07 May 16
drag . drag race . underage drag fans

THE PROBLEM WITH UNDERAGE DRAG FANS

AS DRAG LEGEND RUPAUL ONCE SAID, "DRAG WILL NEVER BE MAINSTREAM".




And yet due to massive popularity of the Drag take on 'Next Top Model' 'RuPaul's Drag Race', the aforementioned is increasingly toeing the line through into modern pop culture - thanks to appearances from queens such as Violet Chachki and The Haus of Edwards (to name a few) at last year's VMA awards and the success of online series such as Willam Belli's 'Willam's Beatdown'. These all inevitably bring legions of newly dedicated fans to the clubs supporting their local Queens & waves of new supporters blogging about their favourite's every move.

But what happens if you can't support your favourite Queens in the only ways that really matter? Showing up to your local clubs for support? Tipping? 

What if all you can do is tweet well wishes and hope for the best?


THE HAUS OF EDWARDS, VIVACIOUS & MILEY CYRUS @ the VMA's 2015

This is the unexpectedly trivial problem for the hundreds of younger fans now submerged in Drag culture - a trend almost nobody predicted to see among the teens of today. Before now Drag belonged almost exclusively to the club kids, pride parades, gay bars & among straight men on Stag Do's - so where do the underage fans go? What do the underage fans do? And are they welcome in such an adult-orientated sector of entertainment?

I spoke with a few underage fans to get their version of events - being young as part of one of the most exciting subcultures of today.

The answer to where the younger fans go is pretty simple - they go to where fans of legal age go. Shows. Just nowhere near as often as fans of legal age, due to the obvious barrier of not being able to attend club gigs. Organizations such as Holy Trannity and Klub Kidz in the UK arrange shows in larger venues with Drag Race stars, or give younger fans the opportunity to meet the Queens by hosting exclusive meet and greet sessions for them - such as Season 6 Drag Race favourite Adore Delano's hugely successful UK 14+ tour in August last year organized by HT, or just recently Season 3 Drag Race Winner Raja held a Klub Kidz meet and greet opportunity in Newcastle for younger fans. The annual Battle of The Seasons tour featuring Queens from all seasons of the show is held in all bigger venues, too. 

Unfortunately (but expectedly), this leads to inflated ticket prices to accommodate the larger venue hire costs. The fans I spoke with had mixed opinions on the topic of higher prices and whether or not they were realistic for younger fans to afford to fork out for to see their favourite Drag Race stars.

Weronika told me "I've only attended two (and have one coming up) and they weren't the cheapest but the prices were understandable since they had a few queens performing and in the end I really enjoyed both shows." 

However Jack said "I can't afford travel to Manchester or London and ridiculous ticket prices. Also any clubs that accept underage fans only accept them when drag race girls are there or there's a big event, like DXP or BOTS and they can charge up to and above £100 for entry, which doesn't factor in travel costs and accommodation etc."

Ashley said "I'd say normal tickets are always affordable but VIP sometimes is not doable. I was only able to pay for bots because it was a birthday present and my friend offered to pay the extra 100."

Not being able to afford the 14+ shows or being able to go inside clubs to see Queens doesn't phase some fans though - it is common practice to wait outside nightclubs such as around Manchester's Gay Village for the Drag Queens to come out so younger fans can meet them. Zuleika mentioned she had waited outside "Many Times!" - although not without bad experiences. 

"I waited for Sharon (NEEDLES) and when she came out, she was immediately told to go back in despite waiting outside in the dark for her for about 5 hours. Also, with Katya (ZAMOLODCHIKOVA) and Trixie (MATTEL), I waited outside for about 5-6 hours in the freezing cold and when I shouted them they were pushed inside by the body guards and we were told to leave the back doors."


Ellie said "I have never waited outside of a club for a queen because my mum won't let me, I was going to wait for Max when she was at Shade but my mum changed her mind last minute about me going. I did wait outside of the O2 academy for Adore since around 11 am until showtime, and I hung around for a few minutes after BOTS." and Jack told me "I was going to go to meet a few drag race queens on separate occasions last year, but every time me and my friends would reach out to them about meeting underage fans, they either wouldn't confirm whether they would or they just ignored us." Weronika even said "It crossed my mind a few times but it's dangerous to do that especially when you're alone, and even places like canal street are not the safest at night."

However, it isn't all bad news for underage fans. Out of everyone I spoke to, general experiences were positive of management and the Queens themselves. Ashley pointed out that "Queens have only ever been incredibly nice to me. And the staff are usually very helpful and respectful. The staff for BOTS especially were amazing - they went and got the merch we wanted for us when we were in line for the meet and greet." and both Ellie & Jack echoed similar sentiments.

One issue that the underage community continuously battle (or continue to prove correct) is the conception of young fans in the minds of those of age.

I sent out a tweet asking about opinions of older fans towards the younger community, and got this interesting thread in response.



Ashley interestingly said "I think when you're an underage fan you have to earn respect in the community. You have to prove you're not just a drag race fangirl and you actually have knowledge about drag. If you want respect as an underage fan you can't fit the stereotype of fangirls calling the queens mom, tweeting them constantly, and just being immature. I think underage fans as a whole are looked down upon but if you're mature and not annoying you will earn respect from older fans and the queens themselves." 

 Jack echoed Ashley by pointing out "I feel like queens respect us, but there is so much negativity between the fans that they try to keep their distance, and the constant misuse of shade and arrogance of young fans means that everyone else thinks we're jokes, so it's no surprise that venues don't go out of their way to cater to us." 

 While Zuleika even felt the same too - stating "I am respected within the fandom by people who are my age or have recently turned 18+, therefore being able to relate to my situation, but other than that young drag fans are often shunned upon for not being 'mature enough'. I understand that some fans are immature and do give the young fan community a bad rep, but overall, we're not that bad. We just want to meet queens and be noticed and respected to the same degree as 18+ fans, but obviously it's harder for us to do that."

 Luckily again, not everyone feels the same on Drag and respect. Weronika talked about her positive experiences, telling me "I do feel respected within the community! Everyone is very accepting and supporting, and I haven't had any bad experiences at shows/ while out with anyone (so far anyway)."

It isn't difficult to understand the allure of Drag to young people - ESPECIALLY young LGBTQIA+ people. Upon searching 'What is Drag?', I find the answer "clothing more conventionally worn by the opposite sex, especially women's clothes worn by a man"; but it is so much more than that to so many people. Drag is Punk. Drag is rebelling against a gender normative society. Drag is non-conformative and that is part of the draw. As a young person, you look for yourself in everything. As a young person, you are still finding who you are and who you aren't - and most importantly, who you want to become. With Drag you have a plethora of personalities to be drawn to - from the witty & bitchy Bianca Del Rio to the fierce & fanciful Anna Phylactic; from the burlesque babe in Violet Chachki to the Bond Girl of Drag in Diana Dzhaketov. 

 Young people will be excited when they find a character they relate to more than anyone else in the world and I'm afraid that is how it will always be. Instead of alienating them from a culture they are now a part of, a culture they are now passionate about - be patient. Be kind. 

Massive thanks to Jack, Zuleika, Weronika, Ellie, Kayley & Ashley. You rock.

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