Don't be shady, be a lady

I'm currently hosting the only official (via World of Wonder) British screening of Season 5 of RuPaul's Drag Race at Dalston Superstore. 

I know, check me.

Since E4 stopped screening it after Season 2 (after minimal advertising and having it on at silly o'clock at night) Brits have had to download it doggedly off the internet so it's great to have a screening where Drag Racers can enjoy it together.

No need to name names but there was a hell of a lot of cold shade going on in tonight’s episode. I enjoy banter, the odd bitch and a well timed read but when it comes to being mean and hostile to someone because they don't shape up to your own expectations is an old drag cliché.

During a particular awkward sequence, two queens were being incredibly hateful to someone who may not be the most flawless queen but is clearly the most talented. Being on TV magnifies someone's shortcomings and these girls are fully aware of how another spiteful queen came across during last season. And being hateful isn't down to the edit. To repeat that behaviour makes them look bitter, twisted and not someone you'd want to work with, let alone be a drag superstar.

Drag performers are outsiders from the heteronormative majority, we're a source of entertainment and ridicule and at some point, we've all received some form of abuse from a drunken insult to a fist. I'm baffled why someone who is themselves an outsider would publicly abuse a peer so nastily. Especially a sister.

Being shady shows up your own insecurities and is incredibly tired. There will always be new queens and freaks who strut around as if they're the first to put a wig on their head and see this kind of behaviour as acceptable but established ladies really shouldn't be setting this attitude as an example.

I've seen all manner of drag performer, from stunning to busted. Personally, I have no interest in how flawless or “fishy” someone is. Talent and putting 100% into what you're doing outweighs a perfect blend and couture. I'd rather see a hot mess work an audience into a frenzy over someone who looks marvelous but has as much personality as an over back-combed weave.

Luckily on the alternative drag side of London, people are generally nice and respectful of each other. We're too busy being fabulous to worry about looking flawless and there are only a few who work a pageant style. Maybe because we don't have them in the UK or perhaps we favour talent and fun over appearance. Over each season, it's interesting that the bitchiest girls from Drag Race tend to be pageant girls where appearance is everything. Perhaps they should start looking inside instead of worrying about the façade so much. Being nice might not add to your look but it's better for your soul.

x


Photos 17 May 2013
Season 5 E11 Screening at Dalston Superstore
by Craig Parker

Holestar on Mean Girls

For the third year in a row, I'll be hosting the midnight screening at the Rio Cinema, Dalston for the Fringe Film Festival.
Previous shows of Showgirls and In Bed with Madonna were an absolute scream...this years Mean Girls should be a similar riotous affair. Here's a little piece I wrote for them.

Mean Girls hostess Holestar gives us the lowdown on why she loves a high school teen movie and why you shouldn’t miss the chance to see Lindsay Lohan’s finest achievement on the big screen.

I love teen school films. From Heathers, Teen Wolf, Election, Superstar, Napoleon Dynamite, Welcome to the Dollhouse, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Carrie, Romy & Michelle’s High School Reunion, Weird Science to Grease 1 & 2. Being a teenager in school is a time everyone can relate to (presuming you've all been to school).

Being a teen is tough. You’re no longer an innocent and carefree child and too far away from the boring responsibilities of adulthood. Plus it seems to go on forever.
Raging with emotions, angst, hormones and new hair, I’ve yet to work out why teenagers are expected to take exams and decide what they want to ‘do’ when they are at one of the most vulnerable times of their lives. What if you’re arty but don’t know it yet? What if you’re obsessed with that popular sporty guy who doesn’t know you exist? What if you simply can’t be bothered? What if you take a subject that you’re highly unlikely to ever use in later life, like maths? (Yes basic equations are important but besides mathematicians and Mathletes, who ever really uses algebra?)
I had no idea what I wanted to be. The career advisor suggested I go to the local chicken factory and stop dreaming about being a performer. I’m happy to say things are now very much in my favour and don’t have to pop my hand up a chickens bottom to get by.

Like many outsiders, I was bullied as a teenager. That’s probably why I have an interest in films of this nature. When you’re odd and at school, nobody tells you that your life will be oh so much better once you leave and it’s the bullies who go on to have incredibly mundane lives. But it’s through film that I saw the outsider can find peace with who they are or that the underdog does get through and win in the end.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of Mean Girls when I first saw it. The petty bitchiness of the girls was a little close to home but 20 odd times in I love it. Despite the typical high school clichés, hilarity and numerous camp quotes, I love that there is a positive resolution; that is despite our differences and cliques, we all need to simply like and respect each other a little more.

If you haven’t seen it, you’ve a treat in store. If you already love it, no doubt you’ll be screaming at the screen with everyone else who can quote it out to the max (and to share that experience in a cinema full of fellow fans is better than sharing a plastic tiara).
To celebrate this glorious commentary of teen angst, before the film, we’ll be having our very own Plastics Pageant. We know the ‘costumes’ aren’t exactly elaborate in the film so we want you to be inspired by plastic people. Think fake, fake, fake, botched surgery and mahoosive body parts, Jocelyn Wildenstein, Katie Price, Orlan, Lolo Ferrari, Amanda Lepore, more blow up doll than human being. We also want you to bring a page from your Burn Book where you can exorcise the hate. As Madonna would say, its cathartic.

So for super fans or those new to Mean Girls, I suggest you book your tickets now. We sold out last year and it was an absolute riot (I fully expect a full dance routine during Jingle Bell Rock).
See you down the front.
Holestar
x

Mean Girls screens on Friday 12th April at 11.30pm at Rio Cinema Dalston. Get your tickets here.

Boy George and being fat

Boy George has lost a huge amount of weight (and just in time for Fashanker week too), everyone cheers and says "how wonderful". Am I the only person who sees him looking, well, a little ill?

It could be down to hard graft yet I suspect a gastric band and good luck to him. Now I've heard chubsters say such procedures are cheating and a betrayal of 'fat pride' but I challenge any fatty who'd deny the offer of a free gastric makeover, with a guarantee of no complications and a fat free life. Fat people are bullied and judged on a daily basis. Thin is 'good' and a quick fix is a lot easier than months and years of exercising, misery and starvation, only to pile it all back on again (as in the published cases of numerous female celebrities).

From the media, advertising, TV, films and everything visible thrown at us in a bid to buy more stuff, to be considered sexually attractive and even professional, you've got to be thin. Fat is lazy, incapable and undesirable. The Daily Mail are the worst perpetrators of this beauty myth. A quick look at their online gossip pages and every other story glorifies the weight loss or derides gain of someone we've vaguely heard of, usually female. I suspect the editor is a self hating, weight obsessed neurotic who is jealous of those who lose and angry with those who have lost their way in the quest for the body beautiful. 

I'm overweight. In socially acceptable terms, very overweight. But on a day to day basis and because I respect myself, am honestly happy with that. It's only when I go clothes shopping that I become frustrated where I'm expected to wear hideous, shapeless garments that age me by 20 years (seriously, who designs these things?). I overeat, under exercise and don't blame anyone for my size except myself (granted I've got fat genes being poured in from both sides of my family but hey..nobody forced me to eat that cake).

I'm currently in Thailand after travelling here and Cambodia where fat is unusual. Add to the mix being an unmarried, solo female traveler with very short hair and I've been stared and laughed at like a mythical monster in some parts.
Whilst talking to a couple on Rabbit Island about what-we-do-back-home and showing them a picture of myself looking faaaabulous (I studied photography and know how to pose honey), the young barman took one look and said "that's not you, you are fat". I was initially taken aback, forgetting for a moment that I'm in a part of the world where it's socially acceptable to say what you see. I'm not used to people commenting on my weight in such a blunt fashion but then again, why not? Being precariously PC, overweight  people are talked about in a passive aggressive language in the west, what's wrong in being so honest? It then became a running joke every-time I saw him, you know us fatties...always funny and self deprecating...



I don't believe in fat or thin, just healthy but healthy is different for different people. There should be more of a balance in the media when it comes to body size and shape. Less airbrushing, more realness of all sizes across the media and absolutely no focus on the rise and fall of someone's body weight because really, who cares? Of course fashion and advertising aren't able to cope with various sizing as they prey on the insecurities of consumers but the odd advert for soap showing a pick and pix variety of happy women in their pants isn't enough for women  (and more and more so, men) to stop hating and being insecure about their bodies.

Good luck to George and his slimline body. I'm no body language expert but to me, he doesn't look happy and reminds me a little of his withdrawn heroin days. Granted he looks marvelous in a westernised ideal of slimness but his eyes look removed and distant (but that could just be an indifference to the press).

It's a cliché but if you don't like something, change it but you've got to respect yourself first or you'll be just as miserable as when you started.

x

Hideous homophobia...

It's early morning, New Years Day 2013 and I'm sat at home with a bag of frozen peas pressed up against my face. After a gig in the west end of London, the roads were closed so the taxi that was arranged for our small group of wayward drag artists couldn't get close so we had to walk to Bolton Street in Mayfair to be picked up. A few were still in full looks which garnered the predicable heckles and cat calls you'd expect from New Years revelers in the capital but just as we finally reached our taxi, one of our party who was slightly ahead of us was attacked. I saw a wig fly and ran over to get in between the attacker and the innocent which resulted in me getting a bash on the nose myself.

The utter asshole (and there's no way to be polite about this) kicked and punched a person who was simply dressed differently. They felt threatened by someone disrupting their sense of the so-called norm.  After the initial attack, asshole #1 was pulled back by asshole #2 who then called us "batty boys". How original.
I retorted "Happy New Year, now fuck off". Asshole #1 tried to have another go but the screeching girl with both assholes forced them into a taxi and drove off into the night. I looked down to see asshole #1  had dropped his phone during the attack. Oh you silly, silly bastard.

We ran around the corner to tell the community police officers (who were unfortunately one street away) to report it. Luckily neither of us were severely hurt (can't imagine anywhere worse than A&;E on New Years Eve) so it would have been easy enough to shake it down and put it down to an unfortunate episode but all incidents of this nature, no matter how big or small and especially homo and transphobic attacks must be reported. Unfortunately statistics are required for any kind of change. These kind of incidents happen more frequently than should be happening in this age of so-called liberalism. You'd hope with legal changes and more gays in the media, attitudes would be on the move but there are still a lot of small bigoted minds out there. This was an abhorrent unprovoked attack by someone who obviously feels more of a 'man' swinging his fists when faced with something his pathetic little brain can't quite compute.

This is not how I expected my first blog post of 2013 to go but there you have it.  My nose hurts and I have a splitting headache but I'll get over it (I'm off to Thailand and Cambodia in just over a week to travel, volunteer and write my new full length show which premieres in May).
As for the asshole with the vile sexist screensaver, we're passing his phone to the police who will be able to track him down. We will be pressing charges. Happy new fucking year asshole.

x

P.S. Two days have passed and still haven't heard from Westminster police. It being on the corner of Piccadilly, it's likely there was CCTV and we've got his phone, it's an easy case to follow.
I'm ok, no bruises but a sore nose, more angry than anything. It's hideous that our queer fore brother and sisters have been physically assaulted for simply being who they are but incidents like this should not be a rite of passage for any LGBTQI person in 2013.
Look out for each other out there. Apathy is the current gay fragrance of choice, we've still a way to go. 

Holestar's Queer Manifesto

Published in the 2012 Winter Issue edition of Beige Magazine.

These are not rules merely suggestions and ideas. It's possible you won't agree with them. I do not apologise for that.

Plenty of queer academia has been written but I am a popularist. These ideas are for anyone and everyone, not a theoretical educated elite minority.

My definition of queer is being different, other. Regardless of your sexuality, gender, body, colour, race or lifestyle, if you consider yourself different or alternative to the hetronormative majority (hereby know as 'the norm'), you're queer. There are heterosexuals who are queer just as there are straight gay people.

Why queer?

I'm a biological woman, who dresses and entertains as a drag queen who is currently in a relationship with a woman. In terms of box ticking, I'm a lesbian, but it's an identity I have nothing in common with. I identify more with trans people, gay men, bisexuals, freaks, geeks, fetish types, goths and drag queens than any stereotypical media driven idea of a lesbian. My sexuality doesn't define me, neither does my gender. I call myself queer, not to be difficult, or radical, it's just who I am, a fabulous queer.

Queer may be yet another label but it allows more freedom to be anything you want to be.

Sexuality is fluid

There are openly gay men and lesbians having heterosexual sex. These people are not traitors, they are falling in love and having sex with people, not genders. Love and have sex with who ever you want to. What you do with your bits is your business. Practice safe sex, experiment, play and don't be afraid of what others think. If you're kinky, have a safe word. I particularly like “custard”.

Misogyny isn't good

It's not just the norm that perpetuate misogyny, many tired drag queens make hateful jokes about ladies genitals. You may not fancy women or want to have sex with a vagina but remember you came from one. If you have issues with your Mother or a female figure from your past, get some therapy and sort it out, don't hate on women. All genders deserve to be treated with equality and respect. Misogyny is at the route of homophobia. Casual misogyny is as unhelpful as any kind of phobia.

Express yourself don't repress yourself

Many queers congregate as a source of strength and expression. If you want to wear your difference, do it, but don't use it as armour to block yourself against the world. Enjoy your difference. Have confidence but don't confuse it with arrogance. Just because you dress outrageously, doesn't mean you automatically deserve respect, it is earned.
The norm might not understand you, the weak among them might express their confusion negatively, but remember their lives are incredibly dull and they're ignorantly happy being told what is “normal”. They are ignorant sheep, you're a smart arsed sheep dog running rings around them and an amazing one too.

Stand up for yourself

Recently, a bunch of kids shouted at me, “Are you a man or a woman?”. I replied “Does it matter?” They had no answer. In the grand scheme of things, you're not hurting anyone, it really doesn't matter.

If an ignorant sheep gives you grief, ignore them or be overly polite, nothing baffles an idiot more. They may argue “that's not normal”, define normal. Who wants to be normal anyway?

If they are violent or you are being abused, call the police and report it. If homo, queer and transphobic crimes aren't reported, the police wont do anything as their action is reliant on figures and statistics.

Celebrate yourself

You can only be the best you can be. Don't try and be someone else. Emulate your idols with caution. Radically changing yourself physically isn't going to make you happy unless you love and accept who you are first.

Try not to conform to stereotypes and pressures of body image. Humans come in a great variety of types. Wouldn't it be dull if we all looked like supermodels or muscled hunks? If people don't like how you look, sod them and leave them to their own insecurities.

Gender isn't binary

Gender isn't black and white, there are numerous shades. Gender is a social construct, designed to simplify the masses by pacifying one and empowering another. We all have varying male and female parts, not necessarily physical.

 Transgendered people should not be forced to change from one gender to another. How someone chooses to live their life should be down to individual choice however permanent, cosmetic or temporary.

Be out and proud

The more of us who are out publicly, the better for everyone, especially young people and those being bullied and abused for being different. There is strength in numbers and we're everywhere. We need more strong and fabulous queer role models in the mainstream, not just sexless camp gay men.

You may not choose to publicly announce your difference, just don't live with shame. I lived with internal homophobia for many years, confused that I had to play a role and conform to someone else’s ideals. Once I accepted myself as queer, life became a lot sunnier.

Respect yourself

If you choose to have casual sex with no strings then horray. If you're being emotionally hurt or used by someone who is ashamed of you, then walk away. They don't deserve you.

Never accept abuse or violence in a relationship, get out. On the presumption you live in the West, you have the economic power and support available to leave, there are many in the world who don't have this luxury.

So...

Be who you are. Respect yourself. Get support if you need it. Have safe sex. Cut people who bring you down out of your life. Don't take bullshit from cowards. Be nice. That's it.

x