Ginny Lemon Slams "Drag Race U.K." for Misogynistic Beauty Standards
The second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K. ended in March, but one contestant is still throwing shade.
You may remember the iconic moment when nonbinary contestant Ginny Lemon refused to lip-sync against Sister Sister and simply walked off the show in one of the most shocking self-eliminations in recent memory. Lemon has since opened up about their frustrations with the long-running reality competition franchise, particularly when it comes to nonbinary representation.
“There was such a… generic form of drag that was being represented on that show,” they said during a recent Fubar Radio appearance. “It was hip pads, tits, contour, this and that, going for a very hyperfeminine illusion which is, you know, frankly outdated in 2021.”
Lemon, known for their signature monochromatic yellow look, famously reflected on their nonbinary identity in the third episode of sophomore season’s international offshoot during a heart-to-heart with fellow contestant Sister Sister.
“[F]or years and years, I didn’t know what I was,” they said. “I didn’t know whether I was a boy or a girl. I just didn’t know. That’s why I wear yellow, because it doesn’t say anything. It doesn’t define me as anything.”
Since exiting Drag Race, Lemon has been vocal about their own vexations with the reality competition. After claiming they weren’t asked to participate in a Twitter Q&A, Lemon called the show out in a series of since-deleted tweets and accused it of using them “for a nice little non-binary storyline.”
“And that’s it then,” the 32-year-old tweeted, in comments reported by the LGBTQ+ publication PinkNews. “Isn’t that nice? Then bam, kicked to the curb. Bam, back to the trash. What’s it about then? Buy the merch darling, it’s about money.”
Lemon deleted the tweets shortly after they were published, apologizing after RuPaul reportedly reached out to explain why an email invitation had never arrived. But apparently the performer still has plenty of critiques of Drag Race U.K. left to air.
As British entertainment outlet Digital Spy reported, Lemon also opened up to Fubar Radio about their decision to self-exit. “It was getting so pedestrian, so boring, and, you know, it needed to be shaken up and stood on its ass,” they said. “And that was part of my job as a drag performer to do.”
They added that Drag Race’s beauty standards were “misogynistic,” explaining that they never felt as though their eccentric, tradition-bucking looks were a good fit for the show.
“I just didn’t want to see these cookie-cutter drag queens that I was seeing,” they continued. “I wanted some queer art, not just people prancing around and having a laugh. I mean that’s all great and well-done, but there are some truly talented performers out there who haven’t got a platform. As queer people, what else do we have apart from Drag Race to cling to, and to perform with?”
Trans and nonbinary performers have continued to make inroads into the Drag Race franchise, pushing back against these normative conventions. Drag Race U.K. season two contestant Bimini Bon-Boulash planned a gender reveal-themed performance in which balloons were supposed to splatter their outfit with blue, pink, and white paint, but the balloons didn’t pop as planned. And earlier this year, them. Now List honoree Gottmik made history as the first trans man to appear on Drag Race.
Still, it’s refreshing to see vigorous criticism get lobbied at a show that inarguably needs to continue evolving.
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