The Cynical Historian | Drag Shows are Traditional @CynicalHistorian | Uploaded 1 year ago | Updated 9 seconds ago
There’s been much fuss over drag shows recently, especially from those who claim to uphold so-called “traditional values.” Of course, these complaints are really just another way to hate-bait about queer people, but let’s examine the one thing reactionaries hold so dear: tradition. Our current form of drag became popular during Prohibition, with cabarets and speakeasies hosting what they called the “Pansy Craze.” For a century prior to that cross-dressing impersonators were seen as just a whole lot of fun, especially for children. For millennia there’s been cross-dressing performers, from Shakespear all the way back to Ancient Greek, including kissing one another. Mummer’s plays for children have prominently featured campy cross-dressing for centuries. Impersonation and overwrought performances have long been a form of popular entertainment. To suggest otherwise is to oppose tradition.
There’s been much fuss over drag shows recently, especially from those who claim to uphold so-called “traditional values.” Of course, these complaints are really just another way to hate-bait about queer people, but let’s examine the one thing reactionaries hold so dear: tradition. Our current form of drag became popular during Prohibition, with cabarets and speakeasies hosting what they called the “Pansy Craze.” For a century prior to that cross-dressing impersonators were seen as just a whole lot of fun, especially for children. For millennia there’s been cross-dressing performers, from Shakespear all the way back to Ancient Greek, including kissing one another. Mummer’s plays for children have prominently featured campy cross-dressing for centuries. Impersonation and overwrought performances have long been a form of popular entertainment. To suggest otherwise is to oppose tradition.
