Drag king
Performers who embody masculine drag and challenge gender norms.
Drag kings are performance artists, historically mostly female, who dress in masculine drag and personify male gender stereotypes as part of individual or group routines. Documented as early as the late 1800s in British music halls, drag kings have broadened to include performers of all gender expressions, often incorporating dancing, acting, stand-up comedy, and singing. They may portray exaggeratedly macho characters, impersonate male celebrities, or create personas that blend masculine and feminine traits.
- field
- Performance art, drag
- known_for
- Male impersonation, gender illusion performance
- earliest_cited_term
- 1972
- notable_early_performers
- Annie Hindle, Vesta Tilley, Ella Shields, Hetty King, Florence Hines, Gladys Bentley, Stormé DeLarverie
Lore & Background
The term 'drag king' was first cited in print in 1972, but female performers dressing in male attire have a longer history. In 17th-century France and Italy, women played male roles in commedia dell'arte. The first popular male impersonator in U.S. Other notable male impersonators include Ella Shields, Hetty King, vaudeville performer Florence Hines, and blues singer Gladys Bentley. Stormé DeLarverie performed as the sole female performer of the Jewel Box Revue in the 1950s–60s and is believed to have sparked the Stonewall riots in 1969.
Reader's Guide
Drag kings have historically been more marginalized than drag queens in pop culture and academic LGBTQ studies, but since the 2010s they have gained slightly more visibility. The British collective Pecs, founded in 2013, performed at Soho Theatre and The Glory. In 2018, New Zealand artist Hugo Grrrl became the first drag king on a television show, winning House of Drag. Drag kings use tools of gender illusion such as burnt cork for stubble, binders or chest plates for a flat chest, and packing with socks or silicone prosthetics. Body language and choreography also help create masculine stereotypes. Some performers reject the 'drag king' label, preferring terms like 'gender blurring' or 'drag thing'.
Did You Know?
- The term 'drag king' was first cited in print in 1972.
- Stormé DeLarverie is believed to have provided the spark that ignited the Stonewall riots in 1969.
- The first drag king to appear on a television show was New Zealand artist Hugo Grrrl in 2018.
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