User:Airam Gomez/Drag queen

Drag
Drag refers to an entertainment style wearing stylized clothing. Most commonly, it is men *creating a female identity by wearing women's clothing, cross-dressing, and exaggerating their bodies appearance*, generally for the purpose of a performance.

The origin of the term drag is uncertain. The first recorded use of drag was *in a newspaper in the 1870 which stated, "We shall come in drag." The reference was to actors dressed in women's clothing and the word was also used in 1927 to describe a party where men were dressed in women's clothing. The word drag has recently grown in popularity and has since been implemented into mainstream English. *

Art of drag
The process of getting into drag or into character can take hours. A drag queen may aim for a certain style, celebrity impression, or message with their look. Hair, make-up, and costumes are the most important essentials for drag queens. Drag queens tend to go for a more exaggerated look with a lot more makeup than a typical woman would wear. *The idea of a women is up to interpretation to each drag queen and that is where the creative freedom comes into play.*

Some people do drag simply as a means of self-expression, but often drag queens (once they have completed a look) will go out to clubs and bars and perform in a "drag show." Many drag queens dress up for money by doing different shows, but there are also drag queens that have full-time jobs but still enjoy dressing up in drag as a hobby.

Many parts of the drag show, and of the drag queens' other intellectual properties, cannot be protected by intellectual property law. To substitute the lack of legal protection, drag queens revert to social norms in order to protect their intellectual property.

Societal reception
Drag has come to be a celebrated and important aspect of modern gay life, but has also been criticized for degrading women. In the era of second-wave feminism some women "were angry and appalled by what they perceived as the charade of femininity expressed by some drag queens and transsexual women." These critics compared drag to blackface and saw it "as a kind of gender minstrel."

* Though drag queens are a large part of the LQBTQ+ community and played significant roles in the social justice causes for the community, they are marginalized for not confirming to a certain group in the community. Drag queens are seen, " as ‘‘the jester’’ of the gay community," and the majority believe it should be kept to performances, which can cause issue.*

Many gay bars and clubs around the world hold drag shows as regular events or for special parties. Several "International Drag Day" holidays have been started over the years to promote the shows. In the United States, Drag Day is typically celebrated in early March.

A televised drag competition, RuPaul's Drag Race, is the most successful program on the Logo television network. In 2016, the show won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program. In 2018, the show became the first show to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program in the same year.

RuPaul received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the television industry on 16 March 2018, making him the first drag queen to be given such an award.