Monsters and Dust

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M&D: What about Lil Elote outside of competition mode? How have people reacted to her in more casual situations like parties or art events? I have a great memory of you giving makeovers to high school kids at this year's NEXT Fair. What kind of power do you think drag has the potential to invoke in more everyday situations?

YJK: Firstly, the fair’s a circus. As for the high school group, it was a bunch of girls and two boys, who were dared by the girls to get makeovers. Initially, they felt their manhood and sexuality were being threatened. They were repeatedly saying, “Don’t make me look gay!” As I, the big ol' drag queen was giving them makeovers — accentuating the natural contours of their faces, applying a little eyeliner to bring out their eyes, I wanted them to see their own beauty. It was just a real intimate experience. Giving oneself over to the process of transformation physically, as a metaphor for the personal, can be empowering, at least that’s the hope. It was pretty awesome.

drag lab 1
Drag as laboratory:
Lil Elote breaks out the white coat and preps high schoolers (above) and artist Dan Dunbar (below) for transformation at Chicago’s NEXT Fair.
drag lab 2
“It’s one of those polarizing things, where you can immediately tell, when you walk into a room in drag, who’s down and who’s not, it takes out a lot of the guesswork in figuring out who’s a douche. In that way, it’s been kinda nice.”