#rupauldragrace

[tamapalace]

we need a RuPaul x Tamaverse collaboration

[jean-montgomery]

[vhthanh]

ALL things Reality TV & Drag Race

What is Reality TV?

Reality TV can be defined as a documentary-style television program of different categories where ordinary people are filmed as they engage in unscripted behavior and interactions. Some categories of Reality TV include dating programs, lifestyle or makeovers, celebrity-based, talents, and contests (Murray & Ouellette, 2009).

Reality TV is often characterized by hypervisibility and over-the-top emotions with behavior transgression that promises the audience the thrill and suspense of unpredictability (Kavka, 2018). 

The Paradox of Reality TV Audience

For the past 20 years, it has been a dominant genre in television and still consistently wins high TV ratings. However, many surveys reveal most consider reality TV their least favorite genre of entertainment and that there should be less reality TV. 

The juxtaposition of the simultaneous popularity and the unfavorability can be due to its success in its ability to entertain. These programs offer audiences escapism, a moment to turn off from their realities, and consume easy-to-digest dramatic scenarios. Most often, the characters presented are ordinary people with everyday qualities that most would find relatable. In the context of celebrity-based reality shows, it is valuable for fans to have access to a less curated, perhaps, more ‘authentic’ side of their idols. However, in the same breath, reality TV can also offer unrealistic scenarios, promote superficial values, and greatly exploit its participants. 

The Exploitation of Reality TV

Social Media offers reality TV multiplatform engagement, increasing interactions between fans and reality TV stars, diversifying audiences, and increasing engagement. Social media opens up opportunities for new markets, which is seen as beneficial for the participants to help widen their fan base, amplify their notoriety, and gain sponsorships. Social media allow reality TV stars the chance to sustain their spotlight even after the show ends. But…at what cost? 

Television networks highly encourage stars to generate their digital texts by pitting them against their costars, for attention, status, and salary (Arcy, 2018). This strategy is an attempt by the network to cut costs while extending viewer engagement by incentivizing stars to produce more content (Arcy, 2018). Through gruesome contracts, competitive working conditions, and promises of fame producers manipulate participants by encouraging them to bear intimate details of their lives for the sake of good “TV” (Arcy, 2018). And if you don’t accept these conditions, everyone is replaceable as there is always a rotating door of other willing participants (Arcy, 2018). This begs the question, under such coercion would these reality stars go too far, way beyond the limit of their true character? 

Not all bad…

Reality TV helps create digital publics through the generation of social discussions! (Deller, 2019)

As an example, the RuPaul Drag Race series helps confront homophobia, other forms of oppression, and bigotry (Brennan & Gudelunas, 2017). The success of the show catapulted representation of the LGBTQ communities, queer and drag cultures to an international stage. The show discusses topics such as mental health, gender transitions, and HIV statuses all topics often deemed taboo for television (Brennan & Gudelunas, 2017). The representation Drag Race helps provide for marginalized groups in the realm of reality TV is undeniable. However, the show and Rupaul have been criticized by feminists for using jargon like ‘‘fishy’ when describing a drag queen's womanly representation (Brennan & Gudelunas, 2017). Presumably, the word here can reference the smell of female genitalia (Brennan & Gudelunas, 2017). RuPaul's catchphrases, Creative, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent also spell out a slur with a misogynistic connotation (Brennan & Gudelunas, 2017). Another discussion was had about the show's use of the word ‘she-mail’ in the early production of the show as derogatory and insensitive to transgender social issues (Brennan & Gudelunas, 2017). 

RuPaul: our evil, problematic Queen? A deep dive...

References

Arcy, J. (2018). The digital money shot: Twitter wars, The Real Housewives, and transmedia storytelling. Celebrity Studies, 9(4), 487–502. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2018.1508951

Brennan, N., & Gudelunas, D. (2017). Drag Culture, Global Participation and RuPaul’s Drag Race. RuPaul’s Drag Race and the Shifting Visibility of Drag Culture, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50618-0_1

Deller, R. A. (2019). Reality Television in an Age of Social Media. In Reality Television: The Television Phenomenon That Changed the World (pp. 141–175). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83909-021-920191007

Kavka, M. (2018). Reality TV: its contents and discontents. Critical Quarterly, 60(4), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1111/criq.12442

Murray, S., & Ouellette, L. (2009). Reality TV : remaking television culture (2nd edition). New York University Press.

[moochilatv]

Gabe Lopez presents: Long Road

Deep song ! Long road life !

Emmy-nominated Gabe Lopez releases his next queer bop "Long Road" - a gorgeous driving song full of heartache, melancholy and limerence.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gabe Lopez (@gabelopez)

Music producer for RuPaul’s Drag Race, Belinda Carlisle, platinum KPOP artists and more, Gabe writes and produces his own solo work, which finds its home in TV and film, while also generating a solid streaming fanbase.

Listen Long Road in Spotify:

[mondomoda]

4º The Realness Festival anuncia Katya e Grag Queen como primeiras atrações

Katya e Grag Queen são as primeiras estrelas confirmadas na quarta edição do The Realness Festival, que acontecerá sábado, 16 de agosto de 2025, na Vibra São Paulo – uma das maiores casas de espetáculos do Brasil. Com capacidade total para até 7 mil pessoas, o novo local reafirma o crescimento deste que é conhecido como o maior festival drag da América Latina. A expansão para um local com maior…

[sequinqueen]

Our Weekly DEALS are for a LIMITED time!

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PLUS FREE Shipping Worldwide On All Products.

Choose Either Custom Sizing or a Regular Size.

[remarkist]

remarkist

[djninaflowers]

TBT, on a fun night out in Puerto Rico with Drag Race Royalty and my sister, @manilaluzon 💙 #manilaluzon #ninaflowers #djninaflowers #rupauldragrace #rupaulsdragraceallstars #dragraceroyalty https://www.instagram.com/p/CpldaeLJkdn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thecursedprince]

Welcome to the Main Stage!

*Not Sponsored. All photos belong to @the.cursed.prince I purchased with my own money.

#monsterhigh #monsterhighdolls #doll #rupaul #rupauldragrace #drag #dragrace #skullector #dollphotography #dollphotogallery #mattel #mattelcreations #runway #mother #dragon #ru #shantayyoustay #dolloftheday #dragons #photographer #photography

[jean-montgomery]

[yoannspn]

Sam wearing shirts, Part VII

"DeAn, wHAt Do yOu tHiNk yOU'rE dOiNg? 🤨" I love him 🥰

I've been watching RuPaulDragRace, okay? 😅

[dear-ao3]

katya, how do you pronounce your name?

like this

[malleusbethor]

Rook and?