Fashion Finds: Half Drag
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| Ms. Fame by Leland Bobbe all photographs via Vouge.IT | © Leland Bobbe |
Anyone who has ever paid a lick of attention to this blog knows that I am unabashedly obsessed with anything Drag. I found RuPaul's Drag Race back in January and it was like I'd found actual salvation. (A bit much I know, but still...) But I've been fascinated with drag for ages. The first time I tried (and failed) to explore drag was a year ago with my Study in Pearls, and then I delved into the drag world again last semester for my two final projects Mizery Loves Company and Kris Knievil: Daredevil of Drag (who incidentally are rival queens at the same club in Boston)
So imagine how amazed I was to find this fantastic photo-series by Lelan Bobbe entitled "Half Drag". On his website, Bobbe says:
"My intention with Half-Drag is to capture both the male and the alter-ego female side of these subjects in one image."
It's an amazing ongoing project, and I have to say, I wish I thought of it first! These photos are a very obvious and real indication of how talented these Queens are. I remember being in awe of the transformation that takes place on a Drag Queen's face as she gets ready, and this really demonstrates how drastically they are able to change their appearances with some makeup and brushes. These Queens are artists and I dare anyone to tell me differently.
Hopefully this will help to normalize the conversation around drag queens and drag culture. It seems like such a simple thing, but there are a lot of misconceptions about what these queens do and what their intentions are. (Hint, it's just to make a living doing what they love...) I love drag culture, and I hope that this will help more people recognize that drag queens are people first, who just happen to have mad skills with a makeup brush! Check out a of my favourite shots from the series after the jump, and check out the rest of Bobbe's work and the remainder of the series over at his official website.
BONUS: If you're so inclined, also check out Bobbe's series of Neo-Burlesque portraits, which he said are what originally inspired Half-Drag. They're just as amazing, and really show a wide range of colour and personality. AMAZING! GAH!!!
