Here went the compulsory rainbow colors, gaudy wigs, artist names containing the word 'Queen' with a capital Q and passionate lipsyncing to Beyonce's songs: the Hanoi Mardi Gras festival, paying tribute to Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, presented itself as a midscale drag show. And I have always had mixed feelings about drag shows. First, it's the fact that the stage is often the only place where queer bodies are accepted after being adorned with concealer and light-reflecting cloths. Second, queer representation is often in the form of a contest which rewards the the ability of trans to pass as straight, the complexity of their 'performance' and tearjerking stories of untold struggles with identity crisis ending with a wish for acceptance from family and society. It's celebratory and necessary, and yet for me it's a tired cliche that enhances gender binary and stereotypes about the LGBTQ community.
A drag queen hastily put on their edgy metallic-like dress to perform Lady Gaga's Telephone, revealing the word (wish?) LOVE on their arm. A pole dancer with ribbon-tattooed butt cheeks was dangling on a stick that contained the weight of their whole body over a longing theme song. Their costumes, handmade for the night, were flapping hysterically in the wind. The audience cheered and the cameramen shot before glamour expired once the light went off.
Hanoi, 25th March 2017./
A drag queen hastily put on their edgy metallic-like dress to perform Lady Gaga's Telephone, revealing the word (wish?) LOVE on their arm. A pole dancer with ribbon-tattooed butt cheeks was dangling on a stick that contained the weight of their whole body over a longing theme song. Their costumes, handmade for the night, were flapping hysterically in the wind. The audience cheered and the cameramen shot before glamour expired once the light went off.
Hanoi, 25th March 2017./