RuPaul's Drag Race
| RPF Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name(s): | RuPaul's Drag Race |
| Scope/Focus: | fandom for contestants on RuPaul's Drag Race and spinoffs |
| Date(s): | 2009 - present |
| See also: | RuPaul's Drag Race on IMDb |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article is a stub. Please help us out by adding more content. |
RuPaul's Drag Race (RPDR) is a reality TV competition hosted and judged by RuPaul Charles that, since 2009, has crowned "America's Next Drag Superstar" every year by pitting drag queens from all over the world against each other in challenges that test their charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent.
There have now been several spin-offs from the original, including RuPaul's Drag U, RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars, and RuPaul's Drag Race: Vegas Revue, as well as international versions of the show in Chile, Thailand, the UK, Canada, Holland, and Australia.
See Wikipedia for more information.
Fandom
Originally fairly niche, RPDR has grown in mainstream popularity with every season. Fandom can be found on Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, and AO3. Since the nature of the show brings together very large personalities all with very different styles, humor, and strengths, all fans can find a fave or a not-so-fave. Fans can follow their faves on social media, where most queens are very active; in person at live shows or at the annual RuPaul's DragCon; and on YouTube.
Gay and LGBT+ friendly bars often host watch parties while the show is airing. See this May 2018 Economist.com article.
Catchphrases
One of the hallmarks of the show's fandom are inside jokes and catchphrases invented by contestants. Some quotes that fans have latched onto include:
- "This is not RuPaul's Best Friend Race."
- "Back rolls?"
- "Go back to Party City where you belong!"
- Shangela's "I don't have a sugar daddy" speech
- "Miss Vaaaanjie."
See favids like BEST MOMENTS DRAG RACE - ICONIC MOMENTS THAT I QUOTE EVERYDAY - Part 1 and Drag Race Quotes Collection - Ru Girls quotes that I use in my everyday conversations for further examples.
Shipping
Even though there is not much fic, as in any other fandom, there is some shipping. Ships tend to stay between queens from the same season. Some of the most popular ships include Trixie Mattel/Katya Zamolodchikova (Season 7), Violet Chachki/Pearl Liaison (Season 7), and Bianca Del Rio/Adore Delano (Season 6). A few fics can be found on fanfiction.net, even though RPF is not allowed on FFnet.
Other
The sister show/aftershow to Drag Race is Untucked!, which consists of footage of contestants chatting to each other in the green room during the time between their runway presentations and the judges' decisions. It is often considered necessary viewing for fans as it offers more insight into interpersonal drama and the contestants' group dynamics.
The Boulet Brothers' Dragula is a horror-based underground drag competition show in a similar format which first aired in 2017. Though officially unrelated, Dragula shares some fans with RPDR (and RPDR alumi occasionally visit the show).
Archives & Fannish Links
- RuPaul's Drag Race Fandom Wiki
- Tumblr tags/search terms: RPDR, RuPaul's Drag Race
- RuPaul's Drag Race - RPF on AO3
- rupaulsdragrace subreddit on Reddit
- Fuck Yeah Drag Race on Tumblr
- WowPresents and LogoTV on YouTube