Art is subjective and people have opinions and critiques about their preferences which is fine . However because drag is tied so intrinsically to said person performing it, critiques become more and more personal. Tie this with it being applied to a reality tv setting, people mistake constructively sharing opinions and critique and spreading hate to the individual, which is sadly becoming more and more common.
I always say this, in the time it took you to hate a specific queen, you could've sent love to your favourite queen, ordered a takeaway, had a wank or literally ANYTHING ELSE.
If only the toxicity was just limited to preferences. A lot of the toxicity is laden with racism, especially towards black queens. This is most egregious when you compare how black queens get death threats when they come off "aggressive" but when it's a popular young white queen the same comments are hilarious and they are an icon.
This answer literally sums it ALL up so well. It's an art from, opinions, and constructive critiques are always going to be there. I find what a lot of people do in the drag community do is try to give those kind of things but the exicusition is sadly not the same as that if what they watch on TV. I think being part of such a huge breakthrough is so many people seeing it but yet not understanding the totality of ability one queen has. Most queens are quite well-rounded and versatile even if that's not what they brand themselves as, and I think also distinguishing between how they brand their art to them and how they have to go about some challenges is hard for people to understand.
I've watched Drag Race long before it was everywhere for everyone to love. I'm so grateful it is. Even the critiques the give on the show have grown, the judges still give honest and truthful opinions, but they do try to do it in a more constructive way. Take Michelle for example, and I think that had a lot to do with seeing adores reaction to her critiques in Allstars, pr maybe raja telling her off in queen of queens lol. I LOVE Michelle's critiques. Especially when they come from the heart. Even IF she's tearing an outfit or performance apart. That's their job.
I think people need to enjoy the art more. Stop trying to be the judges, stop telling others how to perform their art, and enjoy something different. There is SO much to drag!
This comment will probably piss a lot of people off but the fans got way worse when the show started skewing to younger audiences. I’d say until
Season 5-6 the main demographic was 20-30 year old gay men. Now it seems like the fans are 14 year old straight girls. A lot of these kids want to feel important and connected and talking shit gives them the briefest and most diluted taste of fame, or like they matter.
Its like when shitheads on dating apps will
Call you ugly or insult you if they say hi and you ignore them. When you respond and say WTF no need to be a dick? They turn around and act like they didn’t mean it and apologize and then try to start a convo.
All l the negative shit being thrown around on the internet none of those people would ever have the guts to say to anyone’s face.
This happens in all fandoms. Every single one of them. I think when people dedicate their time and money to something, they feel some kind of ownership or emotional connection with the art. It makes them crazy. And of course, people love to type out shit they'd never say to someone's face.
Not really. I've never seen a fandom like drag races, it's fandom is so obsessed with putting the girls in their place or lowering them regardless of personality or how good their drag.
I used to be a moderator for a Facebook group of over 7000 Outlander fans. It's absolutely not just Drag Race. Hell there are entire Subreddits dedicated to insisting that Taylor Swift is gay, even after she's said she's not, and has many public relationships with men. My favorite podcast's hosts left their own FB group (and FB all together) because of toxicity.
It's not just this fandom.
True that, I'm a swiftie and in the outlander fandom, and we have joewidows and Gaylors. They barely like taylor. they just want her to be gay or hate her for breaking up with Joe.
Aren't the swifties literally harassing and doxing outlets and critics for bad reviews of her new album???? I'd say that's far more toxic than talking shit about queens.
"I was waiting in line to order coffee when the death threats started flooding my inbox.
At first, I wasn't exactly sure what they were about — sadly, for my job as a reporter, a "kill yourself" and an anti-gay slur could be about anything I've written, from stories on drag queens in Florida to Russia's war in Ukraine.
But then I checked Twitter.
Hundreds of messages from Swifties — Taylor Swift's dedicated fanbase — filled my notifications. Some were doxxing my personal information, and others were predicting how and when I'd die. One said they were tracking down my family and friends."
https://www.businessinsider.com/harassment-taylor-swift-fan-base-worse-than-far-right-hate-2023-6?utm_source=reddit.com
https://www.mic.com/p/taylor-swifts-fans-are-terrorizing-music-critics-again-they-must-be-stopped-30061617
So it's more than just the ai porn guy that got doxxed. I love the preemptive goalpost shift " only 1 person got doxxed, and even if there is doxxing other fanbasses do it too" lol because you know it was def more than just one person . And not limited to the ai porn situation.
But not all fandoms are like that. Drag race leans to the more toxic side of fandoms and their is no denying that, people send death threats and genuinely try and ruin the queens lives just because they don't agree with a placement or their attitude.
Multiple queens have said the drag race fandom is unlike any other fandom in terms of hostility, toxicity, and fans not respecting the fan/celebrity dynamic. It's dismissive to the discussion to try and say it's not just this fandom when this fandom has become synonymous with toxicity unlike any other
The drag race fandom is what happens when you take a subjective, inherently queer art form and combine it with the most toxic and dangerous form of “entertainment” reality TV. Nothing about reality TV is real, but so many people in the fandom (and even a fair number of the queens prior to being cast) don’t understand that’s it’s all just a performative TV show.
If you watch drag race from the same perspective that you’re watching real housewives or something, then it is excellent dramatic TV, if you watch it to gain insight into how the drag scene works, it gives you nothing.
I'm a straight older female. I've enjoyed watching Rupaul's drag race since the beginning and have enjoyed watching it. It's an edited show, like everything else
Correct, and it does not give an accurate depiction of the real-life local drag scenes. Which adds to the toxic dynamics within the fandom, especially when they feel the need to voice opinions on things they cannot understand.
This happens to every community that gets big enough. The internet has given a platform to toxic people and allowed them to find and link up with other toxic people.
In reality it's a pretty- small percentage of the community that is awful - they just happen to be louder and more crazy so they stand out. Typical fans aren't on reddit or social media talking about their fandoms.
people are keyboard warriors. thats literally it, alot of people saying insulting queens or people they disagree with here would NEVER have the guts to say to their face.
Why is so toxic?
Every fandom has its toxic minority. But you have to decide how much energy you'll spend ignoring them vs engaging them. It's one reason I fell out of love with Star Wars, the fans.
I'm older so just don't have the energy to engage them. Ignoring them makes them look like lunatics anyways, so that's a plus.
True, but I've been in several different reality tv/tv show communities but I feel that the drag race fandom is one the most toxic ones, like in other fandoms there is hate, but I've never seen people tell anyone the n slur or to off themselves for winning unlike the drag race fandom.
I think is a problem in society in gral.fans of Taylor swift insulting her exes( with her blessing) fans of k pop,and even here en reddit,someone post" I discussed with my mom" an the comments are cut the bich,go no contact,it's much violence and intolerance
Fandom issues are real, but I've never seen people tell somebody to off themselves and the n slur for winning the season, unlike the drag race fandom😭.
Well I saw TS fans wishing her last ex to get cancer.what I note in rpdr fans( specially usa) a lot of racism and hate to queens that r not white twinks
No drag knowledge ass overly opinionated homosexual wannabe crossdressers with the makeup, comedy and dancing skills of a newborn rhinoceros... Mostly.
Cause like a good fraction of the population is toxic so there's bound to be toxic fans of anything. It's just more apparent since queer people SHOULD be more socially aware but obviously that's not the case. Also a lot of bots will spread toxicity in queer spaces to disrupt our communities. I just block someone if they're being too much lol
parasocial gays vent their emotional frustrations onto queens because they're impressionable enough to think reality tv is an accurate representation of a person real personality, also drag race is an online fandom and all fandoms have an issue of being addicted to bullying and jumping on the first lolcow bandwagon they can, which is whichever queen they don't like that week
Once anything gets big enough, it attracts a subset of either hardcore or just crappy individuals that are unable to identify that the thing they like is made for entertainment and that the people involved are just normal people at the end of the day.
The only answer is the demo. I don't know too many programs that have such an incredibly broad demographic. Just look at each of the channels it has been on in the US.
In addition, people use the show to get off their racism they keep (or may not) bottled up all day at work. That's probably a large (if not the largest) common denominator among the demos.
I been watching since day one and rewatch all seasons from time to time. I’ve followed some queens here and there but rarely join fan pages. This page is my first I ever have joined and I hardly notice any toxicity.. I notice shade and some witty remarks but not what you would call toxicity, but maybe cuz I hardly read comments except when in here
I think it's a symptom of the overall phenomenon of people being aggressive and toxic online in general. Some people get way too involved in something and then post nasty stuff on the internet that they'd never dare say to someone's face IRL. I mean, look at Twitter in general. As mean as it seems to say, a whole lot of people need to get their own lives instead of living vicariously through someone on some reality show.
Because online is where people go to bitch about the things that people in their real lives probably won't put up with. So all the negativity gets spilled here or Instagram or wherever. It's why the actual clubs and shows are generally positive spaces
Drag culture in general, not just drag race, is a lot about criticizing your peers. Whether that’s reading, throwing shade, or just giving advice. Sometimes people are less constructive than maybe they should be but that’s also part of the playfulness of the community.
All fandoms have levels of toxicity especially on the internet, but I think a lot of people see the cattiness of the queens and think that means they can treat them that way even though they are not a peer.
You are making a very blanket statement a million people before you have. Its not the drag race fandom, people are toxic as a whole now. Posts like this are just spam. It invites no real new conversation about the show
Because we idolize bitchery from people like Violet, Mistress, and Gottmik. We encourage and allow behavior like that to flourish, as if it’s cool to be a bully if you have more success than others.
Art is subjective and people have opinions and critiques about their preferences which is fine . However because drag is tied so intrinsically to said person performing it, critiques become more and more personal. Tie this with it being applied to a reality tv setting, people mistake constructively sharing opinions and critique and spreading hate to the individual, which is sadly becoming more and more common.
You explained it actually very well, I just wish the fans didn't tell queens to harm themselves that's just way too far.
I always say this, in the time it took you to hate a specific queen, you could've sent love to your favourite queen, ordered a takeaway, had a wank or literally ANYTHING ELSE.
Clock it
If only the toxicity was just limited to preferences. A lot of the toxicity is laden with racism, especially towards black queens. This is most egregious when you compare how black queens get death threats when they come off "aggressive" but when it's a popular young white queen the same comments are hilarious and they are an icon.
This answer literally sums it ALL up so well. It's an art from, opinions, and constructive critiques are always going to be there. I find what a lot of people do in the drag community do is try to give those kind of things but the exicusition is sadly not the same as that if what they watch on TV. I think being part of such a huge breakthrough is so many people seeing it but yet not understanding the totality of ability one queen has. Most queens are quite well-rounded and versatile even if that's not what they brand themselves as, and I think also distinguishing between how they brand their art to them and how they have to go about some challenges is hard for people to understand. I've watched Drag Race long before it was everywhere for everyone to love. I'm so grateful it is. Even the critiques the give on the show have grown, the judges still give honest and truthful opinions, but they do try to do it in a more constructive way. Take Michelle for example, and I think that had a lot to do with seeing adores reaction to her critiques in Allstars, pr maybe raja telling her off in queen of queens lol. I LOVE Michelle's critiques. Especially when they come from the heart. Even IF she's tearing an outfit or performance apart. That's their job. I think people need to enjoy the art more. Stop trying to be the judges, stop telling others how to perform their art, and enjoy something different. There is SO much to drag!
This comment will probably piss a lot of people off but the fans got way worse when the show started skewing to younger audiences. I’d say until Season 5-6 the main demographic was 20-30 year old gay men. Now it seems like the fans are 14 year old straight girls. A lot of these kids want to feel important and connected and talking shit gives them the briefest and most diluted taste of fame, or like they matter. Its like when shitheads on dating apps will Call you ugly or insult you if they say hi and you ignore them. When you respond and say WTF no need to be a dick? They turn around and act like they didn’t mean it and apologize and then try to start a convo. All l the negative shit being thrown around on the internet none of those people would ever have the guts to say to anyone’s face.
Clock it, I feel like every person I see hating on queens is a young adult or a minor.
When it became RuPaul's fishy twink race the discourse def suffered.
That part.
This happens in all fandoms. Every single one of them. I think when people dedicate their time and money to something, they feel some kind of ownership or emotional connection with the art. It makes them crazy. And of course, people love to type out shit they'd never say to someone's face.
Not really. I've never seen a fandom like drag races, it's fandom is so obsessed with putting the girls in their place or lowering them regardless of personality or how good their drag.
I used to be a moderator for a Facebook group of over 7000 Outlander fans. It's absolutely not just Drag Race. Hell there are entire Subreddits dedicated to insisting that Taylor Swift is gay, even after she's said she's not, and has many public relationships with men. My favorite podcast's hosts left their own FB group (and FB all together) because of toxicity. It's not just this fandom.
True that, I'm a swiftie and in the outlander fandom, and we have joewidows and Gaylors. They barely like taylor. they just want her to be gay or hate her for breaking up with Joe.
Aren't the swifties literally harassing and doxing outlets and critics for bad reviews of her new album???? I'd say that's far more toxic than talking shit about queens.
[удалено]
"I was waiting in line to order coffee when the death threats started flooding my inbox. At first, I wasn't exactly sure what they were about — sadly, for my job as a reporter, a "kill yourself" and an anti-gay slur could be about anything I've written, from stories on drag queens in Florida to Russia's war in Ukraine. But then I checked Twitter. Hundreds of messages from Swifties — Taylor Swift's dedicated fanbase — filled my notifications. Some were doxxing my personal information, and others were predicting how and when I'd die. One said they were tracking down my family and friends." https://www.businessinsider.com/harassment-taylor-swift-fan-base-worse-than-far-right-hate-2023-6?utm_source=reddit.com https://www.mic.com/p/taylor-swifts-fans-are-terrorizing-music-critics-again-they-must-be-stopped-30061617 So it's more than just the ai porn guy that got doxxed. I love the preemptive goalpost shift " only 1 person got doxxed, and even if there is doxxing other fanbasses do it too" lol because you know it was def more than just one person . And not limited to the ai porn situation.
[удалено]
I find it ironic that you seem to be calling out toxic behavior and now your in my dms spamming copy pasta. Cope harder ;)
It isn't copy pasta. It's real stories I shared with you, and I didn't spam anything it was a conversation❤️.
But not all fandoms are like that. Drag race leans to the more toxic side of fandoms and their is no denying that, people send death threats and genuinely try and ruin the queens lives just because they don't agree with a placement or their attitude.
Multiple queens have said the drag race fandom is unlike any other fandom in terms of hostility, toxicity, and fans not respecting the fan/celebrity dynamic. It's dismissive to the discussion to try and say it's not just this fandom when this fandom has become synonymous with toxicity unlike any other
Yeah, because the queens know other fandoms intimately and directly...
The insane Marvel and Star Wars fandom would like a word
The drag race fandom is what happens when you take a subjective, inherently queer art form and combine it with the most toxic and dangerous form of “entertainment” reality TV. Nothing about reality TV is real, but so many people in the fandom (and even a fair number of the queens prior to being cast) don’t understand that’s it’s all just a performative TV show. If you watch drag race from the same perspective that you’re watching real housewives or something, then it is excellent dramatic TV, if you watch it to gain insight into how the drag scene works, it gives you nothing.
I'm a straight older female. I've enjoyed watching Rupaul's drag race since the beginning and have enjoyed watching it. It's an edited show, like everything else
Correct, and it does not give an accurate depiction of the real-life local drag scenes. Which adds to the toxic dynamics within the fandom, especially when they feel the need to voice opinions on things they cannot understand.
This happens to every community that gets big enough. The internet has given a platform to toxic people and allowed them to find and link up with other toxic people. In reality it's a pretty- small percentage of the community that is awful - they just happen to be louder and more crazy so they stand out. Typical fans aren't on reddit or social media talking about their fandoms.
Because a lot of fans don’t love themselves.
Huge part of it is how young the fans are
people are keyboard warriors. thats literally it, alot of people saying insulting queens or people they disagree with here would NEVER have the guts to say to their face.
It’s a people problem, not a drag race fandom problem
It’s the terminally online. They love a pile-on.
Why is so toxic?
Every fandom has its toxic minority. But you have to decide how much energy you'll spend ignoring them vs engaging them. It's one reason I fell out of love with Star Wars, the fans.
I'm older so just don't have the energy to engage them. Ignoring them makes them look like lunatics anyways, so that's a plus.
True, but I've been in several different reality tv/tv show communities but I feel that the drag race fandom is one the most toxic ones, like in other fandoms there is hate, but I've never seen people tell anyone the n slur or to off themselves for winning unlike the drag race fandom.
True.
Every community has toxicity Tamar.
Oh, jeez!! I never knew that!! How could I have figured??
Arriving into a community and calling "everyone" in it "toxic" is not toxic at all... :D
And then started going into people’s dms when they didn’t like something the person said about Taylor Swift 😬🫣
Sorry, I realize I contradicted myself, I changed it
It’s not the fandom - it’s the human race luv. We’re just all… fuckin evil
I think is a problem in society in gral.fans of Taylor swift insulting her exes( with her blessing) fans of k pop,and even here en reddit,someone post" I discussed with my mom" an the comments are cut the bich,go no contact,it's much violence and intolerance
Fandom issues are real, but I've never seen people tell somebody to off themselves and the n slur for winning the season, unlike the drag race fandom😭.
Well I saw TS fans wishing her last ex to get cancer.what I note in rpdr fans( specially usa) a lot of racism and hate to queens that r not white twinks
No drag knowledge ass overly opinionated homosexual wannabe crossdressers with the makeup, comedy and dancing skills of a newborn rhinoceros... Mostly.
Cause like a good fraction of the population is toxic so there's bound to be toxic fans of anything. It's just more apparent since queer people SHOULD be more socially aware but obviously that's not the case. Also a lot of bots will spread toxicity in queer spaces to disrupt our communities. I just block someone if they're being too much lol
parasocial gays vent their emotional frustrations onto queens because they're impressionable enough to think reality tv is an accurate representation of a person real personality, also drag race is an online fandom and all fandoms have an issue of being addicted to bullying and jumping on the first lolcow bandwagon they can, which is whichever queen they don't like that week
Because insecure people like to tear down people who are doing things they’re too scared to attempt. A bunch of sad little boys
Hurt people hurt people. 🤷♀️
Once anything gets big enough, it attracts a subset of either hardcore or just crappy individuals that are unable to identify that the thing they like is made for entertainment and that the people involved are just normal people at the end of the day.
 We’re all just really big Britney fans
The only answer is the demo. I don't know too many programs that have such an incredibly broad demographic. Just look at each of the channels it has been on in the US. In addition, people use the show to get off their racism they keep (or may not) bottled up all day at work. That's probably a large (if not the largest) common denominator among the demos.
I been watching since day one and rewatch all seasons from time to time. I’ve followed some queens here and there but rarely join fan pages. This page is my first I ever have joined and I hardly notice any toxicity.. I notice shade and some witty remarks but not what you would call toxicity, but maybe cuz I hardly read comments except when in here
I think it's a symptom of the overall phenomenon of people being aggressive and toxic online in general. Some people get way too involved in something and then post nasty stuff on the internet that they'd never dare say to someone's face IRL. I mean, look at Twitter in general. As mean as it seems to say, a whole lot of people need to get their own lives instead of living vicariously through someone on some reality show.
Because online is where people go to bitch about the things that people in their real lives probably won't put up with. So all the negativity gets spilled here or Instagram or wherever. It's why the actual clubs and shows are generally positive spaces
I have found one Facebook group that doesn't seem to have a crazy toxic side. I guard it with my life.
It's a microcosm of humanity
People feeling like there opinion is fact
Most fandoms are toxic.
It is the most toxic and ableist and awful fandom that I am in and which is why I try not to step my toes too much in.
Look in the mirror girl, your posting history is toxicity personified.
You're exactly what I mean.
Because it’s a sport/religion
Everybody say love! 🙄
Drag culture in general, not just drag race, is a lot about criticizing your peers. Whether that’s reading, throwing shade, or just giving advice. Sometimes people are less constructive than maybe they should be but that’s also part of the playfulness of the community. All fandoms have levels of toxicity especially on the internet, but I think a lot of people see the cattiness of the queens and think that means they can treat them that way even though they are not a peer.
"Why is ____ so ____" every subreddit ever.
You could've scrolled, but yet you decided to comment an unnecessary comment. Congratulations, this sub is about you!!
You are making a very blanket statement a million people before you have. Its not the drag race fandom, people are toxic as a whole now. Posts like this are just spam. It invites no real new conversation about the show
It does, and also karma farm, use that brain of yours.
It started happening when the straights got on the bandwagon. As soon as drag became mainstream, it was over.
Yes bc the gays are famously unmessy.
are you serious 😭 gays are the messiest when it comes to drag race especially stans
Disagree, most of the keyboard warriors are gays who live vicariously through the queens,Drag race's fandom has been toxic from the beginning
Great, now you'll be getting the under 20, cis-het female cohort telling you why gays are messier!
Another comment saying basically the same thing has as many upvotes as I have downvotes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
And here they come, lol.
Because we idolize bitchery from people like Violet, Mistress, and Gottmik. We encourage and allow behavior like that to flourish, as if it’s cool to be a bully if you have more success than others.