The past Tuesday, I had to take a new dress to another friend. She had requested something to wear, she was MC at a local bar pageant. I completed the dress and took it with me when I attended the pageant. I got there early. The other girls were painting their faces with total concentration. I was not in drag. I just sat back and watched. This is something I never get to do. Usually that is because I’m in the show. My friend loved the dresses. She and I are about the same size, so there was no need for a final fitting.
The pageant was supposed to start at 11pm. But it did not start until almost midnight. There were still entertainers coming in at 11:30. It was crazy. The whole time, I kept thinking, the owners of my pageant system would NEVER allow this. Apparently, this pageant was not too closely monitored. I was hanging around backstage, puffing on a Virginia Slim. I was also conversing with my good friend, Kelexis Davenport. She and I have been friends for several years. She has had a successful career including several national titles. I look up to her. I also chatted with Iroc Octavia Goodness, Miss Texas USofA Classic. She did not stay long, she had somewhere else to be. She gave me a hug and departed. The other entertainers just kept on applying makeup.
The show finally got started, late. They were short one judge, so guess who was asked to fill in…you guessed it, ME! I was thrilled. I am definitely qualified to judge. I have held three state titles, competed at three national level competitions. I am honest, fair and open. Judging a bar pageant should be easy, except for one catch. It was the Mexican gay bar. The pageant was half in Spanish and half in English. But still it was fun. I love being involved with other bars and events. This was definitely not my crowd. Plus it is good exposure for me and my current title. Any publicity is good publicity.
The entertainers were mostly performing Spanish songs, except two girls. I really enjoyed the costumes. It is defiantly a different style of performing drag. The girls at the Mexican bar are almost always doing a character or impersonating a singer. They hardly invent their own persona. In fact, they have drag names, but are usually introduced by the name of the person they are trying to be. They do not perform a song as an interpretation; they mimic what the real singer is acting it out. For instance, if the singer is known for a gold dress, they wear a gold dress and fashion their hair like the singer. They would not wear a blue dress. They also lip-sync into a fake microphone, as is they were truly singing the song live. Some times it hides their mouths, because they don’t know all of the words. I catch things like that. They also practice movements, that the singer is known for doing. In my drag world, impersonation is not as frequent. I have a few illusions that I do, including, Cher and Tina. I only do them on occasion. They are not part of my usual repertoire. I have been told they are pretty good, but have not ever felt comfortable enough to try them for a pageant. There are girls who do these illusions for a living. They are the standard. I would feel like a Tina-impersonator-impersonator.
The pageant ended with a winner. All of the girls were good. The winner was Tori Santiago Dupree. She was a slender girl, with a figure to die for. She was very pretty. I often see girls like her. I always wonder if I will ever be one……I guess not. The pageant was long and late, but it was good. Maybe I will get dressed up and go out there sometime. Mexican men love a face full of makeup and a sexy outfit. wink.
