'Change' Concept

Idea Formulation

So for our fourth and final concept we decided as a class to choose the concept of 'change'. This can encompass anything related to change which has come about - be it social, political, economic, evolutionary etc. We decided that to make this theme a little bit more relevant to modern day, alongside each of our final images at the exhibition we would have a news article which inspired the piece. This then acts as a solid foundation for my piece inspiration and I can interpret the news article how I wish to create the piece.

So I came across the above article which seems to be doing the rounds on Facebook, with people sharing it posting their views on it  Click here to read the full article (Reference 1). This article is something I find both ridiculous and offensive on many levels, as drag is an art form which takes so much time, effort, money and skill to perfect; and I feel that articles such as this belittle it to being a joke or something we should be ashamed of. My own make-up is heavily influenced by drag as I love the entire culture surrounding it, and so this article is the one I wanted to base my look on - to prove that drag is an art form and girls are being inspired by it in positive ways.

What is Drag?

Drag is an expressive art form whereby men dress as women, often includng outlandish clothes, huge wigs and heavy make-up. The term was actually first used by William Shakespeare when casting male actors to play female roles in his plays.

Left - Right (Top) Biance Del Rio (Reference 2), Pearl Liaison (Reference 3), Cheddar Gorgeous (Reference 4), Sharon Needles (Reference 5).

These are a few of my personal favourite drag queens, as they are so bold with their make-up and outfit choices. I find them as a huge source of inspiration when I am creating make-up looks.

I wanted to look at these as to explore 'whether girls are turning into drag queens' I thought it would be best to start by looking at actual drag queens and their practices.

Drag Make-up Practices Girls Now Use

Overdrawn Lips

Overdrawn Lips are a huge current trend, with stars such as Kylie Jenner making it the 'done thing' amongst teenage girls. But this is a technique used by drag queens for years, to create the illusion of fuller, plumper and more feminine looking lips. This is done by drawing the lip line way over your natural lip shape and re-creating a new shape entirely. (Left images References 6, 7)

Cut Creases

Cut Creases are something very close to my heart (as you can see by the image from my own instagram on the right). These are a huge trend in make-up at the moment, with girls asking for this look on a regular basis for a night out! But this is also a trend started by drag - it was initially done when the brows had been blocked and redrawn on higher, to create the illusion of a new higher up eye socket, which is more feminine. (Image references left to right 8 & 9).

 

Contour

Contour is a craze which has been huge amongst women over the past few years, with celebrities such as Kim Kardashian making it a commonplace make-up ritual. But contouring came from drag - with queens using it to give the illusion of cheekbones, and give themself a more rounded 'feminine' shaped face. Either creme or powder products can be used, to shade and darken the areas which you want to sink back and make less prominent - such as a strong jaw on a queen.

(Image references left to right 10 & 11).

Lucy Garland

Image References (Left to right, top to bottom) 12, 13, 14, 15

Lucy Garland is an Australian girl who has pioneered the 'Faux Drag' trend. Faux Drag, or Bio Queens as they are sometimes referred to, are drag queens who are biologically female. This in itself is a controversial topic, as some believe that women can't be drag queens as they already have the facial and body features required to be female and so it is not 'true drag'.

I am so inspired by her creativity and make-up skill, that I decided to take this opportunity to do a look inspired by her. I decided that I will use a female model and create a Lucy Garland-esque look, which will reflect and poke fun at the news article that Instagram is turning girls into drag queens.

References:

1. Bassett, S. (2016). Is Instagram Making Girls Look Like Drag Queens?. [online] The Huffington Post. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sofina-bassett/is-instagram-making-girls_b_7212578.html [Accessed 19 Mar. 2017].
2. Nolfi, J. (2016). Bianca Del Rio Nabs Logo Comedy Special, 'Not Today Bianca'. [online] EW.com. Available at: http://ew.com/article/2016/10/27/not-today-bianca-logo-comedy-special/ [Accessed 19 Mar. 2017].
3. Sauvalle, J. (2015). Exclusive First Look: Pearl Liaison Channels Marilyn Monroe on The Cover of 'Dazed'. [online] Out.com. Available at: http://www.out.com/popnography/2015/9/17/exclusive-first-look-pearl-liaison-channels-marilyn-monroe-cover-dazed [Accessed 19 Mar. 2017].
4. imgrum. (2016). Cheddar Gorgeous (@cheddar_gorgeous) | Instagram photos and videos. [online] Available at: http://www.imgrum.org/user/cheddar_gorgeous/1354378824/1361662778284435860_1354378824 [Accessed 19 Mar. 2017].
5. Zimbio. (2016). Sharon Needles. [online] Available at: http://www.zimbio.com/Sharon+Needles [Accessed 19 Mar. 2017].
6. Valenti, L. (2015). The History of Overdrawn Lips. [online] Marie Claire. Available at: http://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/news/g3018/overdrawn-lips-history/ [Accessed 19 Mar. 2017].
7. Stargazer News and Events. (n.d.). Image Gallery - Stargazer Cosmetics. [online] Available at: https://www.stargazer-products.com/news-and-events/image-gallery/images/galleries/your-stargazer-style-gallery/page/9 [Accessed 19 Mar. 2017].
8. Mansell, M. (2016). Mollie Mansell on Instagram. Instagram. [Accessed 19 Mar. 2017].
9. Zimbio. (2015). Trixie Mattel. [online] Available at: http://www.zimbio.com/Trixie+Mattel [Accessed 19 Mar. 2017].
10. Petunia, N. (2016). HOUR SALE NEW correcting and contour kit w/ sponge. [online] Poshmark. Available at: https://poshmark.com/listing/HOUR-SALE-NEW-correcting-and-contour-kit-w-sponge- 5734916bb4188e2845008782?utm_campaign=referral_code%3DJGTKK&utm_content=feature%3Dsh_l%26rfuid%3D5691610c70b6bdedfd3c3796&utm_source=pi_sh_pub [Accessed 19 Mar. 2017].
11. Nolfi, J. (2017). Lady Gaga to Appear on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 9. [online] EW.com. Available at: http://ew.com/tv/2017/02/07/lady-gaga-rupaul-drag-race-season-9/ [Accessed 19 Mar. 2017].
12. Cardoso, L. (2016). Chi Chi Devayne: My Respect. [online] mais20minutos. Available at: http://mais20min.com.br/page/15/ [Accessed 19 Mar. 2017].
13. King Kong Magazine. (2016). LUCY GARLAND - King Kong Magazine. [online] Available at: http://www.kingkongmagazine.com/special-ks/lucy-garland/#jp-carousel-1350 [Accessed 19 Mar. 2017].
14. Garland, L. (2017). Lucy Garland. [online] Twitter.com. Available at: https://twitter.com/lucygarland__/status/833872011721990148 [Accessed 19 Mar. 2017].
15. Garland, L. (2016). Lucy Garland on Twitter. [online] Twitter. Available at: https://twitter.com/lucygarland__/status/810370445895602177 [Accessed 19 Mar. 2017].