Dana Cetojevic

As I reflect on my consumption of ‘Popular Culture’, I will conclude that I admittedly enjoy many genres of Pop Culture. It’s important to understand the meaning of ‘Pop Culture’ and its definition. ‘Cultural Theory and Popular Culture’ written by British media specialist John Storey, offers six unique definitions and ideas of ‘Pop Culture’.

• Popular culture is simply culture that is widely favoured or well-liked by many people: it has no negative connotations.
• Popular culture is whatever is left after you’ve identified what “high culture” is:
• Pop culture can be defined as commercial objects that are produced for mass consumption by non-discriminating consumers.
• Popular culture is folk culture, something that arises from the people rather than imposed upon them:
• Pop culture is negotiated: partly imposed on by the dominant classes, and partly resisted or changed by the subordinate classes.
• The final definition Storey composes is pop culture in the postmodern world, the distinction between “authentic” versus “commercial” is blurred. In pop culture today, users are free to embrace some manufactured content, alter it for their own use, or reject it entirely and create their own.

It is important to establish the importance of culture and its definition. Culture to me is a collective of characteristics and knowledge of a particular group. Culture creates a form of ientity and encompasses on social patterns that evolve, yet always embrace beginning foundations. In this article I will examine a particular Popular Culture that I thoroughly consume and enjoy. Reality competition television series RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Let’s begin by establishing the cultural identity of ‘Drag Culture’. Drag culture has become more and more popular throughout the last decade. Performances of drag queens, before, mostly available in secluded bars and clubs, now can be easily found in sold-out venues all around the world.

The success of this community can be traced back to the immense success of the television show ​RuPaul’s Drag Race, it has had an amazing impact on drag performers (also known as drag queens) reaching through social media platforms, especially Instagram. The phenomenon of drag culture has ultimately been brought to mainstream media and has now concocted a world of drag influence on modern pop culture.  

RuPaul is the most renowned American ‘Drag Queen’ and a very important figure in the LGBTQ+ community.

RPDR represents the boundaries of drag identity; Due to his global influence, many people, especially from the LGBTQ+ community have been able to express creative identity, by portraying drag as an art and profession through several digital spaces. For those who are unaware of RuPaul’s Drag Race: It’s a competitive reality TV show available on the streaming platform ‘Stan’ here in Australia. ‘Drag Queen’ contestants compete to show off their CUNT:

. Charisma

. Uniqueness

. Nerve &

. Talent

The Queens embark on a series of challenges performing “Eleganza”, and then “Slaying” their fits on the runway, by which Queens are eliminated one-by-one until the last Drag Queen is standing. RuPaul’s Drag Race is a comedic television show, and its purpose is to entertain and bring awareness to the LGBTQ+ community. The show has given Queens the ability to express themselves and their identity through the art of ‘Drag’, and on a mainstream platform as well.

One of the major outcomes of the show, and why I enjoy it so much, is because it has expressed another form of language, language that I now speak in my every day. Chapter 15 of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race and Philosophy (Popular Culture and Philosophy)’, Carolina Are states:  

“Language on RuPaul’s Drag Race therefore assumes multiple functions: that of subcultural speech, but also that of educational means for letting the viewer in on drag slang, which has been heavily explained and commented on during the show and subsequently adopted by pop culture.”

RPDR has captivated global viewers – LGBTQ & straight by portraying drag as art and profession via multiple un/official broadcast and digital spaces. Finally, mama Ru’s global influence has made many people, especially from the LGBTQ+ community are able to portray drag as an art and profession via multiple broadcast and digital spaces. RPDR is essentially a safe space for global viewers and a growing empire of popular culture. My consumption of this show has continuously given me a sense of empowerment of cultural identity and community and a constant fun and intriguing education and understand the diversity of LGBTQ+ communities.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• Kempt, H. and Are, C., 2019. RuPaul’s Drag Race and Philosophy: Sissy That Thought. – “Language on RuPaul’s Drag Race, therefore, assumes multiple functions: that of subcultural speech, but also that of educational means for letting the viewer in on drag slang, which has been heavily explained and commented on during the show and subsequently adopted by pop culture.”

• Storey, John 2015, ‘What is popular curlture?’, in Cultural theory and popular culture : an introduction, 7th ed., Pearson, Harlow, England, p. 5

• Are, C., 2021. How “RuPaul’s Drag Race” changed the way we speak. [online] Quartz. Available at: <https://qz.com/quartzy/1715788/how-rupauls-drag-race-made-lgbtq-culture-mainstream/&gt; [Accessed 17 August 2021]