The Rhody Drag and Makeup Club is excited to continue its second semester with big plans, even as their president studies abroad.
The club was started by Joseph “Jojo” MacDonald last semester with the goal of bringing drag and makeup art to the University of Rhode Island. MacDonald is studying abroad, but standing President Elliot Eiseman and Vice President Marley Ahlijanian have taken up the mantle.
Drag is a performance art that uses costumes and makeup to exaggerate forms of gender expression, according to the Human Rights Campaign. There is evidence of drag tracing back as far as ancient Greece, where actors had to perform in drag because women were not allowed to perform. William Dorsey Swann hosted drag shows, or runway-like events where artists perform drag, as the first self-described “queen of drag” in the early 1900s.
Drag artists may also perform in “ballroom” events, another version of queer performance popularized by Black and Latino queer communities in New York City, according to See the Queens, a community-built resource for drag artists.
Traditionally, the term “drag queens” refers to men dressed in exaggerated forms of women’s clothing and makeup, but drag queens can identify with any gender, according to Advocates for Trans Equality. There are also drag kings, who perform stylized forms of masculinity, but they are typically less common.
Ahlijanian and Ava Maroney, the club secretary, got into drag around 13-years-old. They both credit “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” a competition television show based around drag performances, with sparking their interests.
“I personally have friends back at home that do drag,” Maroney said. “So I’ve seen drag shows and stuff like that. When I was younger, like 13, I got into ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race.’ I’ve been watching the show for a pretty long time, but drag has always been something I’ve been really interested in.”
Rhody Drag and Makeup Club has had a little difficulty finding a time for meetings because of its members demanding schedules, but the club hopes to schedule workshops and watch parties for “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
“We had an eyeliner workshop,” Maroney said. “Last semester, we had a collab with the Dress History Association. We’ve had one meeting this semester for introductions.”
Ahlijanian discussed other possible partnerships, like a vogue dancing workshop with one of the campus dance groups. She also spoke about continuing to work with URI’s Gender and Sexuality Center. She also hopes to involve a URI professor with a drag persona.
The group has also run into some issues with funding, as they are only eligible for $50 stipends from the student senate. The funding only allowed for the club to purchase one breastplate, silicone prosthetics designed to give the wearer the appearance of breasts, Ahlijanian said.
The group hopes to finish out the year with a drag show, like the ones featured on “Drag Race”.
“We definitely want to get local drag queens here,” Ahlijanian said. “If we can get student performers, we will definitely be on the lookout for those. I think it’s really important to have the students [perform] too.”
Students interested in joining the Rhody Drag and Makeup Club can find more information on the club’s URInvolved page or by contacting one of the club’s officers.
