You Better Work Bitch!

by Christopher Mellor (DJ Magazine)

(The Gender Centre advise that this article may not be current and as such certain content, including but not limited to persons, contact details and dates may not apply. Where legal authority or medical related matters are cited, responsibility lies with the reader to obtain the most current relevant legal authority and/or medical publication.)

RuPaul is out there being subversive as hell by just putting on a dress and some big ol' high heels.

RuPaul sashays onto the stage at London's Heaven club to riotous applause, screams and general hysteria from the crowd on the packed dance floor. She's wearing some very tight sequined hot pants, massive shoes and a hell of a smile. She's travelled thousands of miles to give us a message, "probably the most important message you'll ever hear in your life", and that message is - "you better work, bitch".

No seriously, there's more to RuPaul than seven foot of haircut and heels, inside that glamorous exterior lies a heart of gold, filled with love, on a mission to share the fruits of her personal voyage of self discovery with the rest of the world. She was born in Birmingham, Alabama (home of Martin Luther King) and arrived in New York via Atlanta where the real RuPaul, the one that's all skirts and sequins, took shape. Now she's a cover star, a recording artiste and is about to turn into a worldwide phenomenon. RuPaul is the starry-eyed, living embodiment of the American dream.

"Life is a gorgeous gift to us to enjoy. My message is love. We must learn to love ourselves, find out who we really are. Most people would like to explore themselves but are afraid of peer pressure, the biggest fear is being ostracised. But you've got to do it because the best fruit is out on the limb. Now, you might fail out there trying to get it, but you've got to try. Most take the safe route, a house, a car, mortgage, kids, and they end up with a life they hate. I am living proof that you can live out a dream and be a success."

New York, with it's towering skyscrapers and 24 hours-a-day full speed lifestyle is the only place that RuPaul could really feel at home. "The pulse of Rock and Roll runs through that city and it all comes out in the Village, it's the epicentre, it's where it's happening. New York is a big fat greasy ho and I love her. You can sum up the appeal of New York in one word - taxi! You can get anything you want any time, you're not restricted by normal rules, but the city has it's own rules and if you don't abide by them it'll break you. There's a constant sense of danger and new frontiers, it's a great place to get some soul work done." RuPaul is the "fiercest fucking drag queen" in the world, proud of her success, proud of her roots (and in this case we're not just talking hair). "Without Divine, Sylvester, even Boy George I wouldn't be here today. But drag queens have been around since the beginning of time, all cultures have shamen, male/female witch doctors. It's a way for the culture to have fun, reach something deeper, more mystical. I take chances ordinary people don't take. It is decadent, yes. It's basically a piss-take of society. That is the foundation of drag."

And that's the success of this particular act. As rock and roll's pathetic macho posturing and lame, leather jacket clad attempts at "outsider" status become more sad and old and mainstream, RuPaul is out there being subversive as hell by just putting on a dress and some big ol' high heels (from Frederick's of Hollywood, if you want to know).

RuPaul is a star like the other supermodels are stars, bringing out a bit of glamour to drab and dreary world. "A star is something shiny and bright and unattainable. Most people live mundane, boring lives so there will always be a market for people who dazzle bedazzlers. The glamour used to be supplied by Hollywood, now it comes from the super models. Of course I have universal appeal because everybody loves things that are shiny and new."

RuPaul is not only king of the queens but also master of the sound-bite. "Everybody has something that makes them unique and special. All the great prophets, Jesus, Krishna say it - being a part of god, you are a god." And when you've got a six foot six hunk of drag made up and ready to move sitting right next to you, you better believe it baby. "My ability is just to be myself on cue, to make myself open for people to see."

Like Warhol's "stars" or Take that her life is her art, more important than the products (Album - Super Model of the World out now on Union, by the way). She may be a kind of Divine for the 90's, but that means she's a creation of the times too, more professional than profound perhaps, but a real entertainer, she knows exactly what she's doing and where she's going. As she says in the live show - "watch out because up close I'm a bit of a monster".

When RuPaul says you gotta work she's not just talking about on the catwalk. Being a real star is a dirty job but someone's got to do it and RuPaul has the guts and the glamour to be shining in the firmament for quite a while. This queen has got balls and brains.

Polare is published in Australia by The Gender Centre Inc. which is funded by the Department of Community Services under the S.A.A.P. Program and supported by the N.S.W. Health Department through the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Branch. Polare provides a forum for discussion and debate on gender issues. Advertisers are advised that all advertising is their responsibility under the Trade Practices Act. Unsolicited contributions are welcome, though no guarantee is made by the Editor that they will be published, nor any discussion entered into. The editor reserves the right to edit such contributions without notification. Any submission which appears in Polare may be published on our internet site. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, The Gender Centre Inc.I, the Department of Community Services or the N.S.W. Department of Health.