Body Image and Self Acceptance....What a DRAG: What We Can Learn from DRAG Queens
With this month being Pride month, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to talk about Drag Queens and what we can learn from them. Some of you may be wondering if I'm actually serious about this and the answer is of course I am! Let me explain......
I watch RuPaul's Drag Race and have for all eleven seasons. I enjoy the show for many reasons but one of the main ones is to see these men transform themselves and own who they are! They are all very talented and artistic entertainers who embrace the fact that they stand out and are different from main stream society. They are basically telling the world to stop being followers and to instead be who you are!
It sounds so easy but we all know that it's not. The queens know it's not easy either as the show gives us glimpses into what they've gone through to get to the present time. Many have gone through major trauma, eating disorders, substance use disorders and some still struggle with these issues. It's not sugar coated and it's not glossed over. It's talked about because this is what it means to be human! It means being perfectly imperfect, not getting rid of "weaknesses" or "faults" but embracing them and seeing them as part of who we are and what shapes us.
I follow many queens on my instagram account and one of my favourites, Ginger Minj, once had a Q&A session and I asked him,"I love your self confidence...any advice on how to help with self acceptance and body image?" He answered with the above pic and said, "Just realize you are BEAUTIFUL, baby! It took me a long time, and sometimes I still struggle, but I love me!".
I couldn't have said it better myself! It's always a work in progress for people and we all have good days and not so good days but life is too short to spend our time trying to be someone we're not or look a certain way when that is not what we're meant to
look like.
As Rupaul says, "We're all born naked and the rest is drag", meaning that we all start from the same place in life and we get to determine who we are, both inside and out! Own it and be you!!! Be confident in your skin and make no apologies!!!
One more amazing saying that Rupaul ends every episode saying: "If you can't love yourself how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else...can I get an AMEN up in here?"
AMEN!
