A Dallas bar hosted a Taylor Swift-themed drag show brunch on Saturday.
The event was held at Mr. Misster in the city’s Oak Lawn neighborhood, where half a dozen female impressionists performed in drag. While the drag brunch was not explicitly marketed to children, similar events in the Dallas area have prompted controversy by allowing minors to attend, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Some of the people in attendance came to support their favorite artist.
“We’re having a Taylor Swift weekend. So we’ve gone to a few Taylor Swift-themed things,” attendee Kelsey Schwab told The Dallas Express.
Another attendee, Chelsey Swanner, said, “Just because something is a female interest doesn’t make it less important.”
Despite the support expressed by attendees for the event, not everyone identifies drag as a sincere homage to femininity. Some critics argue such performances objectify women and reinforce stereotypes.
Walter Wendler, president of West Texas A&M University, said he believes drag is “demoralizing” and offensive. These opinions prompted Wendler to cancel a drag show at the university earlier in the year.
“Drag shows stereotype women in cartoon-like extremes for the amusement of others and discriminate against womanhood,” said Wendler in a March email explaining the choice to cancel a drag show at his university, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. “Drag shows are derisive, divisive and demoralizing misogyny, no matter the stated intent.”
However, Schwab offered a different perspective, claiming that drag performances can inspire women to accept themselves.
“Taylor Swift and drag queens in general show that you can be girly and fun but still have a message behind it. Like, you don’t have to choose between being pretty or smart. You can be both,” Schwab said to The Dallas Express. “You can be who you are.”
Still, the controversial issue of “family-friendly” drag shows allowing children to attend has clouded the broader practice in North Texas and elsewhere in the state. In June, Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation that classifies venues hosting drag shows as sexually oriented businesses, effectively banning all-age drag shows across Texas when the law comes into effect in September.
