The Queens Of Cape Town | Lee-Ann Olwage

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THE QUEENS OF CAPE TOWN

Cape Town has a scintillating drag tradition that dates back to the Thirties, especially in vibrant District Six. Today the pageants, the

parties, the hairdressing salons and the fabulous drag queen shows still flourish across the city. However, it`s often hosted by

backwood clubs, catering to a select few who know where to find them.

The Queens of Cape Town is a photographic project that explores the world of drag queen beauty pageants and aims to look

beyond the glitz glamour of stilettos, glitter and tiaras to highlight the importance of safe spaces where queer bodies are

celebrated and the role of drag as activism in the LGBTQ community.

In many ways, the performance of drag itself is activism. If the ability to change is the nature of drag, then defiance is its essence. Drag pageants are a tool for political and social change by challenging the status quo.

Labels like ‘gay,' ‘straight,' ‘female,' or ‘male,' just don’t fit-nor matter — in the world of drag queens. Drag queens thrive to push the envelope of gender and force the audience to realise the extensive complexity of gender representation and sexuality. It will never just be male or female; it goes deeper than appearance. Beyond their bold makeup, drag queens are standing up for the right to play and tease with gender and strip away the ‘traditional’ views of what gender is.