It is true that drag is political, because you are automatically making a statement by getting into drag. But now famous drag queens, especially ones that have been on Drag Race are expected to be almost like a politician for our community. It used to be a lot more tongue in cheek, and a lot more naughty. Performing is what I love most about drag for sure.ĭo you think the definition of drag has changed in recent years due to social media and Ru Paul’s Drag Race, or has it always had the same message?ĭrag has changed dramatically since Drag Race because drag has become a lot more mainstream, where it used to be a lot more underground.
You just naturally enjoy costumes and being dramatic and everything like that.įor me, drag is also all about performance, I love being on the stage. In your own words, what would you say drag is and what does it mean to you?ĭrag is an expression of self: It’s going back to that place as a child when you put your mum's heels on, and you start running around the house and you dress up for yourself and nobody else. Hopefully, our conversation below will bring as much of a smile to your face as my recollections of her Jennifer Coolidge impersonations do to mine. Sitting down with Birch who, considering the size of the Manchester queer scene, I consider a mate more than an interview subject, was an absolute riot. The queen’s charm, which resounds throughout the internet, her lip syncs and the set of the Polyester photoshoot below, is that she is not taking herself seriously. While also dabbling in digital drag, Birch extended her cult following with a successful YouTube channel filled with The Sims play alongs and makeup tutorials with McDonald’s wrappers. Unfortunately for patrons of live drag - not to mention the performers - quarantine killed the scene for months. Birch was having a laugh and so was her audience.
Birch’s performance in pink pill box hat, Marge Simpson sized pearls and quintessential rubber gloves remains burned in my memory for its irreverent references and sheer cheekiness. Located in the North myself, it’s not often we get to see something of this magnitude for the first time - the English arts scene, unfortunately, revolves around the country’s capital. In the time since, Birch has appeared on the stage across the world - including LA, her own Birch Brunch in London and many a basement across her hometown of Manchester. Already a drag sensation online for her drawings, drag makeup and sculptures, this Frodsham native took to live performance like Rachel McAdams to a rom com. In December 2018, the small room, packed to the rafters with the gay Northern nightlife that had made its way from the city’s gay village, Juno Birch performed her drag debut. In the basement of a rock bar in rainy Manchester, the Creatures of Catharsis queer cabaret night used to run every few months. The pair have posted videos cross-promoting their drag couture looks and beauty tips.Profile by Gina Tonic, Photographs by Jade Hannah She has been known to work with Alexis Stone, also a drag Youtuber and beauty influencer.
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In addition to her work as an artist, she is an avid YouTuber, where she posts videos showing how to apply drag makeup. She lists Jennifer Coolidge amongst her most influential role models in both her personal life and in her drag persona. She draws inspiration from the abject feminine standards society places on women, particularly influenced by the symbolism inherent in The Stepford Wives, in her retro-futuristic artwork. Her work will often feature masculine attributes, like broad shoulders or chin stubble, alongside the feminine, pronounced breasts, and bold lips. Her sculptures, illustrations, and paintings often depict an abstract version of herself, where she emphasizes different attributes meant to blur the line between the masculine and the feminine. She also draws on the inspiration of “alien beauties” in her art to hold a mirror to society’s alienation of trans people.Īs an artist, Birch focuses on the female trans-experience. Her persona and artistic style is perhaps best expressed by the effortless blending of the iconic persona of Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest, with the gothic fantasy of Tim Burton, topped with a cherry of the sinister beauty of a Stepford Wife. Juno Birch is a fierce drag performer, brilliant subversive sculptor and artist, and trans-activist.