Drag queens as ambassadors of true diversity, inclusivity

It’s Pride Month again and boy (girl, bakla, tomboy), are we glad to see our drag queens “werking” it out for the LGBTQIA+ community!

Since the premiere of Drag Race Philippines (DRPH) in 2022, Filipino drag queens have enjoyed the limelight in mainstream media. They have proven themselves to be entertainers and performers of international caliber--being featured in drag shows around the world and earning international awards.

Against the newfound success for the Filipino drag industry, drag queens who competed on DRPH have become endorsers for several local and international brands. Notably, we can recall the Meta advertisement with Brigiding, the Cream Silk Keraverse partnership with Precious Paula Nicole and her fellow Divine Divas, and the MAC Cosmetics advertisement with Marina Summers, Minty Fresh, and Myx Chanel.

The brand partnerships above are consistent with studies that suggest the majority of recent LGBTQIA+ advertisements fall under the categories of fashion and apparel in both mainstream and queer media. Brands employ queer talents like drag queens as their ambassadors to present diversity and inclusivity. This then reflects authenticity and brand equity among its consumers.

The obvious commercial purpose of advertisements featuring queer talents is to expand the consumer base of popular brands. However, there also lies a political use for these advertisements by members of the LGBTQIA+ community. For gays and lesbians, being featured in mainstream advertisements carries greater symbolic importance than their representation in the movies or in television programs. For them, this serves as a form of recognition and confirmation of their significance as a demographic group in society. As for transgender and gender-diverse folks, this can help shape and affirm their identity formation.

Nonetheless, careful attention must be given to the kind of inclusive representation that brands claim to cater in their advertisements. Drag portrayals in mainstream advertisements might inadvertently maintain the ideals of normative femininity through the preference for a particular style of hair, makeup, clothing, and body language. In simpler terms, you need to have the “Coca-Cola body” to be considered truly beautiful as a drag queen. The queens in the advertisements mentioned above are all known to perform hyper-feminine drag. Meanwhile, absent are drag queens from the more subversive reality TV drag show Drag Den with Manila Luzon such as Pura Luka Vega, who is known to don a beard while performing female drag.

Mainstream advertisements as popular culture products have the tendency to prescribe notions of the ideal in society as Baldo-Cubelo (2021) suggests. Amidst the billions of dollars spent in the advertising industry, the demand to elevate the advertising discourse remains hugely warranted given the audiences’ changing needs and the moral implications of advertisements to society. Paragas et al. (2022) echo this sentiment as they observed that while advertisements can reflect longstanding stereotypes and judgments embedded in society, they can also signal changes in culture that invite more diversity.

Hence, for a television audience to rethink their understanding of gender beyond the heteronormative gender binary, drag representation on mainstream advertisements must not constantly feature only one style of drag – the hyperfeminine one. Instead, it should challenge this by showcasing the many forms that drag can take, and the many gender and sexual identities that can perform it. Give us the drag kings, the AFAB queens, the trans girlies, the plus-size dolls, the provincial queens, the differently-abled, give us… true diversity.

There are several implications for advertising practitioners, particularly in how brands use drag queens in dragtastic ads. The audience’s ability to critically engage with advertising content underscores the need for advertisers to be intentional and authentic in their messaging. Therefore, brands must move beyond surface-level inclusivity and instead embrace a broader spectrum of queer identities to truly reflect diversity. Furthermore, while queer imagery is well-received, it is not a guarantee of increased brand loyalty or purchase intention. People still express skepticism towards brands perceived to be engaging in sincere allyship. Audiences expect genuine representation that translates into long-term support for the LGBTQIA+ community. Advertisers should take this as a cue that representation alone is insufficient. The growing call for more diverse queer representations and inclusive beauty standards should prompt brands not just to win consumer favor, but to contribute meaningfully to societal change.