• Format
  • Transcripts
  • Interviews
• Type
  • Text
• Extent
  • Duration: 11 pages (transcript)
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_GSOH_Steiner_Rita_2018_05_04_01_transcript

Rita 1 GENDER & SEXUALITY ORAL HISTORY PROJECT DRAG QUEENS Interviewee: Scarlet Margo Rita Interviewer: Sarah Steiner Location: Cullowhee, NC Date: May 4, 2018 Duration: 54:35; 11 pages Sarah Steiner: My name is Sarah Steiner and I’m here with Scarlet Margo Rita. It’s May 4th, 2018 and we are in Cullowhee, North Carolina and we’re going to be discussing Scarlet’s experiences with drag performance in western North Carolina. So first, tell me how old are you? Scarlet Margo Rita: I’m 21, I’ll be 22 at the end of the month. SS: And how do you describe your gender and sexuality? SMR: I describe my gender as male, cis male I guess and I’m a gay male. SS: And how would you define cis? SMR: I guess, just kind of like, not trans, I identify with the gender that I was born with. Took me a second to get there. SS: So tell us about you. About your life and times. SMR: I’m originally from Charlotte, North Carolina. I came out here to go to school. It was for--to get away basically because it is three hours, but it’s not all the way across the country. My family drives me crazy sometimes so I was like I need to get away for a little bit. So I’ve been out here for four years, hopefully be graduating in December. SS: From Western? SMR: Yeah, from Western. I’ve been here at Western all four years. What else would you like to know? SS: Tell me about… What do you think about talking about childhood a little bit? SMR: Okay. SS: And sort of response to things, and maybe your initial experiences with drag, viewing it, or reading about it. SMR: Well, when I was younger, of course I was super gay, didn’t realize it [laugh] I loved Britany Spears and Rihanna and Beyoncé so when I look back at things now I’m like oh god, you were so gay. And then in high school I kind of really, the end of middle school, beginning of high school I started realizing like hey, this is a part of who you are, you’re gay. And that was kind of a weird thing to come to terms with, but I did. And then I started coming out to my friends in the summer between sophomore and junior year, but I didn’t really come out to everyone, it wasn’t a public thing really. And then I came out to my mom between my junior and senior year. And that didn’t go so well so I kind of just kept to myself and then my cousin who is also, she is a lesbian, for… when I graduated, her and her now wife, girlfriend at the time took me to a drag show and it was kind of weird, it wasn’t like a drag show, it was the Charlotte Rita 2 Rugby team did it for a fundraiser. So I was kind of like, okay, this is weird and not what I was expecting at all. It was just a bunch of drunk rugby players in drag. I was kind of turned off by it. I was like okay, that’s drag I guess. And then, right before I came to college, Kinky Boots came out on Broadway and I listened to that and I watched clips and I really liked it. So when I was in college and away from my family and could kind of do whatever I want, me and one of my friends went to Scandals my freshman year of the first time. And that’s what I consider my first real drag show. And I was like this is amazing. I’d always seen clips and stuff from things like [RuPaul’s] Drag Race and stuff like that so when I found there were some seasons of RuPaul’s drag Race on Amazon Prime I watched them, I probably watched them like three times, cause I watched them by myself and then watched them with friends and so I just started really getting into it. And I was like oh, this is such a cool thing, it’s so fun, the performers are amazing. It was my sophomore year, spring semester of my sophomore year, me and my friend we went to a big, it was called Divas of Drag and it was a bunch of the queens from Drag Race, it was like, it changed my life. I was like this is amazing I love this. SS: Where was that? SMR: It was in Charlotte. So I drove, didn’t tell my family that I was going home, it was a Wednesday night, drove to Charlotte, I left here at 4 and then met my friend there, we watched it, and then drove back at 3 o’clock in the morning and I didn’t get home into my dorm until 6 o’clock. And I was like I think I want to do drag for Halloween. And so, two Halloweens ago I did. And that was my first time in drag and I would practice and practice at home and it was still a little rough. I didn’t really know what I was doing. And I did that and it was a lot of fun. My feet were killing me by the end of the night and that still happens. And then from that Halloween on, I had just kind of done it, dressed up and gone out, I hadn’t actually performed until last October with the drag show on campus with Allyssa Edwards. That was my first performance. And I did it and I was like this is amazing. I need to do more. And there had been some opportunities before, but I had just gotten in my head, I was like I can’t do that. And then when I talked to the lady who was overseeing the drag show, Kari, I told her I would do it and then I was like there is no backing out now. And I did it and like I said I had a blast and it was so much fun. And then I’d been looking for some opportunities to do it again and when I found out they were doing it at the Paper Mill in Sylva I was like, oh let me message them and see if they have any spots open. So, I messaged Craig, the owner, and he told me to come in and I talked to him a bit and he was like, well come watch and see if you think you’re ready because I hadn’t been performing very long at that point and… SS: Do you remember when that was? SMR: I think it was in January. Because I had missed the December shows because I had gone home for pretty much all of December for break. so, when I got back in January I stopped by to talk to him and I went to one of the shows in January and I was like, whoa, maybe I’m not quite ready yet. So, I went to a couple more after that, and a couple times I went in drag to the shows and I talked to some of the girls and they gave me the little advice, little tips and advice. And then two weeks, like the end of March, beginning of April, Craig messaged me and was “Hey, do you want to perform, kind of in between the Atlanta girls?” and I was like “Yeah.” And he was like “Do a comedy number and you’ll just do the one.” And I was like “That is good enough for me, I can do that.” I did it and I got that same feeling of oh my god, this is so much fun, I love this and I got to act crazy, which is always… isn’t really acting, but [laugh] but it was a lot of fun. And then he messaged me last Thursday at like 10 o’clock at night and was like “Hey I need you tomorrow can you do two numbers?” And I was freaking out in my head, I was like no! Rita 3 But I’m not going to pass up this opportunity and I said yeah and I went and I did it and had a good time and everyone loved it and it felt good to do it. I feel like I just took you through my whole life. SS: So you mentioned that you chatted with some of the other queens at the Paper Mill show and they gave you some tips and advice, do you feel comfortable sharing sort of the nature and? SMR: And I had talked to some of them beforehand too, when I had gone out in drag. They were basically just like you always have to be ready to go and do things. They gave me little makeup advice. One time when I performed on campus my eyebrows, I hate gluing down my eyebrows and when I was in the middle of doing my makeup one of them popped. So I had to do it again and I was talking to one of them about it and they were like next time, just get alcohol wipes and rub your eyebrows, wipe your eyebrows down and that will help dry them out and they will glue down easier. I haven’t done that because I always forget to buy alcohol wipes. But it’s something I think about too late as I’m doing my makeup, I’m like oh I should have done this. They just kind of, mostly makeup advice. And the last time, the first time I performed at The Paper Mill, Aaliyah Holmes, one of the queens from Atlanta helped me cutting my lace on my wig. It was one of the first wigs I got so I hadn’t cut enough off. She was like this is how you want to do it and she showed me how to do it and everything and it was really cool. SS: So do you feel like there is sort of a welcoming climate for newer performers? SMR: Yeah, I think so, I was nervous about it at first, and I still am. They are like message me if you have any questions, you can come over. A lot of the queens from Asheville are like you can come to Scandals one night and watch us do our makeup do this. I just like, it’s kind of who I am as a person, I’m always very nervous,I don’t want to feel like I’m bothering them, but they’ve always been so kind and welcoming. I think it’s probably because they want to see me grow and flourish because I’m sure they were at that point at some time in their drag career. SS: Would you say you’re an introverted or extroverted person? Or maybe an ambivert in your day to day life? SMR: In my day to day life I’ve definitely become more introverted. Mostly ‘cause in high school I didn’t really, I moved towns in high school so I kept to myself and that just kind of stuck and I don’t know, I’m always paranoid, you know paranoid that people don’t actually like me. But I also, I guess probably would say ambiverted, because I meet a lot of people, I know a lot of people, I’ll walk around campus and people will say hey to me, but I don’t go that far out to… there are people in my classes that I at some point feel comfortable talking to, but when I’m making friends it’s a slow process of me starting to open up and not be so awkward and shy and quiet. Like, this is a lot right now. [laugh] SS: Thank you for doing it. Do your family and friends back home know that you are doing drag? SMR: My friends do. One of my closest friends, I call her my sister, she knows. My best friends back at home know, my cousins know. My dad doesn’t even know that I’m gay. I never actually came out to him. And my mom, we have had, since I came out to her it’s been rough, and we kind of had this distance between us, but recently I kind of reached out to her about these problems. And she had kind of like, she’s very religious and so she kind of had this revelation, I don’t know if I would say revelation, this kind of thing at church where they were talking about well all sin is sin, so whether someone is gay or the lie you told your kids this morning to get them out of bed, it’s all the same, as long as they are repenting or praying for forgiveness it’s fine. I guess that somehow clicked something for her, which is Rita 4 good, so we’ve kind of been talking more. I made her watch an episode of Drag Race and she was like well I don’t know if I’m ready for you to be a drag queen. I was like, that’s fine. Cause she had asked, do you want to do this? I was like I don’t know, to me, it’s like baby steps with her right now. We’re getting our relationship back and I told my friend the other day, we were talking about it, I don’t want to… part of me wants to wait until I’m really good, my makeup is amazing and I can be like, hey, I’m doing this and I’m amazing. I’m not just good, it’s awesome. But I think eventually I will tell her, I’ll have to at some point. And I think the way things are going it’ll be fine, but just right now I’m nervous about it. SS: Absolutely, what else can you tell us about your first time in drag for that performance. How did that feel? SMR: My first time in drag was Halloween weekend. It was 2016, because this October will be two years. And I bought a dress from Hot Topic and I had cheap makeup, but it was really weird at first because I was getting used to having all this stuff on my face. I had lashes on, I kept thinking something was on my eye. And I had a cheap wig that I had actually gotten in Asheville at some wig shop in Asheville and it was a bat woman dress that hot Topic was selling, it wasn’t expensive, but it wasn’t cheap either. So I got ready in my friend’s basement in Asheville and me and two friends went and it was just kind of cool. And it was at Scandals too so I didn’t feel like out of place or anything like I looked crazy being in drag at some Halloween party. It was fun. Like I said my feet were dying. That was something I thought I was, I wore my heels around my apartment all week. I was like, I’ll be fine, by the end of the night I was like it doesn’t matter. I mainly felt good because my friends were there and I was kind of relaxed and there was no kind of pressure, I wasn’t performing, I wasn’t doing anything I was just there. I didn’t have a corset or anything so I looked kind of boxy which is fine. My first performance was here on campus at Western and I got here really early, I skipped one of my classes so I could get here early and I sat and my friends had classes so they didn’t get there to help me until a little bit later. So at first I just sat there, sat in a little corner and some of the other people that were doing it kind of rolled in and I was chilling in my corner listening to music doing my makeup and then I felt fine and then I was excited and as they were going down the list of performances and it got closer to me I was like oh my god, what have I done. And I was the second or third to last and at this point I had a corset and it was on and it was nice and tight and I think it was because I was getting anxious and nervous, because now when I wear a corset for a long time it doesn’t faze me, but all of a sudden I was like oh my god I can’t breathe. I’m freaking out. I need to go and perform so I can take this thing off. I got up there and I performed and everything went away. Corset didn’t bother me, I wasn’t nervous, I was having fun. My biggest thing is interacting with people because I’m sure other queens will tell you that’s an important thing because you’re performing for them. I just went out there and I got as many people as I could, interacted with as many people as I could and it was so much fun. People seemed to like me and after the show people wanted to take pictures with me and I was like oh, that’s not something I’m used to. But I took pictures and I was like, this is cool, people enjoyed my performance. It felt good to know that people liked what I did. Usually out of drag I’m not going to interact with people. And there’s even, I’m still getting used to people looking at me when I’m in drag. If people are looking at me out of drag I’m like oh god, what’s wrong with my outfit or something. But people look at me in amazement, or in admiration or something. And I’m like why are these people looking at me, oh yeah, you’re a man in a dress and wig right now, that’s why people are looking at you. I have to force myself to be more social in drag. After the shows people want to talk to you and I’m like, oh yeah, don’t be a bitch, go out there, be friendly, these people are here to see you. Where normally Rita 5 I’m like okay, when I would watch drag shows, I’m like drag show is over, tap out, go home. And so I’ve been… the last two times I performed at The Paper Mill I just hung out there a little bit later and before when the show would finish me and my friend would leave. The first time we left early because I hadn’t eaten all day, we went to Waffle House. But this last time I stayed until 12:30 or 1 and I talked to people and I somehow ended up playing therapist for a very drunk woman, but I guess that happens. SS: So you touched on some reactions to your drag on campus, when you’re actively in the moment. How do you feel like when you brought it up to people on campus and other scenarios, if you have, it has gone over? SMR: Most people re like oh my god, I talked, I talk more to girls, I tend to make friends easier with girls than I do guys. But when I tell people that I do drag… I used to work on campus, at one of the restaurants on campus and when I would tell them I did drag they are like oh my god, that’s so cool. And after the performance on campus, my one friend she had to work, so she wasn’t able to come, and usually… my friend, now she’s usually the one that goes with me and helps me gets ready, she had to work that night so I like went in after the performance and saw everyone that I work with and they were like you look so great, this is so cool. They always say they want to come to my shows, I’m like, ask off. It usually tends to be a positive reaction, at least to my face, I don’t know how they do once I leave. People usually think it’s really cool and they want to come see me. And I’m like, well, I’ll let you know when I can. Like I said, that’s usually with girls, the guys that I work with all thought it was cool too, but they weren’t as excited as the girls, because they are guys and what guys are excited about things? [laugh] SS: So are there any queens or kings or other performers who are particularly inspiring to you? SMR: Locally I would probably say, Ginger Von Snap, and Katarina Eclipse. I think they are both amazing performers. They are funny. I think their makeup is amazing. And popular queens, probably Trixie Mattel and Katya [Zamolodchikova], I love them, Alaska, and Raja, I just think they are so beautiful, but they are also really funny. And they just do whatever they want, they don’t let constraints or anything stop them. If they want to be in big ball gowns and amazing outfits, they will, if they want to be in trash bags or whatever, they don’t care. They do what they want. And they love doing it. I’m in this place in my life where I’m like well, I don’t know what I’m doing, I’m just here and then I started doing drag and then I was like this is fun, I genuinely enjoy doing this. I don’t even care how I look right now in drag, I’m having fun, it’s a good time. SS: So, you’ve been doing it for about two years, have you ever questioned your future in it, or had moments where you….? SMR: Yeah, definitely mostly when I first started and I was like I’m never going to be good at this, this is hard, it is, it’s a lot of work. A lot of watching YouTube and makeup tutorials, I still don’t know what I’m doing, I just like to pretend that I do. But when I was first starting, I went out that Halloween, okay, this is fun, but I don’t know if I’m going to be able to keep doing this. And my friends were actually like you can do this, you need to practice your makeup, do this, practice this, this is how you’re going to do it. And I did, there were times where I was feeling down and out and I was like, there’s … I’m never going to be good enough to be famous, I don’t really want to be famous, but recently, at the end of last semester, one of my closest, my closest friend here, at Western, we had a big falling out and she was the one that I started doing it with. She was the one that always encouraged me to do it and we had a big falling out an we don’t talk anymore. I was like well now, well this is attached to her, whenever I do this Rita 6 I’m going to think about all the things we did together and all the fun we had. I don’t know if I’m going to keep doing this, I don’t know if I can do that. And then I was like, no, this is me, this is something I do for me. I originally started it because it was a way for me and my friends to do something different and have fun, it was a learning process for all of us. It’s more than just that now. I love doing it, it’s kind of become a part of who I am, it’s my alter ego and I love it. So I was just like, I can do this, I don’t know what it’s going to be like in the future, after I graduate I plan on moving out to DC with my cousins and I really don’t know what it’s going to be like there. I’m sure there are queens there that have been doing it there for years, and I’m sure there will be some that will be supportive and there will be some that are whatever. It’s kind of nerve wracking. I’m going to try to keep up with it as much as I can when I move away, but here it’s so easy because it’s Sylva, there’s not a lot of other drag queens here. So I don’t really have to worry about... not competing for a place to perform, it’s just I know I have a connection, I know that Craig has really enjoyed me and me performing and so I just am like, I’ll have a spot at The Paper Mill even if it’s not every week, or every show. There’s still a place for me to be. Even if I don’t perform I can go there and be in drag and it’ll be fine. SS: You touched a little bit on acceptance within the drag community. And there is sort of this still kind of swirling debate about who can perform in drag. Do you have any thoughts? SMR: I don’t know. I think when it comes to, in my mind, I’ve never left North Carolina, so I can’t tell you. I feel like in bigger cities it probably gets into a clique situation just from what I’ve seen through social media and stuff, it’s always the same group of drag queens at places and they all just kind of, it’s just them and them and them and them. Whereas in smaller towns, there are not a whole lot of options so it becomes more welcoming and more accepting to new performers coming in. But like I said, I’ve never actually been to these big cities to even try to be in drag to see how they would accept it. I’m sure there are accepting people in the bigger cities, but I feel like there it’s become such a competition for booking, for getting places to work and stuff like that. Whereas in smaller towns it’s like oh yeah, go with the flow, we’ll help you, stuff like that. SS: What about inclusion of transgender performers, male or female or cisgender females who perform as kings, or as hyper queens? SMR: I don’t know, I definitely understand trans women, trans men performing as drag queens, drag kings, because I feel like a lot of them that’s part of their journey is performing in drag. And they kind of come to this realization that oh, maybe it’s just more than drag. Then when they transition you don’t need to stop, and it’s just like that’s just part of who they are at that point, is this performer. And I think that’s why a lot of them do, that’s why a lot of people start it, because they like to perform. So once they transition, they’re like “well I’m still a performer even if I transitioned.” Drag kings, my first experience with them was in Asheville, and at first I wasn’t really like blown away by them, because when I went my freshman year there was one or two, and I was like okay. And then a year or two later when I had gone back, the drag kings that were there were really good. And I was like, okay like this is a cool thing and if that’s what they want to do, go for it. If you’re a bad ass drag king, don’t stop, keep going, don’t let other people tell you what to do. I haven’t had any experience with cis women being bio queens, hyper queens whatever. I know that’s a big debate I see it online a lot. Part of me is I get it, it’s basically ‘cause I see the argument, like you’re just wearing makeup, I get that. Because it is like a whole thing for gay men to be able to do it. But also, like the same thing I said with the trans queens and kings, if that’s what you want to do, go for it. I think I see people getting upset because they see it as these Rita 7 women, cis women coming and taking jobs, not jobs, opportunities away from drag queens and kings. So I kind of see both sides. Like I said, do what you want, I don’t care, just let me do what I want at the same time. I don’t know if there are any around here, or I just haven’t seen or experienced them yet, but I can get why they want to do it, it’s a fun thing to do. People are like, well you’re just putting on makeup, but it’s like a specific form, you’re exaggerating the makeup. It’s more than just a girl’s every-day going, and there are queens that do makeup like that, but most of the time it’s exaggerated, big eyebrows stuff like that, it’s more than just everyday makeup. SS: It’s more gender performance. What about sexuality? What about non-LGBT performers who might want to do drag, do you have any thoughts on that? SMR: I think it would be interesting. Because to me it’s like, are you really straight if you’re, especially with guys, are you really straight if you’re performing as a woman. And then there’s the whole thing the societal expectations, norms stuff like that. And it’s like well yeah, if a guy wants to wear a dress wear a dress, but it’s also like I don’t think you’re 100 percent straight if you’re doing these feminine, even more than feminine… just like I don’t know, it’s a weird thing, but I have heard of there being straight men who do drag, and I know that straight men will do drag for comedy and stuff like that so it’s like, I don’t know there’s a lot of different angles and aspects of it and it does make it kind of hard to figure out what to feel about it I guess. ‘Cause I don’t know! SS: That’s fair. How would you describe your drag style? SMR: A struggle. [laugh] Right now I don’t know. And that was kind of my thing when I started. There is comedy drag, pageant drag, model drag, of course I wish I could be skinny enough to do model drag and buy, I see clothes all the time I’m like God I wish I could fit into that. But right now I’m kind of like comedy, that’s what Craig had asked me to do for the first number and I was freaking out because I’m like, Oh God, I don’t want to force it to be funny, I don’t want to seem not funny. And not to brag about myself, I think I’m pretty funny around my friends and stuff like that. I think I can play funny. I don’t want it to feel forced and so I did that and I did that number and I was like, this feels right, doing something goofy and crazy like that. And then the last two numbers I try to do something funny. So I would say comedy, but I also still do the nice outfit, the nice dresses and nice outfits stuff like that. Which mostly is because I don’t know how to sew so I can’t do anything too crazy. But so a mix of comedy and beauty which is kind of like the people I look up to, the drag queens I look up to they are kind of like that too. Where they are really funny, but they still wear beautiful outfits and look pretty all the time. I just need better makeup skills to seal the deal. SS: How do you go about putting your costumes together? SMR: I usually pick a song first and try to think what would I want to see someone wearing this song. The song I did for my first performance at The Paper Mill was from 9 to 5 The Musical. And so I was like okay, what would I expect to see someone wearing if life were a musical and someone was singing this song right now what would I expect them to be wearing during the moment. And so I thought, well the character from 9 to 5 that’s singing the song is ‘80s, business women. So I went to Goodwill and I was trying to find a blazer and skirt to wear and I found this two piece it was a blazer and skirt combination and it looked like it came right out of the ‘80s. And I was like this is it, this is perfect. And I’m also keeping it because I love the movie Heathers and Heather Chandler wears that same kind of thing. It has multiple uses. So I was like well this looks like ‘80s business women. And I got a button up shirt to wear Rita 8 and this is the look for this song. And of course I ripped the shirt off. Got to get a little crazy on them. But usually, and I have a bunch of... I love jumpsuits. Women are so lucky because they have jumpsuits. I love those and I have a romper or two and some dresses. So when I was trying to think of, when I picked my songs for the last performance, I did, Telephone by Lady Gaga for one, and I picked one of my jumpsuits for that and I was like, this will be cute, I can move around in it and get around and be funny. And then I did a song called Date with Myself. And I was like, what would I wear on a date with myself. I took one dress, but I couldn’t get into it, it was a struggle, so I wore this other, a fancy romper, a prom looking romper. SS: A promper. SMR: A promper. SS: Sorry. [laugh] SMR: Yes, I’m going to call it that from now on. And it has a flowy cape on it so I was like, I would wear this on a date with myself, it’s cute. So I usually go through, and then after I pick an outfit, I’m like what hair will look good with this. Cause I don’t have a lot of natural hair-colored wigs, I just have a ginger one and a blonde one. And then I have one that is black to pink, I have one that is brown to grey, and so I was l like, well. So I try to figure out that to make sure I’m not going to look crazy, crazy, but it will look good and I can still look a little… I can use it to my advantage in a way. But that is my favorite parts, the costume and hair. As long as I have good hair, that’s all I care, and I try to do that in real life too. [laugh] SS: How did you choose your name and what is it significance to you? SMR: So my name, before I even thought about doing drag, me and my sister and one of my best friends we were watching Drag Race and we were like, oh what would our drag names be. And my sister, she came up with Tipsy Scarlet, and I was like, oh that’s funny, that would be funny. And then never thought about it again. And then when I started thinking about doing drag I was like well, I really like Scarlet, not so much Tipsy, it didn’t flow right, it didn’t feel right Tipsy Scarlett. Well I like Scarlett, and I like the idea of an alcoholic drink being involved. So I was thinking about it, and I was like what if I incorporated that in some way. And so, my first name would be Scarlet, keep that, my sister came up with that and she’s, my sister is one of the most important people to me. And it was a surprise for her too, I didn’t tell her I was doing it until that night when I when out. It was like boom. So, I kept Scarlet and then I was like, well, how can I do, should I do Margarita all one word, and I was like, I kind of like it when drag queens have names that are separated, but when you say it, it sounds like a word. I could do like, Margo Rita, yeah I like that. So I just stuck with that and it’s fun. SS: Sure, I like it. So the next two you’ve touched on these a little bit, but I’m hoping to get you to unpack them a little more. So what do you most like about performing or being a member of the drag community? And it could be multiple things. SMR: I think my ultimate favorite thing is the performance itself. I love musical theater, musicals, stuff like that, but I can’t sing and I can barely dance. So for me this is a way to do it without actually singing and without actually, and I’m up on stage, I’m acting out these scenes and stuff like that. So, I think the performance is a lot of fun. It’s something I would love to do in real life, I wish I could sing. My brother Rita 9 got all the talent. So being able to put on a performance and be like this is... I don’t know, it’s weird, but I love it. And off of that, I love the crowd interaction, walking around interacting with the crowd. I think that’s why I like the Paper Mill because it is so small you’re up close and personal with every person. Those are the two main things I really enjoy and love about it. I think so far all the other drag queens I met have been super nice and super sincere. When I couldn’t get that one dress to fit at the last show, the drag queen who was helping me she was like, do you need something to wear. And I was like, no, I brought a backup just in case because that dress is a three person job to get me in it. So I took a backup just in case. But she was like I have something to wear if you need it. And I was like no, but it meant a lot to me that this drag... and that was the first night I met her. It means so much to me that she would just be willing to help me out like that. Where some people, I’ve been told, they don’t want to help you, they are there for their own thing and that’s it. But so far all the drag queens I have met are not even close to being like that. So I think it’s a good little community, especially around here, because like I said there are not a whole lot of other options around here. You’re just stuck with each other whether you want to be or not, so you got to learn to love each other. SS: Anything else? SMR: I don’t know. Not that I can think of right now. SS: What about struggles? SMR: There’s a lot. Right now I haven’t had a job for the last month or two, just because my last job was a crappy situation and I just had to leave it because it was making me feel down, stuff like that. I don’t have a lot of money to go out and buy new outfits, buy new things. Cause I think Dolly Parton said it first, someone said, it takes a lot of money to look this cheap and it does. I buy all my stuff discounted on sale. A couple of my outfits I got from Dillard’s and normally they would be really expensive. I think it’s a luck, I always seem to go when they have things on sale. And one of my dresses that I really like I had seen it before and I had got it from David’s Bridal and it was like $250 and I was like [makes noise like scrunching face] okay. And then one day I was looking online and they had marked down all of their prom dresses because it was after prom season and I went and they had it and I was like oh my god. It’s a fake two piece so there is a piece of mesh that connects the skirt to the top and I was like as long as the skirt fits that’s all. Cause the print of the skirt is really pretty, as long as the skirt fits I’ll cut it, I don’t care. But it fit and I paid $50 for it. But it’s like the makeup and stuff that all builds up. Even if you buy cheaper makeup after a certain point. Right before I performed last Friday I had gone to Walmart, I had gotten some more brushes, a sponge, a blending sponge, a lipstick, and something else and a couple other things and by the end of it, it was $40 for this, not even actual makeup things, I was like god! But now I’ve started my new job because it is a seasonal thing, they just opened this week, now I’ll be making some money so I can actually buy more stuff. But money is probably the biggest struggle I have. Other struggles I have are dealing with the fact that this is something I love that I kind of have to keep it from my family because they are just weird, I don’t know. And I think, like I say, eventually I think I’ll be able to tell my mom and be like, this is what I do and this is what I love. But some of my other family, they are from, my family is from some small town in South Carolina, it’s just how it goes. But I think eventually I’ll be able to be like hey this is something I do and you’re just going to have to get over it because. That’s kind of how I have been. Recently I was like, well I’m going to be me whether you guys like it or not because I’m not living for you, I’m living my life for me. Which was a struggle in itself. Before I had lived… it felt like I was kind of living to do what other people expected and wanted from Rita 10 me. I changed my majors last spring and that was kind of the beginning of that was I was like no, I need to do what I want and do what I love. And so I think that’s also what kind of kicked me off on wanting to perform more and actually get involved more in drag than I was. Because at that point, like I said, I would dress up every now and then and do my makeup and then go out and stuff like that. But I never tried to perform and I was just get in my head about it. Even now I’m like, what if, I have my drag Instagram and its separate from my regular one and I’m like what if someone in my family finds that. What if it, and I know I block them all so just to be safe because out of paranoia I was like oh my god, what if they find this. I even have someone else’s phone number linked to that thing because it is something I worry about. But I also kind of recently been like, if they find out I’ll just have to deal with that. I’ll have to deal with the consequences to do something that I love. So that’s kind of another big struggle that I have. SS: Anything else? SMR: Heels. That’s all. Heels. [laugh] The worst part about doing drag is going home because then everything hits you. The last show, I took my shoes off in my car before I left, the heels off. And I live out in the middle of nowhere here and I just walked on my gravel road without shoes on because I just didn’t care at that point. And I got home and I was taking my corset off and there was ridges all around from where it was digging in. I was like oh thank god this is off and I slept until 1:30 the next day because it is exhausting. But it’s worth it, just exhausting. SS: How do you view drag in terms of its sort of purpose? Or… I hesitate to say function. You’ve mentioned entertainment. Anything? SMR: I definitely think the biggest part of drag is entertainment. Especially around here. Because there is not a lot to do around here. But also it’s just kind of like, it’s something fun to go and watch. It’s nothing. Sometimes it’s a little crazy, but it’s nothing too crazy, too... at least here. I’ve heard of some crazy things happening in Asheville and I’m like whoa. But there is also different, like if you go to Scandals they are not going to be doing anything super crazy there. But if you go to other, I know the Odditorium has kind of like a punk, drag scene and they do some crazy things there. Here it just seems to be kind of like Scandals, no one is going to get too crazy at The Paper... they also don’t have a lot of space to get too crazy at The Paper Mill. But it is, it’s for entertainment. And everyone has their own thing that they do and that is for their specific audiences for each person and I think it’s a good way to challenge things. Good way to challenge gender norms and whatever. Like oh god, what are they called. The Sisters… SS: Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence SMR: Yes, and a lot of them from what I’ve seen, and I think some of the ones that are here in town, in Asheville, they keep their beards, they do things with their beards, they don’t always do feminine things, like feminine looks and stuff and that’s just one side of it and that’s challenging. I’m impersonating a woman, but a woman can be this way if she wants. I don’t know if a woman could grow a full beard, I’d be impressed. But you know they are saying yeah, this may be part of the deal of drag is impersonating a woman, but I can also bring different features into that and if a woman can’t do that then FU because she can do whatever she wants basically. I’m always like, oh I need to shave my legs, or shave my arm hair. Screw that, if women want to have hairy arms they can have hairy arms and I’m going to have hairy arms. But I think, and more so, in cities where it gets into club kids they are definitely out there challenging gender norms because they are doing… one of the wonders of Drag Race, there’s a lot of Rita 11 people, there’s been a couple of people on Drag Race, they don’t wear wigs, a woman doesn’t have to have hair if she doesn’t want to. And I think that’s kind of important to try to challenge those norms. I think when you see it in drag you kind of realize how ridiculous that those norms are real. Cause I do see things sometimes and I’m like, okay but… when I first thought about doing drag I was like, okay I would never not wear padding or make it look like I don’t have boobs or anything, but then I was like, well some women don’t have boobs, some women don’t have, not to be like… some women don’t have shape, but some don’t and that’s okay. People can do whatever they want. And I don’t wear pads. I have a lot of body to begin with. I use that to my advantage. SS: Is there anything else that you would like to share that I haven’t asked about? SMR: Not that I can think of. Drag is something to enjoy. Both doing and watching and if you’re not having a good time, you’re not drunk enough. [laugh] SS: Awesome thank you.

Drag queen Scarlet Margo Rita (1996-) is interviewed by Sarah Steiner as a part of the Gender and Sexuality Oral History project. Rita is a cisgender, gay male who does comedic drag. Rita came out to some people during high school, but didn’t start to explore the world of drag until college. Rita details her first experience performing in drag on the campus of Western Carolina University. She talks about performing at The Paper Mill Lounge and Theatre in Sylva, the generosity of other drag performers in teaching her makeup and other skills, the process of getting ready for a show, the slow acceptance of her mother, and drag in rural communities. Includes an additional photograph of Margo Scarlet Rita in drag.

• Creator
  • Rita, Scarlet Margo
• Contributor
  • Steiner, Sarah
• Format
  • Sound recordings
  • Transcripts
  • Photographs
  • Interviews
• Type
  • Sound
  • Text
  • StillImage
• Date
  • Date interview: 2018-05-04
  • Date: 2000s (Decade); 2010s;
  • Date digitized: 2018-10-04
• Extent
  • Duration: 0:54:35 (sound recordings)
  • Duration: 11 pages (transcript)
• Subject - Topic
  • Autobiography
  • Cisgender people
  • Coming out (Sexual orientation)
  • Drag community
  • Drag families
  • Drag shows
  • Female impersonators
  • Gay men -- Family relationships
  • Gender identity
  • Performances (creative events)
  • Western Carolina University -- Students
• Location
  • Jackson County (N.C.)
  • North Carolina, Western
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Source Collection
  • WCU Gender and Sexuality Oral History Project
• Identifier
  • HL_GSOH_Steiner_Rita_2018_05_04
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library