The life of a queen is always under the spotlight. Not just on the stage, but off it too. Whether it be for the glitz and glamour of the performances or the rise in popularity on Instagram feeds, it’s evident that drag queens are slaying all around us. Love that for them! But wait a minute, where are the kings? In fact, I have a question of my own, what even is a drag king?
Essentially, drag kings are women going up in drag, so, as men, often wearing masculine garments and defying male stereotypes. Over the years, the idea of gender has evolved, and so has this definition. Similarly like their queen counterparts, a kings performance involves dance, comedy, and music. Today’s society has actually brought out many types of drag king performers. If you browse the Internet, you’ll find terms such as ‘non-binary kings’ and ‘trans men kings’. And this is great; the more, the merrier, and the more GiGi gets to explore all things drag! (Whoops, catch that reference!)
We sat down with three marvellous drag kings and spilt the real tea of why it’s so much more uncommon and underestimated compared to female impersonation.