Drag Up! 拽起来!
Why Drag Up?
With the global popularity of RuPaul’s Drag Race, drag has increasingly become mainstreamed and even commercialised. But is RuPaul the only legitimate and visible form of drag culture in the world today?And what are the other existing and emerging drag forms and traditions? If we acknowledge the existence of different drag traditions around the world (such as the pantomime tradition in the UK and the cross-dressing tradition in Chinese operas), how can drag be performed differently and understood in a truly global and decolonised sense? If we recognise the communitarian and activist functions of drag, how can drag be used productively to empower Asian and queer communities?
Drag不只有浮夸妆容和夸张表演这一种呈现形式!Drag其实也可以是我们每个人探索身份认同和自我表达的一种有效方式。Drag也不只存在于欧美文化中,回看中国的传统戏剧,变装表演有着悠久的历史。京剧里的“男旦”为男扮女装的表演者,电影《霸王别姬》讲述的便是男旦程蝶衣的故事,而越剧,粤剧,黄梅戏等剧种中经常出现女扮男装角色。有些角色有着强烈的酷儿和跨儿元素。
作为交叉身份的酷儿,我们能如何在去殖民化和去西方中心主义的角度去重新理解变装表演?我们能如何使用变装表演这种艺术形式来赋能我们自身,亚洲酷儿社群甚至为LGBTQ+平权运动出一份力?