Since it premiered in 2009, RuPaul's Drag Race has provided unique entertainment in the over-saturated world of reality TV competitions. With its colorful contestants singing, dancing, and sewing their way to the winner's circle, it has brought the artistic nature of drag into homes while at the same time making its language and sense of expression accessible. And while it's woven its way into mainstream pop culture vernacular with finger snaps and trills, there are things about the series that fans choose to gloss over.
From the brutal insults hurled across the workroom floor and the public meltdowns of its contestants to the fact that larger bodies seem to suspiciously never get crowned the next Drag Superstar, RuPaul's Drag Race has its share of problems even as it continues to dominate ratings.
It's Mean-Spirited
Like the inimitable Lashauwn Beyond once said in one of Drag Race's funniest quotes, "This is not RuPaul's Best Friend Race!" This ethos indicates the contestants aren't on the series to make friends, but to compete for the top prize. If they do manage to make friends, it's best if these alliances help them win, and if not, then everyone is out for themselves.
The spirit of competition can often bolster a contestant's progress and skill, with better looks being turned out as a result of each person trying to outdo the other. However, in the workroom as well as in the lounge, girls began to feed off the competitive energy to say increasingly negative things and get into incredible feuds rather than create an environment of inspiration.
It's No Longer About HERstory
At the beginning of the series, early queens knew their "Herstory," what RuPaul used to refer to LGBTQ+ history, including all about the Stonewall Riots, the balls in New York City, the AIDS epidemic, among other milestones. She felt it was important for the younger, less experienced queens to learn from their drag sisters and mothers about the struggle faced by the LGBTQ+ community in order to appreciate their progress.
As the seasons have gone on, Herstory is referred to less and less. Queens are more interested in fighting among themselves and reading each other for their looks rather than teaching each other lessons about communal history. While reality shows will always evolve and change, young of the LGBTQ+ community --as well as allies who watch the series-- may miss out on important anecdotes.
It Reinforces Weak Stereotypes
With over a decade of material, the series still tends to reinforce the same thin stereotypes of gay men and drag queens as it did when it began in 2009. The majority of the queens, whether they're a size queen like Ginger Minj or a commercial queen like Elliott, tend to behave in a way that fulfills a sassy, abrasive, or combative archetype.
For the purposes of dramatic entertainment, reality TV shows often mercilessly edit to create gripping television, but by doing this, producers paint contestants with broad strokes. Melodrama trumps individual authenticity, often without the contestants even knowing.
It's Not Diverse Enough
Recent contestant Joey Jay complained about being received harshly in the drag community for not wearing a wig. Other contestants, like Violet Chachki, received similar criticism for not wearing a chest piece or hip pads. There's room for diversity in drag, but these contestants are the exceptions and not the rule.
From the beginning, RuPaul's Drag Race hasn't had a problem with inclusivity when it comes to casting people of color, but when it comes to showing a wide range of drag queens, the more out of the box they are, the less accepted they are, and the more easily eliminated they are (like ballroom queen Vivacious).
It Promotes One Type Of Beauty
Fans only need to look at the past winners of the series to see that on the whole, the queens who have been crowned the next Drag Superstar are all by and large not very large. A certain type of beauty (mostly polished pageant queens) still reigns supreme, an irony for a series that claims, "If you can't love yourself, how the hell are you going to love somebody else?"
It was surprising when spooky queen Sharon Needles won her season, and when comedy queen Bianca Del Rio won hers, but both were still gamine queens that didn't disrupt the consensus that only a certain type of beauty is acceptable.
It's Gotten Boring
For the first several years, RuPaul's Drag Race was a revelation and unlike anything else on reality television. It combined the best elements of America's Next Top Model with Project Runway and Queer Eye to become a sensation that slowly built a wide audience.
As the seasons have continued, the structure of the series remains more or less unchanged, with the same challenges like Snatch Game, the same sorts of dance-offs when the contestants Lipsync for their Lives, and the same commentary from the judges.
It Has Too Much Fake Drama
All reality TV shows are dependent on simulated melodrama, but RuPaul's Drag Race takes it to an extreme. Sixth season contestant Laganja Estranja has publicly spoken out in Gay Times about the way her footage was edited to make her seem like a detestable villain despite going through some very hard mental health struggles at the time of filming.
Even for reality television, its drama can be overwhelming, when every contestant is personally feuding with another, or specifically trying to sabotage their chances of winning, just to leave Drag Race as sore losers.
It Can Ruin Lives
In Laganja Estranja's case, the way her season was edited became such a problem that it led to her breaking down. And she hasn't been the only queen with mental health struggles coming off the show, indicating that producers care more about ratings than contestants' well-being.
Every contestant signs an NDA agreement before premiering on a season and breaking any aspect of their contract --like Willem-- ensures they'll get kicked off the series. That being said, more attention should be paid to how the high level of competition (and the choices made by producers) affects the mental health of the contestants. Past contestants like Katya have spoken out about how they've experienced anxiety and depression as a result of their time on the show and the intense fame that some queens experience after they leave the series.
It's Too Popular
In many ways, the series represents too much of a good thing by becoming part of mainstream pop culture. Articles in magazines like them indicate that there's been a certain amount of cultural appropriation going on at the expense of the LGBTQ+ community and that elements that were once sacred to them have become prolific and commonplace in a negative way.
Some fans saw the beginning of the end of the series ever since it moved from niche channel Logo to VH1 and found a much larger audience. If it continues to rest on its laurels rather than do anything new and subversive with its format, it will lose its own competitive edge to the other great reality TV drag shows out there.
It's Over-Saturated
A new season of RuPaul's Drag Race is announced 3-6 months after the last winner has been crowned, with other series (like All Stars) happening at the same time, meaning that at any given moment there's something to do with the franchise being released for consumption. This provides the opportunity for the brand to stagnate because it oversaturates its market.
With countless tours and cabaret acts featuring former contestants, and a UK version available as well, there's the possibility of fans becoming bored with it instead of eagerly anticipating its release.