Joey Jay is challenging drag stereotypes by using his real name and short hair to compete on RuPaul's Drag Race season 13. For an LGBTQ+ platform that features so many bigger-than-life personalities, Drag Race has been accused of being a little square in the past. It usually takes the show and its fans a bit longer to understand drag aesthetics and sensibilities that they haven't been exposed to in the past, such as drag queens that don't wear fake breasts, or that don't cinch, or that don't wear hip pads, or that can't walk in heels that well.
With that said, it was precisely those boundary-breaking RuPaul's Drag Race queens that paved the way for other drag performers to excel on the show. It took some time for a spooky queen like Sharon Needles to win over the judges, and for a character-driven performer like Jinkx Monsoon to win the show, and even for Sasha Velour to literally snatch the crown after a lip sync where she took off her wig and revealed her bald head underneath it. The trailblazers who have been on the show have made invaluable contributions to the series.
Now a contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race season 13, Joey Jay describes his drag as "lipstick lesbian." Joey is 30 years old and from Phoenix, Arizona. Shockingly, Joey is only the second contestant in the history of Drag Race to be representing Arizona. The only other queen to have done that was season 7's Tempest DuJour. On season 9, Sasha Velour broke all the norms by rocking her natural bald head on quite a few runways. This time around, Joey Jay is also trying to leave a big impression on the show by rocking his own "boy hair," which is short. Some fans were concerned that the judges would give Joey a hard time for not wearing wigs, but his promo look does feature a wig, and some of his social media pictures do too. So it looks like rocking his natural hair is a preference but not a hard rule. If you want to see more of Joey Jay's work, you can check out his posts on Instagram below.
It's been tough in the past for contestants to challenge the conventions of drag on the show, but Joey Jay is certainly competing in a much more welcoming era of Drag Race that does embrace different styles, perspectives, and looks. As long as Joey can sell his personality and point of view, he should do well in the competition and captivate judges and fans alike. It does seem like Joey is ready to compete with everything that he's got, and like he will not go down without a fight.
Joey Jay will get to rock on during this season of RuPaul's Drag Race, and some fans already see him as a contender to be the "trade of the season."
RuPaul's Drag Race season 13 premieres Friday, January 1, 2021 at 8pm EST on VH1.
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