3 Lessons from RuPaul’s Drag Race
What a hit TV show can teach you about life
RPDR is my comfort show. At times in my life where anxiety was at its highest, I would pull up reruns on my phone and sleep with the sound pouring through my headphones.
Needless to say, I’ve seen every episode of the main series — all more than once.
RuPaul was born in 1960, and season one of RPDR premiered in 2009. Seasons are still being filmed and aired. Throughout his life, RuPaul paid attention, crafted a booming career, and (I imagine) went to a good deal of therapy. He’s got a sort of cold, all-business, bottom-line attitude, but he also has some genuinely good, full-hearted wisdom. Some of the points in this article are directly from him, and some of them are indirectly from him via what often happens in the show.
Nahko and Medicine for the People said in his song Manifesto that “there is no medicine on the television,” but I disagree. RPDR is medicine for queer people via representation, it’s medicine for everyone via laughter, and it’s medicine for the self-helper who wants to improve, too.
1 — Know who you are and deliver at all times.
On RPDR, branding is everything, but it’s also something that can be difficult to put your finger on. It’s not…
