Month: March 2021

An insightful glimpse into the life of a 24-year-old drag queen from Cyprus. Hear her inspiring story; how drag changed her life and the struggles of being a gay person in Balkan countries. Meet English teacher on paper, and drag queen at heart, Violetta J’adore. 

“My husband and I always joke around that I have three personalities. My first name is Vassilis, and my middle name is Theodoros. Vassilis is a shy, depressed little kid from Cyprus. Then we have Violetta, the very social, expressive, and crazy, over the top drag queen. Theodoros is placed right in the middle of Vassilis and Violetta, trying to keep a balance. Violetta is passionate, glamorous, versatile and fucking lives to perform. 

Drag was a revelation for me that I stumbled upon by pure accident. Before drag, my life was pretty miserable, and that’s not an understatement. I wasn’t the same person by any stretch of imagination; I was shy, antisocial, an introvert really. Thanks to drag, I became more expressive. I was finally able to express myself through performing, which incorporates everything that I love: acting, dancing and, of course, glam. 

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I was first introduced to drag culture in my 20s when I went to Spain for an Erasmus grant in 2017. I was studying Psychology at Universidad Europea de Madrid. I also worked at a club in a gay area of Madrid called Chueca, and there was this custom to pass around flyers dressed in drag to promote the venue. Because the club didn’t have any drag queens to do this job, they asked me if I could do it, and I thought, “why not?” Soon after, I got my first gig as a drag queen in that club. I then decided, “okay, this is a thing now; I’ve got to do it!” Now, almost four years later, I have performed in six different countries, and I can’t imagine my life without drag. 

Meanwhile, I’m an English literature teacher doing my PhD at the University of Portsmouth. People used to tell me that drag will ruin my career as an English teacher. That it would destroy my reputation, that everything stays online and that I needed to look out for my future. To be honest, I used to worry about that too, until my last job in Brighton as a language school teacher. My boss literally helped me pick out my heels for one of my shows, which he then even attended and watched. 

I currently live in Brighton, and I walk around in my 7-inch heels, fully drag-dressed, confident, and only get compliments. When I lived in Athens after my Erasmus grant finished in 2018, I would ride the underground in drag make-up and feel scared. I would cover myself with a hoodie, looking down so that nobody stared at me. In my homeland, Cyprus, the situation is even worse when it comes to queer; I wouldn’t feel safe at all walking around in drag there. At the age of 16, I got beaten to the ground, while all I did was walk out of a gay club in Limassol with my friends. I remember my friends ran away, but I stayed calm. I was asked, “are you a man?” I replied, “yes,” and I got fucking beaten up. I became scared, but every fight against homophobia is worth it. I’ll never deny or alter myself to please other people. 

My friends have been very supportive of me, and I love them to bits for that. In my family, only two people know that I’m a drag queen: my cousin and my mother. I’d say that Cyprus is a very closed-minded community. They aren’t up to speed with what’s happening in the rest of the world. For example, my mother had a misguided opinion on drag; she thought it was similar to stripping. Now, she’s gradually trying to understand. Throughout the years, I’ve learned that not everyone in your life has to like what you do; they just have to accept it and not comment. It’s about you, as long as you’re happy with yourself and your life. People either have to get on board, or they have to get out of your life, duh! 

When I get on stage and perform in drag, the adoration and rush I get from the audience are literally mind-blowing. I’m very detailed when it comes to my performances, from the make-up and the outfit to the song and the concept. During quarantine, I’ve even learned to make my own wigs out of natural hair. Drag to me is creativity, it’s expression, and it’s love. I take my performances very seriously, and I still get anxious before getting on stage. 

I wouldn’t be happy if I had to let go of Violetta. As a teenager, I dealt with many mental issues, and it was tough for me to express myself as a gay bipolar person. When Violetta came into my life, I realised that I could communicate my feelings and thoughts by performing through her. At first, I only saw Violetta as a persona, an alter-ego of mine that I could channel whenever I pleased. But four years down the road, she’s now a part of me, something that I need in my life. 

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Since lockdown, I’ve been practising drag on social media, though I do count on going back to live performances in May. I’ve actually already planned out my next steps. I’m the event manager of the “Funny Boyz” event at “Le Village” in Brighton. The “Funny Boyz” is a franchise of drag cabaret events across Europe, part of the EuroDrag and EuroStars international televised competition. I’m thrilled to be working with them; you can make reservations already, and I promise you, you’ll have the time of your life! Nobody does it like drag queens, and that’s a fact! 

Covid has almost killed drag in a way. We are getting ignored by the government rules; it’s like we don’t exist. Until October, I was fully booked to perform in clubs and pubs, and then, in just one day, everything got cancelled. I was counting on those shows; they are my livelihood. Many people quit drag because it doesn’t pay during a pandemic, and many venues have shut down. While the government can pay those, who work in hospitality, (as they should), they forget about the performers. Performers have been deeply affected during these difficult times too. 

I won’t give up, though. I have too many looks that I need to show people. I aspire to be the best I can, and no pandemic will stop me. That’s the thing I love most about Violetta; she keeps me on my toes; there’s excitement every single day. As the years go by, Vassilis is catching up to Violetta. I don’t see a peak in my drag journey; I just want to keep learning new things every day. Things about myself, about Violetta, and the world. But like I wouldn’t say no to a Vogue cover.”

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