The drag show that will be reviewed in this article is the “The death of Swedish Sapphire”. The performance is full of sexy dance moves by both the drag queen and the boys surrounding her. The portion of the show where one is disturbed is when the dancing boys and girl gathered around the drag queen. They were touching her body parts which one thinks is offensive. Another part which is quite unacceptable to me is when the drag queen danced with one of the boys. The dance moves were mimicking the sexual act. It may be said that one is conservative but one dislikes the portion where the drag queen was passionately kissing the boy.
The show clearly depicts “gender ideals”. The drag queen is portrayed as someone who is sexually attractive. In most drag shows, the woman is always portrayed as a mere sex object. Femininity is usually associated with sexiness of a woman and pertains to her physical attributes. The idea of femininity was depicted by the drag queen by wearing something skimpy, which will definitely attract the opposite sex. The drag queen has long hair at the beginning but eventually removes her wig and shows a shorter hair. One finds this move symbolic in that feminine women are often represented with long hair. This move may be interpreted to mean that the woman desires to be more liberated. There might be a yearning inside to lose her femininity and be seen as a woman who can be an equal with man.
The dancing boys on the background reveal the ideal that men should generally be masculine. They are the typical stereotype of men who are always interested in sex. The ideal of masculinity was shown in the performance by having the men wear shorts only and without any shirt on. This is to show the muscles and body form of the men which are perceived as being masculine. The movements of the men somehow imply that they are more powerful over the woman or the drag queen. Again, it is the typical view that men are generally viewed as the stronger sex when compared to the women. One does not find the king more acceptable than the queen and vice versa.
The dance moves and attires of the drag kings and drag queen are almost similar, both trying to represent the gender ideal of femininity and masculinity. One did not find any difference between the performance of the drag kings and queen. Both portrayed the “ideal” perception of a masculine man and a feminine woman.
Works Cited
Sapphire, Swedish. "The death of the Swedish Sapphire." Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 1 March 2011. Web. 28 November 2012.
