I first did drag my senior year of college, dressing in character with two of my girlfriends as a performance art piece. Watching RPDR for the first time, I learned that there was a place for me. But, while I never necessarily felt pressured to fit into any particular image of masculinity, I also did not quite understand that there were other possibilities. I even have a photograph my mother took of me as a young child wearing her friend’s daughter’s dress. As a child, I had always associated more with girls and girl culture-I preferred Sailor Moon over Dragonball Z and almost all my friends were girls. By proudly proclaiming herself “Fat, Fem & Asian” both on television and online, Kim Chi used her media visibility to transform these stigmatized characteristics into things to be celebrated.Īs a queer Asian American, I’ve been fascinated by RPDR since I first watched it as a junior in art school, when one of my classmates showed a clip of Cameroonian drag queen and Season one winner Bebe Zahara Benet in a class about immigrant visual culture. Her appearance on the show was groundbreaking, not because she was the first Asian American to compete (Asian American drag queens have competed on nearly every season, with Raja becoming the first Asian winner as early as the third season), but because of the candid ways in which she talked about her insecurities over her Asianness, her queerness, and her body image. My name is Kim Chi, and say ‘Hello’ to yellow!'” Soon after, she marketed t-shirts with the slogan, “Yas fats / Yas fems / Yas Azns” on her website, with proceeds being donated to The Los Angeles LGBT Center, Proud2Share, and Shape Up America. As someone who is all of the above, I understand your pain. In the seventh episode, in a mock presidential campaign challenge, she announced, “Shady gays believe in: No fats, no femmes, and no Asians. It cleanses everything completely off your face.Korean American drag queen Kim Chi became a fan favorite on the eighth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race ( RPDR) when she took a stand against the superficial standards of racism, hyper-masculinity, and body-shaming in the queer male community. I’ve talked to a lot of people who don’t think toner is worth doing, but I strongly disagree. When I was first coming to terms with my queer identity around 2012, getting into makeup helped me find the balance of my queerness.įill in the blank: Unfortunately, _ is worth it. Was there a time in your life when beauty felt particularly important to you?Īs a gay man, I am pretty feminine, or feminine acting. I hate when an influencer says “Oh hey, I use this product,” when they don’t actually use it. I also like to see that beauty products are influenced by more of an organic outreach. I think because the pandemic is slowly ending, everybody is really excited to go out and dress up and wear more makeup. Where do you think the beauty industry is going from here? It feels so nice to have a nourishing feeling under your eyes, like seeping into it. It was a very special moment for me in my career.Ībsolutely. Then, everyone saw me from across the street and they all started cheering. When I went to perform in Korea for the first time, the show was sold out, and there was a huge line up the street - everybody was waiting to see me. One of my dreams was to perform in Korea. What’s been your best experience with a fan? On average, to get into head-to-toe full drag, it costs at least $1,000. The amount of makeup we use, the wigs, the costumes. What do you wish more people understood about what you do?ĭrag costs a lot of money. I also like brushes from Morphe and Then I Met You skin-care products. Our Blush Thailor collection and our palettes are really good value, too. What, in your opinion, is the best affordable beauty product?Īnything from KimChi Beauty! As far as specific products, I’d say our concealers are great. My beauty routine hasn’t changed too much. Before, we used to get ready from head to toe, and now people might just do their makeup and hair, but then they’ll just be wearing a hoodie. The amount of effort people put in has definitely changed. It’s very healing.ĭo you think beauty has changed as a result of the pandemic? It basically gives you the power to feel invincible and beautiful. It allows you to enhance your favorite part about yourself. Wearing makeup allows you to cover up the “flaws” you see in yourself. Beauty is definitely a form of self-care.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |