Uncontrollable Laughter: Drag Queen Edition

            People who know me realize that I do not watch much television, considering I hardly have time to sleep. However, I do frequently watch one show: Rupaul’s Drag Race. While there is no show more stereotypical for individuals of my sexual orientation to watch, I am not ashamed to admit that I watch every single episode. The show itself, while funny, is not outrageously hilarious. What is outrageously hilarious, however, are the various images made by fellow fans and posted on Reddit.

            My best friend and I were browsing Reddit to find these images, and as usual, we found several that made us laugh uncontrollably. I try to think about why we find these images so fascinating, but I am at a loss for the reason. One of the images that made us laugh the most showed the scene from Mean Girls, where all of the girls are in the gym being asked about who has ever felt personally victimized by Regina George, except the face of Ms. Norbury was replaced by the face of Rupaul, the face of Regina George was replaced with the face of a drag queen Adore Delano, and the faces of many of the girls were replaced with various faces of the drag queen Laganja Estranga. The caption read “How many of you have felt personally victimized by Adore Delano?” This image surfaced less than a day after an episode of Rupaul’s Drag Race where Adore Delano, Laganja’s friend, called her out openly about being fake on the show and Laganja, mid-breakdown, shouted, “I feel v*** attacked!” and stormed off of the stage. This breakdown has resulted in the surfacing of dozens of gifs and images about Adore and Laganja, but this image has to be my favorite due to the direct tie to my childhood thanks to the Mean Girls reference.

            I do not exactly understand why the people of the Internet find so much joy in Laganja’s emotional turmoil, but nonetheless we do. Every week she was featured on the show, more images about her mental and emotional state surfaced on Reddit. While I do not find the images particularly malicious and believe that they are done in good humor, I frequently wonder how it makes Laganja feel. Hopefully she too takes it in good humor.

Conversation Partner: Meeting Four

            Ileana and I met the other night for the fourth time at Sol de Luna for a dinner before we each had different formal events to attend. Since Sol de Luna is a Venezuelan restaurant and Ileana is Venezuelan, we spent a long time discussing Venezuelan food. One of the many things Ileana and I have in common is our love of food. We both love trying new types of food and are enamored with cultural foods. For her, this meant eating burgers, hot dogs, and the like. For me, this meant trying tostones, empanadas, and (hopefully sometime soon) pepitos. Maybe it’s just because I have lived in the USA for my entire life, but I think I have the more exciting and palate-pleasing cultural experience.

            As usual, we discussed her progress in IEP, but we focused on it a bit more than usual considering last week was a major exam week for her. She said that all of her quizzes and exams went exceptionally well and that she cannot wait to continue her way through the program. If she continues at this rate, the program will not take too long for her to complete, allowing her to start her engineering coursework.

            While these were our only topics of discussion, I did notice something else about that evening. Quite a few people thought that Ileana and I were dating, which is sensible because I was wearing a suit and she was wearing a red, glittery formal dress; however, those who know me at all realize that these individuals are wrong in their notions. Regardless, I thought that was amusing. I also have a feeling that Ileana and I will not stop meeting after only six meetings. Since I will be living much closer to her next year, we can easily meet up on a more frequent basis. I am already starting to plan lunch dates for next semester where we can try some of the best food that each culture has to offer. We might even include some of the other IEP people I have met and just have a celebration of culture.

Conversation Partners: Third Meeting

            Yesterday I had another meeting with Ileana after a week of issues with her phone that she needed to be resolved. This time, we ate lunch together, which I have learned is a critical part of Venezuelan culture. It is nearly mandatory for everyone to share meals with others, as opposed to eating alone.

            Since Ileana is doing well with the English language, I have started using more advanced vocabulary, colloquial terms, and idioms. Considering we usually venture into the subject of social justice, she shared with me a phrase used frequently in Venezuela, “ojos vemos corazones no sabemos,” which roughly translates to “We see eyes, we don’t know hearts.” This played into our conversation on social justice and empathy well, and that phrase perfectly summarized my thoughts on the matter. She believes strongly that people should take the time needed to understand someone as they truly are, and not simply as the persona they present themselves to be to the general population. She also believes that people need to be more genuine and open about their unique qualities and idiosyncrasies. We both have noticed a lack of openness on the TCU campus, and believe that the educational experiences at the school could be enhanced if people lived openly and honestly without holding judgment over other individuals for being themselves. While I realize that this is wishful thinking, it would be a beautiful way to live life.

            So far, this experience has far surpassed all of my expectations. Not only have I met someone who is likeminded, but also I have made a good friend. We teach each other idiomatic expressions in our language, furthering my knowledge of Spanish and her knowledge of English. In addition, she brought me hazelnut-filled chocolates for the meeting. She said they are extremely popular in her country and that I had to try them. I see why they are so incredibly popular. Now I need to think of something Texan that she has yet to try!