It started as a hobby, became a career and ended as a life-changer — the LGTBQIA+ activist talks all things life and drag. Meet Nicole Nasty, a make-up artist, hairstylist and the nastiest queen of the Greek drag scene.
“Before I got introduced to drag, I wasn’t familiar with it at all. All I was, was a hairdresser and a make-up artist. I was introduced to drag through RuPaul’s drag race, which a friend suggested I watch. After a year of watching the show, I learned so much about drag and its history. So much so, I got started professionally as Nicole Nasty in 2018. The art of drag really intrigued me because it combines a range of arts I feel passionate about, including hairstyling, make-up, dancing, and acting.
Drag has helped me a lot personally and professionally. And Nicole Nasty has definitely helped Nikolas in every aspect. Nikolas is a more reticent person, while Nicole Nasty is more social. She’s an extrovert, perhaps something Nikolas wishes he could be. Nevertheless, they have much in common. Both of them are feminists and LGTBQIA+ activists. Nicole Nasty is comic, sexy and very creative. Her style tends towards pop, youthful, sexy and nasty, (obviously?!), as you can tell by the name! Nikolas chooses self-expression through art, as Nicole Nasty on stage, because it’s easier for her to be who she wants to that way.
My friends were really excited and showed a lot of encouragement when I told them that I would become a drag queen. My family has been very supportive as well. I would consider myself lucky to have such understanding parents, even though it should be a norm for every family. My parents were already familiar with drag culture through a Greek entertainer, Takis Zacharatos, an impersonator of different famous personas. My mother is my number one fan; she has seen me perform many times and even lent me dresses when I first started as a drag queen. My father would also attend my shows if I didn’t perform so late at night. However, he still watches the videos afterwards and loves them nonetheless. In terms of dating, being a drag queen hasn’t really been an issue. If any of my dates aren’t comfortable with me being a drag queen, then I simply move on. It’s not my problem; I’m all good, hun!
Being a drag queen in Greece is difficult; I’m not going to lie. But I do try my best and trust the process. It takes patience, determination and a lot of hard work. When I first started, I used to go out dressed in drag a lot. Now, not so much anymore. Staring has a lot do to with that. While I haven’t encountered terrible behaviours, it does depend on the area you’re in Athens; you could either get compliments or mocking. I have definitely experienced the latter, where I was bullied at a movie set for being a drag queen. We were doing a photo shoot on the street in Athens, and there was this middle- aged woman who kept taking pictures of us. Then she finally came over and asked me, “what are you?” Smiling, I replied that I was a drag queen, which followed by her insisting that I was a man and all that.
On the grand scheme, Greece has taken steps forward in terms of LGTBQIA+ and accepting drag, but that doesn’t mean we have reached the ideal level of respecting each other’s freedom. Personally, I’m optimistic, and I believe that slowly but surely, we’ll get there.
My first performance was very emotional and was probably the only time I felt highly stressed to perform. It was a fundraising show for Zak Kostopoulos’ trial, a Greek LGTBQIA+ activist who had been brutally beaten to death. It was the experience that convinced me drag was what I wanted to do. On stage is where I feel most confident because I know I’m going to impress. I recognise that I naturally have something that will entertain the audience; they won’t be able to take their eyes off me! Unlike other drag queens that find it disrespectful, I love it when other people join me on stage; it’s beautiful. I want the audience to have fun; that’s the goal.
Like most performers, I’ve also had my fair share of embarrassing experiences on stage. One that comes to mind right now is when I tried to do a wig reveal, snapping my wig on stage and uncovering the one I have underneath. It didn’t go as planned, and I accidentally ended up taking off both of them. Oh well, that didn’t stop me. I don’t let these mishappenings get to me. Instead, I went to a mirror and humorously stuck one of the wigs back on my head. I continued the show, like a real queen, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The splits I proceeded to do made everybody forget the incident.
The pandemic has impacted me in terms of livelihood, as I am financially dependent on my drag performances. However, I’ve remained busy despite the lockdown, occupying myself with live streams and drag makeovers on social media. I’ve also expanded my YouTube channel by collaborating with other drag queens, and it’s been fun; it keeps my creative juices flowing. Drag is an integral part of Nikolas; it’s his creativity, it’s the claim to his rights, and oh my God, it’s so much fun!”