I knew it was finally time for me to approach the things I had pushed deep down inside." He breaks down and silently weeps again.

"I realised that my putting a cloud of smoke around myself, literally and figuratively, was a way to push down those feelings. So I got into therapy, and recalibrated what my purpose was, you know. I had gotten into show business as a kid to get validation from the world, get validation from my father. And I realised that would never satisfy. It has to come from the inside. So I came back to show business, but I do what I do now with this newfound motivation."

When his long-time producers suggested a drag reality show, RuPaul had one condition: "I don't want to do anything mean-spirited." The high camp of drag may appear superficially catty, he says, but in fact the essence of the art form is compassion.

"For people to do drag and make it their profession in a male-dominated culture, they have to go through so much emotional tug-of-war, because society says, 'You're not supposed to do that.' So, the strength and humanity it takes to maintain yourself and your dreams create many different layers of consciousness. That's where the humanity comes from."

RuPaul likes to speak in deeply heartfelt but somewhat opaque rhetorical flourishes, so I ask if he means that Drag Race has a political message about humanity.

"Yes! It doesn't have a political agenda in terms of policies in Washington. But it has a position on identity, which is really the most political you can get. It has politics at its core, because it deals with: how do you see yourself on this planet? That's highly political. It's about recognising that you are God dressing up in humanity, and you could do whatever you want. That's what us little boys who were maligned and who were ostracised figured out. It's a totem, a constant touchstone to say, 'Don't take any of this shit seriously.' It's a big f-you. So the idea of sticking to one identity - it's like I don't care, I'm a shapeshifter, I'm going to fly around and use all the colours, and not brand myself with just one colour."

Pinning him down on precisely what all of this means can be tricky, in part I think because he doesn't want to offend anyone by explicitly acknowledging the contradiction between his playfully elastic sensibility and the militant earnestness of the transgender movement. The two couldn't be further apart, I suggest.

"Ye-es, that's always been the dichotomy of the trans movement versus the drag movement, you know," he agrees carefully. "I liken it to having a currency of money, say English pounds as opposed to American dollars. I think identities are like value systems or currencies; there's not just one. Understand the value of different currencies, and what you could do with them. That's the place you want to be." But to a transgender woman it's critically important that the world recognises her fixed identity as a female. RuPaul nods uneasily. "That's right, that's right."

What I can't understand is how transgender women can enter a drag contest. Last year RuPaul's Drag Race was widely acclaimed for featuring its first openly transgender contestant, called Peppermint - but if transgender women must be identified as female, how can they also be "men dressing up as women"?

"Well, I don't like to call drag 'wearing women's clothes'. If you look around this room," and he gestures around the hotel lobby, "she's wearing a shirt with jeans, that one's wearing jeans and a T-shirt, right? So women don't really dress like us. We are wearing clothes that are hyperfeminine, that represent our culture's synthetic idea of femininity."

In the subculture of drag you do occasionally find what are known as "bio queens" - biological women who mimic the exaggerated femininity of drag. Would RuPaul allow a biological woman to compete on the show? He hesitates. "Drag loses its sense of danger and its sense of irony once it's not men doing it, because at its core it's a social statement and a big f-you to male-dominated culture. So for men to do it, it's really punk rock, because it's a real rejection of masculinity."

So how can a transgender woman be a drag queen? "Mmmm. It's an interesting area. Peppermint didn't get breast implants until after she left our show; she was identifying as a woman, but she hadn't really transitioned." Would he accept a contestant who had? He hesitates again. "Probably not. You can identify as a woman and say you're transitioning, but it changes once you start changing your body. It takes on a different thing; it changes the whole concept of what we're doing. We've had some girls who've had some injections in the face and maybe a little bit in the butt here and there, but they haven't transitioned."

There's something very touching about RuPaul's concern to stay abreast of subcultural developments and find a way to embrace even those he finds confronting. "There are certain words," for example, "that the kids would use, that I'd be like, 'Wait a minute, hold up now.' But I've had to accept it because I understand where it comes from." Such as? "Well, one of the things that the kids do now is they'll say, referring to another drag queen, 'Oh that bitch is cunt, she is pure cunt', which means she is serving realness," by which he means presenting herself as realistic or honest. "They say it knowing it's shocking, knowing it's taboo, and it's the same way that black people use the N-word."

RuPaul talks about "the kids" on his show in tenderly nurturing tones, but has never had children himself. He met his husband, Georges LeBar, an Australian rancher, on a New York dancefloor in 1994, and revealed last year that the pair had married, but explains quickly, "Conventional, that wasn't my goal! Our goal was to use the system to work for us. I don't give a fuck about marriage. What I did care about is that if anything happens to me or him, our assets are protected."

The couple's domestic arrangements are fairly unconventional; LeBar lives on the couple's 60,000-acre Wyoming ranch, while RuPaul spends most of his time in LA, observing an almost comically west coast lifestyle; he rises at 4am, meditates and does yoga, and is out in the canyon with his personal trainer before dawn. RuPaul puts the success of their 24-year relationship down to the fact that it is open.

"He and I are very respectful of one another. He and I know that on this planet where there are millions and millions of people, the person I have found on this planet that I like the very most is him. And I know that for him the person he loves the most on this planet is me. I know that; there's no doubt in my mind. So if he needs to do something else somewhere else, I'm fine with that. He is respectful of me. He would never turn it into something that would make me feel uncomfortable, and I wouldn't do that to him either. To have that on this planet is crazy. It's rare." He becomes overcome by tears again and sobs softly, before brightening and admitting, with a mischievous grin, "The truth of the matter is that there aren't many people that I like. I'm usually bored by people, you know. I'd rather be alone reading a book or something."

I ask if the couple ever considered having children. "Georges loves kids, but I know what a child needs to prosper and grow, and I don't have the time to do that. If I were going to do it, I would devote my time to that kid. But, no, I've never wanted to do it. I love kids, but it's mainly because I'd have to deal with the other parents." He chuckles. "Fucking idiots, passing on this bullshit to their kids. People are fucking insane, and it would be terrible for my kid, because I would be telling off the other parents. I'd want to expand my kid's experience, but all these other parents would be like..." He wags a finger disapprovingly. "Oh my God that would drive me crazy - so, no."

He pauses to think for a moment. "But who knows? It could still happen, sure. It could happen tomorrow, you know. If he wanted to do it tomorrow, I would do it." Really? "I certainly would, yes. It's because I've done my thing on this. I think my legacy is set in stone."

It can be hard sometimes to know when RuPaul is and isn't being serious. What he calls shapeshifting is so central to his sensibility that being fabulous feels more important than maintaining fixed positions - but that is precisely the political message of his show. In another life, had he not been in show business, he thinks he would have been a teacher, "teaching young people how to navigate life". But it is quite impossible to imagine him being anything other than RuPaul.

He wishes he'd given himself another stage name, and thus the option of anonymity in the doctor's waiting room, say. But when I ask what name he would have chosen for himself, he can't imagine being anyone but RuPaul either.

"You know, that's a good question. I'm really good at choosing names for other people. Once I get their energy and once I see the rhythm I go, 'Oh I know what you are.'" Can he do that trick for everyone? "I think so, once I know them." Go on then, I laugh. Give me a drag name. He considers me for a moment.

"You know what? The first thing that came to my mind with you is Sparkle." And so Sparkle it is.

RuPaul's Drag Race season 10 starts on 22 March on VH1. Previous seasons can be viewed on Netflix.

Commenting on this piece? If you would like your comment to be considered for inclusion on Weekend magazine's letters page in print, please email weekend@theguardian.com, including your name and address (not for publication).

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RuPaul: 'Drag is a big f-you to male-dominated culture'

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A mix of high camp and compassion has made RuPaul's Drag Race a TV hit. But beneath the wigs and corsets, the lip-syncing showgirls have a radical message

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RuPaul expresses his dissapointment at the removal of "she-mail" joke, which was removed due to the anti-trans slur the joke stems from.

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PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news

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Drag artist RuPaul has spoken out about the decision to remove catch-phrase "You've got she-mail" from reality show RuPaul's Drag Race.

The drag competition reality show last year attracted criticism for a segment in which contestants were asked to guess from a photo whether someone was a 'female or she-male'.

Following the intervention of Logo TV, the show put an end to the drag star's catchphrase 'Ooh, girl, you've got she-mail' - which played near the start of each episode when the contestants received a challenge.

In its place for season seven, RuPaul had a new catchphrase, "She done already done had herses".

However, the drag star - who has previously vented about being banned from using the word "tranny" - spoke out against the decision.

Speaking to the Guardian, RuPaul said: "I would not have changed it, but that's their choice.

"Our intention was always coming from a place of love. On paper, you cannot read intention, so it was actually hurtful.

"First of all, drag is dangerous. We are making fun of everything. But when someone doesn't get the joke or feels offended by it, it's a lose-lose situation, because you can't explain a joke.

"It isn't funny if you explain it."

Speaking alongside RuPaul's Drag Race judge Michelle Visage on their podcast recently, RuPaul said: "Did you call me granny girl? That is your new thing, because we can't say it with a T anymore."

Michelle Visage said: "We're just going to say it for everything that's T-related. I checked the granny in my car."

The seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race recently concluded in the US, while the fourth season is this week airing on truTV in the UK.

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RuPaul: I wouldn't have dropped 'she-mail' joke

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Drag artist RuPaul has spoken out about the decision to remove catch-phrase "You've got she-mail" from reality show RuPaul's Drag Race.

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RuPaul aggressively defends his right to say transgender slur.

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PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news

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Drag artist RuPaul has joked about being banned from using "the T-word" - and says she will use the word "granny" instead.

The iconic San Francisco bar Trannyshack decided to change its name to T-Shack in May this year, due to controversy surrounding the use of the word, which some people deem to be transphobic.

However, reality star RuPaul had previously defended it, ranting: "They've used their victimhood to create a situation... Don't you dare tell me what I can do or say. It's just words. You know what? Bitch, you need to get stronger."

Speaking alongside RuPaul's Drag Race judge Michelle Visage on their podcast this week, RuPaul said: "Did you call me granny girl? That is your new thing, because we can't say it with a T anymore."

Michelle Visage said: "We're just going to say it for everything that's T-related. I checked the granny in my car..."

RuPaul continued: "All the people that I gravitate towards - there's a certain irreverence. There's a certain mocking of everything that other people take so seriously."

Explaining her decision to change the name of Trannyshack in May, drag artist Heklina said: "When I started the club (waaaaaay back in 1996) the word 'tranny' did not have the charged weight to it that it has today.

"Increasingly, and in the past year especially, it's become clear to me the meaning the word tranny has taken on.

"I've tried to avoid the issue because I've spent almost 20 years branding and promoting my club. But more and more, I am asked on the street, in interviews, and online about my thoughts on the word, and the name of my club.

"Time for a rebrand."

Trannyshack London has "no plans" to change its name.

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RuPaul: We can't use the T-word anymore, so I'm saying 'granny' instead

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Drag artist RuPaul has joked about being banned from using "the T-word" - and says she will use the word "granny" instead.

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RuPaul received some backlash for reportedly allowing fracking to take place on land his husband owns in Wyoming.

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It was not the way most people would have expected an interview with RuPaul, host of RuPaul's Drag Race show, to pan out.

During a conversation on NPR earlier this year, RuPaul sparked concerns that oil companies may be fracking on his 60,000-acre ranch in eastern Wyoming. A "modern ranch, 21st-century ranch is really land management", he said, and one aspect of that is to "lease the mineral rights to oil companies and you sell water to oil companies".

The Wilderness Society called the prospect "disappointing"; Greenpeace warns, generally, of "hundreds of tons of toxic fracking chemicals, many of which are kept secret by the industry", polluting aquifers and drinking water.

Yet in Wyoming itself, months later, people say they are hardly surprised. In fact, they say, it would be strange for major landowners like RuPaul and his husband not to have fracking rigs on their ranches.

Ranching and fracking go hand in hand here in one of the country's top oil-producing states. Oil wells are as much a part of the landscape as sweeping mountains, sagebrush and cattle, often whether landowners like it or not.

RuPaul doesn't live full-time at the ranch, which is owned by his husband, Georges LeBar, but rather uses it as a vacation spot. "There isn't a lot to do" there, RuPaul told Jimmy Kimmel in 2018. "I go up there and read books and watch movies. We just chill." RuPaul hasn't been seen in town by locals very often, and he called the people of Wyoming "frosty" and "chilly".

Members of the local LGBTQ community are excited RuPaul is in the area. "I wish I knew the right person who knew RuPaul so that he would come to one of my events," said Gage Williams, chair of Out in Wyoming, an LGBTQ non-profit.

A '21st-century ranch is really land management', according to RuPaul, whose husband leases grazing rights to other landowners and mineral rights to oil firms. Photograph: Ryan Dorgan/AP

He added: "That ranch is right in Douglas, which is known for oil. It's not a surprise that one of the biggest ranches is fracking."

Fracking is a controversial method of extracting oil and gas trapped in rock formations. Wyoming is arid, and the process uses an immense of amount of water. The resulting fossil fuels contribute to the climate crisis.

The non-profit FracTracker estimates that there are 60 producing oil wells and 144 wells waiting for approval on the LeBar Ranch property. A majority of the companies that own producing oil wells on the property are privately owned.

As Wyomingites are aware, RuPaul and his husband probably have no say over whether fracking occurs on their property. The rights to minerals under a given piece of land, including fossil fuels, are owned separately from the surface rights.

"Unless you own 100% of the fossil fuel rights under your land - and the vast majority of ranches don't - you can't prohibit oil and gas development. You don't have a choice," said RuPaul's neighbor, Jay Butler, a fourth-generation rancher and owner of the 18,000-acre Robinson Ranch. Roads and pipelines dotted with oil wells line Butler's own ranch. "If you drive north out of Douglas, all the ranches are involved with the oil industry."

While it might be difficult for many landowners to refuse oil and gas development on their properties outright, "negotiating with companies as opposed to just saying no often means being able to get wells and infrastructure located away from sensitive wildlife areas or other areas the landowner cares about", said Shannon Anderson, staff attorney for the Powder River Basin Resource Council, which advocates for responsible energy development through community organizing.

LeBar, RuPaul's husband, was born and raised in Australia and inherited the LeBar Ranch from his grandfather, who ran a successful sheep and cattle operation along with his wife for decades on the ranch. Georges LeBar doesn't own or run cattle himself, instead leasing the grazing rights on his land to other ranchers.

LeBar and RuPaul did not respond to requests for comment.

"RuPaul and LeBar could not say no to oil and gas development," Butler said. "I cannot say no on any of the ranch that I'm owner of. There's a healthy tension between ranchers and the oil industry, and you just have to negotiate in good faith."

He added that although RuPaul considers the locals cold, he would beg to differ.

"I'm not frosty, I'd go for a drink with him," Butler said.

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Rumors of RuPaul's fracking ranch may be surprising to some - but not his Wyoming neighbors

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The Drag Race host revealed earlier this year that his Wyoming ranch leases mineral rights to oil companies, and he's not alone

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Though RuPaul's Drag Race's namesake is due to RuPaul hosting the show, 'RuPaul' has also become a brand and trademark, expanding into other markets.

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A makeup collection with the 'RuPaul' brand attached to it.

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PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news

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The legendary RuPaul is launching his first ever beauty range in the UK and it looks sickening.

The original supermodel of the world says his new cosmetics collection "will leave you feeling happy, confident, fabulous".

It features super pigmented hues, long-lasting formulations and the ultimate androgynous scent to help fans "ramp up your charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent".

The collection is now available to shop exclusively in-store and online at superdrug.com.
This article contains affiliate links, PinkNews may earn revenue if you click through and purchase products through the links.
"I've been playing with makeup since I was a little, bitty boy. I just love what it does for people. This collection has a little bit of everything, for everyone," RuPaul said.

The drag icon added: "From people who are beauty obsessed, to those who are maybe just getting into makeup, every product provides you with what you need to feel truly empowered."

The collection features nine products, including The Final Four highlighter palette, A Little Bit of Luscious lipstick trio, Supermodel lip duo and Eleganza Extravaganza liquid eyeshadow trio.

The RuPaul x Superdrug collection also features two 18-pan eyeshadow palettes. There's the Sashay Away set, which features shimmery shades and the Shantay You Stay set with matte shades.

The shade names reference some of RuPaul's iconic quotes and songs and Drag Race moments including "Queendom", "Step It Up", "Main Event" and "All Stars".

Finishing up the range is the Give Your All gift set, which features all of the beauty products in one set. Plus, there's the Condragulations and Werk It look books which feature a mix of six of the products from the collection.

There's also a gender-neutral fragrance that's part of the collection, but it's not listed on the Superdrug website yet, so watch this space.

To shop the RuPaul collection at Superdrug head to superdrug.com.

RuPaul slams Republicans' attempts to ban kids from drag shows

Earlier this year RuPaul said Republicans' efforts ban kids from drag events is really a "diversion tactic" to move "away from the gun debate" in the US.

The Late Late Show host James Corden mentioned to RuPaul that Texas Republican Bryan Slaton has vowed to file a problematic bill that would "ban drag shows in the presence of minors" in the state. Slaton claimed the legislation would be "protecting kids from drag shows" and other so-called "inappropriate displays".

"It's a diversion tactic to take the narrative away from the gun debate into something [else], to scare people into thinking about something else, and they've been successful," RuPaul said.

The legendary host continued: "They have changed the narrative away from the gun debate into this drag queen thing.

"Y'all want to help your kids? Take away them guns, that will help your kids!

"Drag queens ain't hurt nobody. You're born naked, and the rest is drag.

"Everybody's in drag, okay! Child, please."

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RuPaul launches his first ever beauty collection in the UK and it looks sickening

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Drag Race host RuPaul is teaming up with Superdrug to release his first beauty range in the UK featuring palettes, lipsticks and more.

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An official site that sells 'RuPaul' branded merchandise.

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RuPaul collaborated with Colorevolution to create a makeup collection and perfume.

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A limited-edition makeup collaboration between RuPaul and ColorEvolution. **NOTE: Fragrance cannot be shipped internationally (including Canada) or by UPS Air services**

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Graeme Turner (2013) ‘The Economy of Celebrity’, in Graeme Turner (2013) Understanding Celebrity (2nd Edition), London: Sage pp.33-55

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Graeme Turner (2013) ‘The Economy of Celebrity’, in Graeme Turner (2013) Understanding Celebrity (2nd Edition), London: Sage pp.33-55

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"Celebrities are developed to make money. Their names and images are used to market lingerie, swimwear, fragrances, and sports shoes, as well as the products of the entertainment industries: films, DVDs, magazines, newspapers, television programmes – even the evening news. Media entrepreneurs want celebrities involved with their projects because they believe this will help them attract audiences. Film producers use stars as a means of attracting investment to their projects, marketers use celebrity endorsements as a means of profiling and branding their products, television programmes feature guest appearances from celebrities to build their audiences, and sports promoters use celebrity athletes to attract media attention and increase the size of the gate. Celebrity also makes money for the individual concerned, of course and it does this in two ways. While they are cultural workers and are paid for their labour, celebrities are also ‘property’ (Dyer, 1986: 5): that is, they are a financial asset to those who stand to gain from their commercialisation – networks, music production companies, agents, managers, and finally the celebrities themselves. The celebrity can develop their public persona as a commercial asset and their career choices, in principle, should be devoted to focusing on that objective. As the asset appreciates – as the celebrity's fame spreads – so does its earning capacity."

As expressed by Turner, celebrity develop a public persona that can create to sell. RuPaul created an image of glamour and fame which is why he has gone on to use his brand to sell clothes, makeup and fragrance.

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Ann-Marie Fleming (2019) ‘Because it’s the truth- authenticating Chanel through celebrity death and fan magazines’, Celebrity Studies, Vol 10, No.3- 320-331

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Ann-Marie Fleming (2019) ‘Because it’s the truth- authenticating Chanel through celebrity death and fan magazines’, Celebrity Studies, Vol 10, No.3- 320-331

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"Although Monroe is also a brand, her authenticity cannot come from ‘I use’ (like a product), but rather from ‘I respond to’. Using the above example as a framework, we might say: ‘I like Marilyn Monroe, not Audrey Hepburn’. In this case we could be suggesting: ‘I identify
with being misunderstood/vulnerable/sexy, not quirky/refined/sweet’."

In this quote, Fleming is using the examples of Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn to describe how celebrity association can help represent a brand. In the case of MAC and RuPaul, RuPaul does not represent one fixed identity, rather someone who's identity is always in flux which makes him a malleable celebrity who's image can be moulded to fit whatever image MAC wants to present for this particular collection.