![]() There are also many opportunities for Drag Kings to compete and network, with The San Francisco Drag King Contest being significant as supposedly the oldest and biggest Drag King competition in the world. For example, ‘Boi Box’ is a monthly Drag King show held at ‘She Soho’, a lesbian venue situated on Old Compton Street in London. Today’s drag kings and the drag that I see in Brooklyn is more expansive, gender fluid, gender-bending, and really pushing the edge from all sides. They may be lesbian, bisexual, transgender, genderqueer, or otherwise part of the LGBT community. ![]() Despite being relatively unheard of to the masses, Drag King shows are becoming more and more accessible, with both troupe and solo performers making a name for themselves amongst artistic and LGBT communities. Drag kings are performance artists, typically cisgender women, who dress in masculine drag and personify male gender stereotypes as part of an individual or group routine. In order to achieve different levels of gender illusion, drag kings combine methods of breast binding, application of facial/body hair, masculine haircuts, styles or wigs, performance props, staging, illusive male genitalia, manly clothing, as well as altered posture and movement. Hosted in a different city each year, the IDKE is known for its extraordinary performances, workshops and events which push the boundaries of gender. The International Drag King Community Extravaganza is the largest event of its kind and is entirely run by volunteers. Some of my favourites include Phantom, Spikey Van Dykey, Adam All and Landon Cider. Bringing Drag Kings into the 21st Century, the field of performing arts and creative industries offer a wide range of practitioners specialising in drag king performances, workshops and transformations. Referring to the updated version, we can see the definition as ‘A woman who dresses up as a man a male impersonator’. Referencing the OED, during 1972, the term ‘Drag King’ was initially published in text to represent the description ‘woman masquerading as a man’. Not to mention other provocative entertainers such as Blues singer Gladys Bentley and the more controversial LGBT civil rights icon Stormé DeLarverie. Distinguished impersonators and cross-dressers across the 19th and 20th Centuries include theatrical performers such as Annie Hindle, Ella Shields, Vesta Tilly, Bessie Bellwood and Hetty King. Since this time, Drag Kings have progressed and developed increasing in popularity whilst making use of sophisticated resources and techniques. In other words, she became accustomed to fitted knee-length trousers and popular masculine garments clothing worn mostly by men around the 1700s. Dubbed as “the most successful female playwright of the eighteenth century”, she performed regularly in traditional male attire. For instance, English playwright, poet and actress Susanna Centlivre is notable for her work as an actress in ‘breeches roles’. The idea and practice of performers transforming themselves through male personas is by no means a new concept.
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