The Makeup of RuPaul's Drag Race: Essays on the Queen of Reality Shows

Start your engines - for the fun, the controversy, and the life lessons of RuPaul's Drag Race and its spinoff RuPaul's DragU. This collection of original essays by international scholars critically examines the shows' representation of drag within the contexts of the reality TV genre and LGBTQ issues. Contributors focus on the structure of the programs; the subversive nature of drag; the treatment of trans contestants, race, language, and its handling of LGBTQ political issues. Overall, this book provides a comprehensive interrogation of the shows' premise, their host, and the contestants through the first six seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race and the three seasons of DragU. This book is of interest to fans of the programs, as well as scholars and students in the fields of gender, LGBTQ, and trans studies.