The buzziest moment of this week's episode of RuPaul's Drag Race didn't even occur on RuPaul's Drag Race. Instead, Untucked was the setting for one of the most concise and dynamic conversations about the complex racial dynamics of reality television in herstory. I'm still shook.
When he earlier fight between the two queens was brought up, Aquaria insisted that the Vixen's reaction to her comment was "negative" and unwarranted. Aquaria was visibly uncomfortable and soon dissolved into tears. And the Vixen reached her boiling point.
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"So this right here is exactly what it is," she said, calm but forceful. "You say something, i say something, you start crying. You have created a narrative of I am an angry black woman who has scared off the little white girl... so when you get super defensive and tell me that I'm negative when I'm just responding to what you brought to me, that will always read to these," pointing to the cameras, "as a race issue."
Never before on Drag Race has the fourth wall been broken like this, with a queen breaking down how the audience is going to consume the drama as it's happening. This moment is bigger than Aquaria vs. Vixen — a dynamic that's hopefully been squashed after the Vixen told Aquaria to leave her alone. This is hopefully the start of dismantling the Drag Race fandom's ongoing issues with how it champions white queens while vilifying queens of color.
Assorted musings:
All the girls calling out "Miss Vanjie" in the workroom proves how powerful this meme was even before the show wrapped filming.
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The Vixen may be a filler queen there for drama, but man did she deliver.
Was I the only person not feeling Kameron Michaels' runway look?
Aquaria's feathered glam was truly insane. She snapped.
Photos Courtesy of VH1