StMU Research Scholars

Featuring Scholarly Research, Writing, and Media at St. Mary’s University

April 7, 2019

RuPaul’s Influence On Drag: You Better Work!

Winner of the Spring 2019 StMU History Media Award for

Best Article in the Category of “Cultural History”

RuPaul’s most iconic and memorable moments were all fueled by a single ambition: to one day reach fame. RuPaul’s undeniable authenticity led him to gain an enormous amount of influence in the drag community. RuPaul’s hit single “Supermodel,” also known as “You Better Work,” opened many people’s interest to the drag community, in which RuPaul is a heavy influence. RuPaul’s great influence over the drag community is important because that influence allows a marginalized group of people to take power within themselves and express their art and talent. RuPaul lives an extraordinary life that influences people from all parts of the world to start embracing themselves. However, it did not start that way for RuPaul.

RuPaul Andre Charles grew up in San Diego, California learning fashion tips from his mother and three sisters during the late 60s. His mother and sisters heavily influenced him through fashion and beauty starting at a very young age. RuPaul was the only boy of his parents’ four children. At the age of seven, RuPaul began wearing his sisters’ clothes, which is when he began exploring cross-dressing. Some of RuPauls favorite people to emulate in his youth were stars like Diana Ross and Jane Fonda.1 Growing up in a home filled with tension due to RuPaul’s parents’ divorce, it heavily influenced him. The divorce then led RuPaul to move to Atlanta, Georgia, with his sister and her husband later in his teens.

Having always had an interest in cross dressing, RuPaul was more than excited to move to Atlanta, where the drag scene was more developed than it was in California. While in Atlanta, RuPaul attended the Northside School of Performing Arts, and although he didn’t graduate, it was a big step toward getting his feet wet in the world of performance and show business!2 While going to school in Atlanta, RuPaul made it by working as a used car salesman in the local area. After a few weeks working, RuPaul knew that this was not where he belonged, and that he was destined for much more. In 1982, RuPaul took that next step and sent a photo of himself to a local TV program called The American Music Show, asking to appear on air. Not long after, he was appearing on the series regularly, often with his newly formed band, RuPaul and the U-Hauls.

RuPaul at a party for the launch of her Strrbooty DVD, October 2007 | Courtesy of David Shakbone

RuPaul and the U-Hauls broke up and faded away not too long afterwards. RuPaul then made his first move into his dream of acting during this period in Atlanta, starting off small, but growing rapidly.3 RuPaul first made appearances in uncredited roles in low-budget movies and films. This is what gave RuPaul an urge to reach for more. RuPaul wanted to be in the spotlight now more than ever. Although these appearances did not help RuPaul reach fame, he never fell short of ideas to one day reach ultimate fame. RuPaul was very determined during this time that he never let himself fall behind. After some time in Atlanta, RuPaul then felt obligated to move somewhere more fitting for his future, and he headed to New York.

That first time walking the streets of New York City made RuPaul realize that he had made the right decision. He was in the right place. He could feel the excitement and eagerness he had to start climbing the ladder to fame. Being in the city where dreams come true, RuPaul realized why drag meant so much to him in that very moment. Drag, according to Charles, applies to us all, regardless of gender, race, or social background. It’s how we choose to show ourselves to the world, what personas we adopt as we move through life. “Why not make it work for you,” he said to Oprah Winfrey. “If you have the power to control how people see and interpret you, why not use it?”4 RuPaul not only did drag because it was his hobby, but also because it was his passion. Cross dressing is what helped him get through so many rough patches during his childhood, and even still in his adult life. RuPaul wanted to make people feel just as he feels every time he is on stage. Through his performances and music, RuPaul was determined to create an impact and empower his audience to live boldly and be 100% true to themselves.

RuPaul Cover of “Super Model” Single, November 1992 | Courtesy of Tommy Boy

Harnessing that power, RuPaul soon started performing in local Manhattan clubs, where he was best known for his flamboyance and ease on stage. These qualities making him a hit club dancer and by the end of the decade he was named the Queen of New York.5 Slowing reaching closer to fame, RuPaul got stuck in the life of living like a star and fell into a massive drug addiction hanging around the wrong people. Very unlike himself, RuPaul was stuck with his career, and in a dark place for a while, before he had the motivation to dig himself out. Luckily, a few months later, RuPaul got back on his feet and was offered a record deal with the hip-hop label Tommy Boy. His album Supermodel of the World was released in 1993, but failed on the Billboard Charts.

This meant that yet again, RuPaul had reached another low in his career. Life felt as if he was getting beat up over and over again, and it made RuPaul feel that fame was so very far away for him. However, this did not stop RuPaul from continuing to work for the fame he always believed he could reach. In 1994, his single “Supermodel (You Better Work)” was released. It was a tribute to the divas of the fashion world, and it began to get recognition. Being placed in the top 30 on the Pop Charts, RuPaul had his first success! From that moment on, RuPaul’s life would changed forever. His single was not only popular in the US, but worldwide. His music video for the single, “You Better Work,” was then nominated for Best Dance Video at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards.5 The successes of “Supermodel” continued and had RuPaul performing at the Gay Rights rally in Washington D.C., in the exact same spot Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. It was truly a monumental time in his career. During that same year, RuPaul then started recording music with many well-known celebrities, including Elton John. Many were charted on the American charts, but they proved more successful in Europe. Through his hit single “You Better Work,” RuPaul had now paved the way for his career and the many lives he would change from then on.

Since then, RuPaul has more than proved himself in the drag community, as he has launched a makeup line named “Color Evolution”, co-written and co-produced 14 studio albums, and even started his very own show RuPaul’s Drag Race, which is going on its eleventh successful season. Still standing for what he believed drag means, his show RuPaul’s Drag Race pushes the drag scene into the spotlight. “It would take about 10 years for something in gay culture to actually migrate to the mainstream,” but, “because of our show, gay pop culture is pop culture in the mainstream. Everybody knows all the terminology. It’s really interesting for us to bring a lot of the old ideas and gay culture forward to the pop culture mainstream.”7

RuPaul Drag Race Season 1 Queens February 2009 | Courtesy of Fandom

His infectious way to uplift people through music, performances, and shows continue to be noticed throughout the world. In March 2018, RuPaul was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, thereby becoming the first drag queen to receive the honor. Following an introductory speech by Jane Fonda, one of his early inspirations, he tearfully told the audience that this was “absolutely the most important moment in my professional career.”8 Throughout all RuPaul’s failures, he always found a way to continue and see the possible sides of things. In the famous words of RuPaul, “When you become an image of your own imagination, it’s the most powerful thing you could ever do.” RuPaul Andrew Charles not only made a name for himself, but also brought the drag community a platform where men could enjoy sharing their talents of costume, make-up, and performance. Without RuPaul’s heavy influence, the drag community would not have the voice and success it has today. His struggles in life gave RuPaul the strength and courage to continue on with his dreams of becoming famous all while doing what he loves the most: DRAG.

  1. Marc Snetiker, “From Drag to Riches (Cover Story),” Entertainment Weekly, no. 1471 (June 2017): 23.
  2. Marc Snetiker, “From Drag to Riches (Cover Story),” Entertainment Weekly, no. 1471 (June 2017): 23.
  3. Colin Bertram, “The RuPaul Effect: How He Brought Drag to Mainstream Culture,” Biography.com (blog), June 20, 2018). https://www.biography.com/news/how-rupaul-brought-drag-to-mainstream-culture.
  4. Colin Bertram, “The RuPaul Effect: How He Brought Drag to Mainstream Culture,”Biography.com (blog), June 20, 2018). https://www.biography.com/news/how-rupaul-brought-drag-to-mainstream-culture.
  5. Marc Snetiker, “From Drag to Riches (Cover Story),” Entertainment Weekly, no. 1471 (June 2017): 23.
  6. Marc Snetiker, “From Drag to Riches (Cover Story),” Entertainment Weekly, no. 1471 (June 2017): 23.
  7. Chuck Arnold, RuPaul’s ‘Supermodel of the World’ Album turns 25: Why It Was More Than a Novelty, (Billboard, June 2018).
  8. Colin Bertram, “The RuPaul Effect: How He Brought Drag to Mainstream Culture,” Biography.com (blog), June 20, 2018). https://www.biography.com/news/how-rupaul-brought-drag-to-mainstream-culture.

Tags from the story

Cross-dressing

drag queen

RuPaul Andre Charles

Supermodel (You Better Work)

Recent Comments

Vania Gonzalez

Wow! This is a very interesting and empowering article. I had no idea RuPaul went through all of this on his way to fame but I’m glad he did because he really did pave the way for what we know as Drag today. And how inspiring when many would have given up and just stuck to something else he kept going because it was what he believed in and now he changed how society sees drag today.

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29/08/2019

4:04 pm

Julia Edwin-Jeyakumar

I honestly had no idea who Ru Paul was until I read your article. The title and the cover photo caught my eye cause he looked a little like Beyonce. It’s interesting to hear about people’s lives from their own perspectives because then you are able to compare what you see and how they got there in your eyes. Explaining the dark moments in the biography establishes a connection with the audience and shows them that no life is perfect but eventually you’ll get through it which is what caught my eye. Not every biography willingly show the persons darkest years. Awesome Job!

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30/08/2019

4:04 pm

Michael Thompson

What RuPaul has done for not only the drag community, but for the whole LGBTQ community is mind-blowing. He was able to make being different OK, because he embraced it, and people then followed. He was the staple for the whole drag community, and the fact that he has made it popular, he has really changed the culture as a whole, making it a big deal in today’s society, changing pop culture forever.

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02/09/2019

4:04 pm

Sofia Martinez

Knowing RuPaul’s Drag Race would have been a struggle for him to achieve, and considering that he was a man, cross dressing since he was very young, it is unbelievable how much he has done for the gay and drag community through his passion. I did not know that he had appeared in several small shows to get his platform out there, highlighting how hard it was to be recognized. In today’s culture, it would be different if he did not bring his fashion sense and music, in fact, it would have been difficult for a lot of people to embrace who they are.

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03/09/2019

4:04 pm

Brianna Trevino

RuPaul’s “You better work” song was my sister and I’s favorite song to listen to growing up when we would act like supermodels going down the runway but little did I know the history behind the singer of the song. It’s truly a remarkable story to read about how he knew he didn’t belong as a salesman and uprooted himself and took the next step to achieve his dream of acting. After the ups and downs of the career, he finally achieved his goal which is my favorite to show to watch with my family inspiring me to be myself no matter what anyone thinks of me.

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06/09/2019

4:04 pm

Cynthia Perez

RuPaul is truly an inspirational person in today’s world and he deserves every bit of recognition he’s received and more. While representing such an under-appreciated culture, he put a lot into being able to simply express himself and others alike. Continuing to emphasize and welcome this graceful/positive energy to all those around him is truly a beautiful thing. Even with his personal story, it’s very uplifting and I adore every aspect about him where he perseveres through hardships and never let’s go of his passion. Overall I completely enjoyed this article as it dove deeper into RuPaul’s world and gave a lot of context as to how he became so iconic.

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07/09/2019

4:04 pm

Azucena Cuevas

I had never heard of RuPaul until I read this article. I think is so inspiring that he was able to encourage all of the LGBTQ community to be confident in being different and express themselves. It is also amazing how RuPaul proceeded to fight for his dreams and reach them regardless of the odds against him. It is great that he can be an inspiration to those who are feeling ashamed or simply want to see somebody like them flourish.

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07/09/2019

4:04 pm

Shea Slusser

Not knowing who RuPaul was before reading this article, it sounds like he has done quite a number for the drag community. For the time period that he first started cross dressing and making his lifestyle public, I’m sure he went through a fair share of struggles knowing back in that time, it was more”looked down upon” and uninviting. I’m happy for his successes and impacts he has left on that community, and glad he finally could achieve such great success after so many efforts of hard work.

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08/09/2019

4:04 pm

Briley Perkins

I love RuPaul’s personality and his attitude with everything that I’ve seen on tv. I have heard and watched a little of RuPaul’s Drag Race on tv before, but I had no idea that he actually sang music beforehand. It is so cool that he just knew he was going to be famous but he didn’t know how just yet. He hit a low point in life when he took drugs, but he was able to pull himself out of the situation that a lot of people can’t do. Great article!

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15/09/2019

4:04 pm

Samantha Bonillas

I have heard of Ru Paul’s Drag Race before reading this article; however, I have never watched the show before. What I like about these types of shows is that they televise men who are proud of who they are and are representing the LGTBQ community. The LGTBQ community receives a lot of love and support as well as hate. The confidence these men have to be on tv and show who they are is respectable.

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15/09/2019

4:04 pm

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