OUTthink – Polly Filla – The Psychology of Drag
What prompts a gay man to become a drag queen? Or, for that matter, a lesbian to become a drag king?
Is it performance art? Is it a psychological mask? Is it a creation of ‘someone more fabulous’, aimimng to reach more visually for the ‘ideal self’?
Love them or hate them, drag queens and kings are often seen as the face of the gay community. They’re highly visual and recognisable, whereas many gay men will go through life not being ‘obvious’. You could see them as the court jester or as some form of demi-god; the reality is that, when in drag, another version of their self comes forward and they can often get away with so much more than they would out of drag.
You also need to consider those drag performers who have been almost covert in their activism. Legendary Melbourne performer Kerrie Le Gore was instrumental in bringing the Safe Sex message to the Melbourne community when it desperately needed.
A little while back, I wrote an article on the psychology of drag and I thought it might be interesting to turn the topic into an OUTthink podcast. Who better to invite to do this than Polly Filla, who is one of the more artistic and creative performers that I know.
About our guest, Polly Filla
You can find Polly on Facebook, Twitter, and it turns out even Wikipedia.
You can see more of Polly on her Youtube Channel. Tickets to Polly’s show will be available on the Fringe Festival website in August.
Polly’s fantastic dual image used above is by Aaron Walker who created a fantastic photographic series called Dragformation.
Mentioned in this podcast
Varla Jean Merman Youtube Channel
Bianca Del Rio Youtube Channel
You might want to also check out “The Real Drag Queens of Melbourne” which features both Miss Paris and Miss Candee who were mentioned in the podcast.
About OUTthink – An LGBT Podcast
OUTthink is a fortnightly podcast aimed at shining a light into topics of mental health and mental wellbeing relating to the LGBTQIA+ community. As a community, we need to be able to discuss topics that are uniquely related to the gay, lesbian, transgender and the many diverse labels in-between, that impact on our psychological well-being.
The latest OUTthink podcast can be downloaded from Podomatic, subscribe via iTunes or streamed from our Youtube Channel.
You can also find out more about Lawrence Akers and Release Hypnosis at the Release Hypnosis website, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Do you have a story that you would like to share? Then why not contact Lawrence and get in touch. You can also find Lawrence and Release Hypnosis on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
You might also like to read;
Release Hypnosis’s Lawrence Akers on JOY FM
OUTthink Now Has a Home On Facebook
OUTthink Podcast – David Clark On Exploring Bipolar Disorder
Bullying In The Workplace
