Ra'Jah is my favorite drag queen and it's SO validating to see others acknowledge the shady edit, toxic fandom, and devastatingly brilliant redemption. just wanted to say thank you for all of this
It's sad that the producers vilified Queens of color especially dark skin Black Queens. The reason this because everyone who works on the show are white and have these racist aggression against them. The only Black person who worked there passed away. I love Raja and The Vixen.
@@JoseMartinez-df2db the only black person? I'm sure throughout the entire World of Wonder production crew there is atleast one other black person or atleast person of color. If I am wrong please let me know
Man every time I think about that song I get so heated. “You’re the one who said it” yeah said 5 different sentences on 3 different days that the show built a single quote out of 🙄
@@JC-yy8iv You can't cut and paste positivity and get pointed comments, but you can place shade out of context. Misdirected shade is still shade. Raja was venting her insecurities without emotional awareness, her comments would've cut regardless. That being said, the producers were negligent for not considering the hate and racism that exists in the queer community, predating the show. They should always take better care with POC narratives for this exact reason. Raja needed time to feel comfortable enough to open up about the insecurities that fueled that out of context 'shade'. But once she provided the 'emotional context' (something only she, not the show could provide), the non-racist viewers got it and fully empathized.
@@TruCentrinoTech if you think they can’t build negativity out of nothing, I think you’re underestimating what they do. They’ll literally just build a sentence out of other words and phrases. Like if they needed to portray you as annoyed by someone, maybe the other day you said “I’m so damn tired” and they use that and they go find an “of” and the other queen’s name from something else you said. And maybe you weren’t even annoyed by her at all! But then in the main footage they can also patch in a shot of you rolling your eyes and put it after she says something. The overwhelming majority of reaction shots are fake, even if they aren’t misleading, because there’s only one or two cameras at a given time. So if someone says something and you see four different queens faces reacting to it, those have to be taken from somewhere else, they aren’t rapidly swinging the camera back and forth in the split second it takes someone to make a face In the confessionals, anytime someone is talking and the video cuts to b-roll midsentence it’s to disguise the seams (because they’re much more obvious visually). If you start listening for it, you can hear the subtle changes in tone every time the camera cuts away from confessional. They literally build sentences from scratch. Which is why after season 3 they started making queens wear the same thing in all their confessionals, because tv audiences were getting more savvy and noticed queens changing clothes midsentence (I believe it was Raja that had the really egregious one everyone noticed)
@@JC-yy8ivIf your trust is THAT broken, I can't see watching this show as being healthy for you. Instead of getting "heated", just stay away from the show and/or comment section and enjoy local Drag edit free.
So many people have said it before, but as long as this is still an issue, it still deserves to be said again: "When did we decide that drag queens AREN'T bitchy?"
It really bothered me that she was always a shady bitch but when you look back you see it; it’s more joking bitchy, it’s more fun in nature. But the editing sucks out the more fun nature of it, emphasising the bitchiness. And between the “underprepared” edit and this one, I feel like they kinda fell back on this idea of being overly defensive. Personally I think part of it was just to push Yvie as a hero as Yvie at points was not a very nice person and they needed to villainise people to make Yvie the hero.
i was waiting for her arc to where she becomes lovable to the fans, bc on season 11 she was funny but really edited to be shady. Once they found that balance of her sweet and sourness, it made for one of the best redemption arcs the show has ever seen.
I don’t see the problem with her edit. I think fans are blaming the edit so they can justify the toxic behavior they exhibit. They just like bullying the shady black queens
I need people to understand that villain edit is NEVER meaning the queens didn't say rude or catty remarks. A villain edit is when you ONLY see a queen make rude and catty remarks. We NEVER saw Rajah laugh, have a friend in the workroom, a conversation with the queens in season 11 UNLESS it was negative. Daya Betty was not given a villain edit whatsoever. We heard so much from her, we saw her make friends, we saw her tell her story, we saw so many layers to her. She had the mildest "villain edit" known to man.
Genuine question. Do you not think this is relative? As in the show has been watered down over the years so that the edits are less intense, the judging is less intense (thinking max’s hair v. boscos brows) probably because the online fan base critique/hate has become MORE intense and the show wants to distance itself from that?
This! This also applies imo to say that saying someone got a villain edit does NOT imply that they weren't arguably a villain; case in point: Acid Betty. Acid Betty is well-known for being openly and unapologetically bitchy. She's a hardass and she knows it. She also got the villain edit; the edit CHOSE to play up what, by pretty much ALL accounts, was absolutely there in reality. I don't even think she would disagree; she seems to own being a bitch pretty well (and i live for it, frankly) and i'd also like to point out the inverse, of which there are many examples, but the two that jump to mind are violet chachki and sharon needles. Sharon is probably arguably more egregious, because her antagonistic behavior was WAY more serious than violet's, but she was outright using slurs against her castmates and being openly racist and none of this made the edit. and with violet, i've heard from a few different accounts that they had to edit the HELL out of that season to get her not to look super evil lmao (notice how she barely gets confessionals in the early episodes up until she gets the award for shadiest queen). this even extends to her pit stop episode with trixie, which according to trixie, had to be reshot TWICE so that violet wouldn't come accross as being super mean to the whole cast. (and on No Gorge she STILL complained about being depicted as "crazy" on the show for not liking michelle visage's "boy chest" comments, despite that it didnt even come across as THAT bad, even bringing to attention something about the show's judging that had bothered a lot of people, me included, for a LONG time)
That Vixen moment was the biggest eyeopener for racism on the fandom for me. It was the first time I noticed how EASY it was to either create a negative narrative for a BIPOC person or force them into a Big Loving Mama/Laugh Riot trope. It feels like, as a BIPOC person, you can only either be UNNECESSARILY AGGRESSIVE or COMPLETELY SUBMISSIVE. Any inch of inclination towards the first option makes you UNWORTHY of empathy for the rest of your run.
@@rogerdodger1984 I honestly disagree that doesn't have anything to do with the show. I feel like this is unfair and comes off as using a feud between two black queens to validate your personal feelings towards the vixen, monet is the definition of a WOW golden child so naturally the two don't get along, and not to mention she has been called out by other POC within the community for putting her relationship with the show above social issues. The vixen was done DIRTY by production and at the very least deserves that to be acknowledged.
@@rogerdodger1984 I Will Never Ever Understand Monet's Appeal. zzzzzzZzzzz I don't find her creative or interesting a particularly talented. I still can't believe there was a double crowning! If you remove her association with Bob she's just basic!!
But in a way, she did change. Because you can never be the same person after such an experience like that. Rajah did change, because change constant, inevitable and every single experience changes us. There's definitely a development since S11 to AS6.
@@inventions178 no, the way they decided to present her to us changed. I’m sure she had all that before but they just didn’t show it to us because they didn’t want use to like her.
@@Insulindependantfati It's probably both. Obviously production had a big influence in how she was perceived each season; but Ra'Jah herself admitted that her behavior in season 11 wasn't the best, and faced AS6 with a different attitude. I get you're trying to -FAIRLY- call out the role production on their mistreatment of Ra'Jah. But denying her growth in the process isn't really doing her any favors.
Comparing the reaction to Rajah's entrance mishaps with her earrings to that of Willow is quite interesting. The difference in the audience reaction says a lot. I can't blame production here but the audience themselves. Why was Willow's mishaps with her glasses cute but Rajah was just unprepared? These are questions we should ask ourselves
I never even noticed this until just now. Even within myself I have to look and be like “really?” Because I’ve been guilty of this very thing. I literally bought into the whole ‘Raja is a mess’ vibe whereas with Willow I was eating it all up from the first episode.
Good point! I forgot about the glasses moment completely, but it was definitely portrayed differently with Willow. I can see how the edit wanted us to feel about Ra'Jah messing up her accessories while not so much with Willow.
I really hope that you do a similar video on TKB’s redemption too. Ra’Jah’s redemption was a little better, but TKB’s reputation did a complete 180 to where she’s now Live in Vegas.
I always find the “you saw what we saw” “you’re the one who said it” “it can’t be aired if it didn’t happen” argument incomplete because we know editing exists. It’s so weird that everyone is expected to pretend and act like this isn’t the case.
Yeah, that stuff needs so much more nuance than "well, you said it". This video and other edit videos have pointed out how much an edit can slant things into your favor, or against you. Even if it's true that they give editors the material, said material can easily be manipulated.
But it should be common sense. The Queens have said on air they go back to a hotel and it's been days since they started the outfit or something. The thing is that the fandom get so drawn into Drag Race they genuinely believe anyone can be a Drag Queen and on camera and be themselves and shown as a good person when they don't understand that when the show airs, the fans see the footage as we do as well and they have to go in public while the world sees them a different way and have a personal opinion on them when they see like forty minutes of them on TV
When they literally stitch together completely invented sentences from multiple quotes about different topics. So much that they made the rule the queens have to wear the same thing in confessionals after s3 when fans first started noticing queens changing clothes mid-sentence
As much as I love yvie, the way she delivered her criticism was always really harsh. I love her for the brutal honesty but it’s a stressful competition and not everyone steamrolled all the challenges like her. She meant well but the delivery just didn’t come across well.. then again that was 3 years ago and I’m sure in AS7 there’ll be a new side for the fans to see.
@@codyrikerbrand sometimes it can cross the line between being "honest" and using that trait to convince people you are right because of your honesty...and in some cases even delusional and manipulative people exploit that masking it as brutal honesty. Not saying this is Yvie's case at all, it just that the term tends to remind me of certain individual that was despised by almost everyone here on RUclips because he always ran around telling everyone his criticism and antics were because he was just "brutally honest", when in reality he was delusional, really annoying, crazy, most types of "ist" and "phobic" words you can think of, but never really accepted that everyone but him was in the right. Not to mention he was a massive troll and hater. Ahh the days of the internet coming against the man once known as Onision hahahaha. That whole saga was like a fever dream to me, from discovering him, liking his funny videos, to quickly realizing "oh no, this guy is a massive prick and creep", to the big downfall.
I genuinely think Yvie was the problem and not Ra’Jah or Silky lol and Yvie had the audacity at the reunion to say Ra’Jah said some hurtful stuff. I mean look ffs Yvie’s bestfriend on the season was Scarlett who was also disliked by majority of the cast ans especially Brooke Lynn
@@moonlightbae6143 I dont think so. And yes Rajah did say a lot of hurtful stuff, you cannot deny that and Im sure she wouldnt deny it. Where both Silky and Rajah went astray from not looking so bad, especially Rajah, was the insults and delusions. Yvie was never someone that you could say interjected in the right moments. She mostly talked during the worst moments. But none of the things she said where wrong...just none of it came out during the best times you could think to say those things except when she called someone out rightfully so. Rajah, mostly said very negative stuff about almost everyone in the cast that she didnt think of as a friend...even going as far as dumping on one of said friends, Plastique, using her to shade production. And Silky...well she literally yelled out in a room when it wasnt necessary, even Nina was like wtf are you doing girl??? Also tried to 'convince' RuPaul that Yvie should have been sent home because of her slight injury. I will say..the one fight I really was against Yvie was Vanjie's fight. I really got Vanjie's point, and it was literally nothing for Yvie to be saying that moment...she just decided she wanted more screen time instead of telling Vanjie that stuff in private.
I think Rajah's storyline on s11 is also one of the worst in the series and closest to a typical reality tv "villain" edit that I've seen on drag race. Despite the very glaring issues of the show, I have typically been inclined to say that the fandom is worse than the show because production usually creates a rounded, three-dimensional villain. Roxxxy, Jaremi (on both seasons) and the Vixen all had moments of great success or where they were shown to be in the right, and their anger towards the "heroes" of the season had been framed as a reaction to insecurities and trauma. But with Rajah, until the reunion, her vulnerability is consistently shown as bitterness and jealousy, and the judges were unfairly critical of her and never gave her a fair shot. It's the only time a drag race villain edit seemed just as manipulative and cruel as reality shows like ANTM or the Glee Project.
Yeah, this was so obviously an edit and her better moments were deliberately kept out of the edit or downplayed. I remember her having some nice friendship/sister moments with A'Keria and Honey and a sweet comment on Mercedes' goodbye message... and that's it. it was really like you weren't allowed to like or root for her.
@@riannecharlotte7923 see that’s when the producing is too obvious. I don’t want to be told what to think; just document and craft a story around what actually happened.
I know we have years and years left of drag race, but I truly don’t think we will ever see a redemption this STRONG again. Nothing tops it. It was an even bigger turnaround than Roxxxy Andrews. She made all the little twinks that were sending her death threats literally turn around and end up revolting when she didn’t win AS6. Pretty legendary if you ask me!
@@marckid93 💅 CAME HERE JUST TO SAY THISSSSSS. I'm biracial with VERY fair skin and boy do I know the double edged sword of havoc that colorism creates all too well. From fetishism to down right racism, colorism is EVERYWHERE, present in just about all cultures and it's never EVER talked about enough.
@@marckid93 I feel like "respectability politics" often get tied in too. Don't be a person of color with any kind of accent, fire or big personality because descriptors like "ghetto" and "hood" will get thrown around real quick as a reason to dismiss someone's intelligence, wit or worth.
@@marckid93 The same sector of fans who would defend Yvie and call "racist" everyone who criticized her were the same ones hating on Rajah and being blind to their own racism.
bro. yvie was just saying what her thoughts were and were merely critical. imo she shouldve had more filter on what she said bc sometimes thats not what ppl want to hear. on the other hand rajah was straight up insulting people 🤡
Honestly, your whole section about the show refusing to address the pure vitriolic hate in the fandom reminds me of in the reunion for s14 where they had Ru say "This is the greatest fandom in the world!!", then like 2 minutes later, Daya Betty was crying over the sheer number of death threats she has received. YOU DO NOT HAVE THE GREATEST FANBASE. You don't even have a GOOD fanbase. I'm sorry to say, but Drag Race has one of the most terrible, garbage fanbases in the world. Anyone who denies it is part of the problem and is basically the TV fan equivalent of #NotAllMen. If you are a decent person, you should be able to recognise and admit that the fanbase is bad when anyone with an even kind of bad edit is sent literal death threats, racism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. Unless a contestant said they support the triple K or something equally deplorable (which, to my knowledge, the only person who even came close to that was SP on s12), there is NO EXCUSE for sending death threats. I have been watching since S5 was on air (started from S1 though, so only saw S6 onwards live) and not a single hated queen has ever felt like they deserved the hate they got from the show. NOT ONE.
As garbage as the fanbase is, it’s not any worse than any other fan base. The only difference is the drag queens read and respond to it, whereas other celebrities have teams of publicists and social media managers likely filtering comments through before their clients even open the app.
Absolute truth. The production company and Ru herself should do a whole lot more to protect the queens. That has to start with addressing the extreme hate from the community, which they are absolutely aware of but choose to ignore.
You're absolutely right. However not all the fans, because us. We get to have conversation about it. We get to wait and see a queen grow. Whereas some people continues to being horrible to the queens and that's where the fanbase gets problematic. It doesn't allow the fans to have this conversation. Only few fans does it. And mostly because Drag Race doesn't want us or allow us to. That's the problem. This is why the fan fanbase keeps being toxic bc of ignorance.
The thing is, I do think that a good portion of the fanbase _is_ pretty phenomenal. The stardom that sooooo many of these queens have been propelled into is amazing. However, on the flip side, there is also a _huge_ part of the fanbase that’s toxic as fuck and absolutely disgusting. It’s really sad/infuriating. So, you absolutely _aren’t_ wrong. But there are a lot of great Drag Race fans out there. I just deeply wish we could get rid of all, or even most, of the terrible assholes out there. (And, no, Ru definitely _shouldn’t_ be giving the fandom a pat on the back, either.)
@@Lunariant Absolutely. A big issue is that every time Ru talks about how great the fandom is, those people (the ones sending death threats, etc.) are feeling vindicated. The OWNER of the show is saying that they're AMAZING and THE BEST IN THE WORLD??? Wow, then clearly they're doing things right!! Obviously, I do not actually wish any negativity onto any queens, but part of me wishes that there would be one season where something changes to the point where production and Ru HAVE to address it. Honestly, if I were one of the queens and saw one of my """sisters""" getting death threats caused by the show and its fandom, I'd straight-up boycott it. I wouldn't attend the reunion or finale. I do not think queens are responsible for how their own fans act (for example, I don't think Valentina was an asshole just because she didn't "silence her fans") but at a certain point, you have to at least stand up for something. To all the people saying "but there are decent fans too!!" I don't care if half of the fandom literally found the cure to cancer and spend all their weekends volunteering at orphanages and animal shelters. When the other half of the fandom is sending racism and hate to ANYONE over "you were a bit bitchy on this tv show", that is not a good fandom. The actions of the good fans no longer matters. Especially when 90% of the time when you bring it up, the ""good"" side of the fandom feels the need to do exactly this: belittle the problem by saying things like "but there are good fans too!" Again, you are the TV fan equivalent of "NotAllMen". It's not a good look. The fandom is shit, period, end of. Until this problem is addressed and at least lessened, the fandom will continue being shit.
a bit unrelated to the topic, but watching season 11 back i realised: silky is not *that* annoying. sure, shes *edited* to be annoying, but everyone hated her with a passion up until as6 n watching it back u realise a good part of the reason ppl were so mean towards her was just bc shes black, fat n outspoken, not bc she was actually bringing the season down like everyone claimed. just some food for thought
i agree with you that a lot of it was edited for her to look annoying, but that scene with miley cyrus made me incredibly uncomfortable, even before it cut to other queens commenting on silkys behaviour towards miley. ofc she met a huge celebrity and she may have been very excited and maybe that was why she kinda assaulted her, but jeez 😅 LOVED her in AS6 though, it seems she understood after her season that maybe sometimes she needs to tone it down a few notches.
Oh my god you’re only 19???! And this mature, articulate, understanding, thoughtful, and talented? We’re all so impressed with the work you’re doing. You’re putting out some of the best deep dives (for every subject matter you choose to do not just drag race). Thank you so much for this content and your hard work ❤️
I'm so happy Raja'h is now receiving the love and recognition she deserves. When she was announced for AS6 I remember seeing people complain and say it was gonna be horrible, so I'm pleasantly surprised so many have fallen in love with her. I assumed they'd all just hate her regardless of what she was like or how she was edited
Little gagged you didn't say confirmation bias, it's definitely the vibe. The racist stereotypes and underlying biases you were talking about in the "fans" are quiet until they can find some sort of justification for them then they kindof double down. People are Searching for a reason to express their hate and are quick to amplify it when they can. This is where the edit comes in.
Yeah, and I think it can be a tricky because of the reactions to calling it what it is. Stuff like this isn't obvious, it's more like an "I knew it" that crosses these people's minds. Which makes it hard to point out to other fans when it's happening. Most fans probably don't go around thinking, "I don't want this queen to win because she's ", it shows through how quickly they turn on a queen or how quick they are to call them out in comparison to other queens.
YES FINALLY 😭😭😭 I didn't watch s11, but I learned of her behavior there through videos from other Drag Race commentary channels. And when AS6 came out, I watched religiously, with her becoming one of my favorites 💜
Most of the O'hara's have been some of my favorite queens of all time. Eureka, Ra'Jah and Asia are all special and have all been under a microscope at one time or another. We NEED an official chance for an Asia O'hara redemption. Butterfly gate was a misguided decision but it didn't feel malicious in any way. I miss her insane comedic ability and how she always seemed to come from a place of LOVE. She was such a mother figure to other queens on her season. 💔
!!!! 100%. ra’jah & asia were my favorites on their seasons, and i miss asia so much. i’m hoping she gets another chance on all stars and finally takes her crown!!
@@Whothefuckisgrey have you watched we’re here? i didn’t love eureka initially but that show changed my whole perspective about her! she’s one of my favorite queens now and i was able to see her in a better light during AS6.
You've quickly become my favorite drag race youtuber. You touch on fascinating and important topics with love and sensitivity, and never let the fandom shape your ovjectiveness. You're creating the kind of content I wish I had the time to do myself, so please keep going! 💜💜💜
As a 19 year old you have wisdom beyond your years, everything you said in this video is so well articulated and impactful. I hope more people see this video
Wait, you're only NINETEEN?! I am so shocked at the maturity and so delighted whenever I see younger people shining and excelling! You have a crazy bright future ahead of you. 😊🌈🎉
Agreed. You took the words right out of my mouth, Savannah Darling. Speaking of mouths, My mouth was agape with jaw on floor when I heard you say you're 19. I am even more impressed. GREAT JOB.
im sorry the way you're speaking about her dance experience is blowing me. no matter your experience you're not always gonna pick up obviously hard choreo right off the bat. just because she didn't, doesn't mean she lied or exaggerated, she clearly just needed more time.
Yeah, even if you're a good dancer in one discipline, it doesn't mean you'll breeze through other ones as well. I hated how it was portrayed as being delusional, while it made sense to me.
@@GodMothaKyle Oh Kennedy is a good example, too! I do think being a dancer helps with picking up choreography in general, but it's no guarantee. We've seen queens struggle even in their own style, for being in their heads, being injured, personal problems. It just happens sometimes.
I'm a trained dancer and i do a lot of choreo but since I can so ballet and couple dances I would struggle a lot in dancing challenges on drag race. The only thing helping me would be experience in learning how to dance. I probably would completely fail 😂
Also legit Yanis was an asshole. The OP is really correct about the dichotomy between Travis and Yanis. Travis wants the queens to succeed and lifts them up, Yanis was/is all about the drama and competition (like other choreographers too). Ultimately it servers the show better to have choreographers that bring out the best in the queens rather than dig into insecurities.
it’s evident that there was so much care, respect, and dedication poured into every minute of this. thank you so much for using your knowledge of storytelling and narrative to show the intricacies of racism in drag race (and reality tv in general.) as a storyteller, and as a black person myself, I am astounded by your work here. i love all of your videos and analyses, keep up the great work💗
Does anybody else feel like maybe Rajah should’ve won All Stars 6? At the time I remember being happy for Kylie Sonique Love but in retrospect, Rajah is one of the most memorable people from that season (and on the shady side, what really has Kylie Sonique done with the crown? I mean, let’s talk…)
Kylies win is very important to the trans community, she has done as much as she can with the crown in these uncertain times (it hasn't even been a year btw). They're both phenomenal queens and there really is no need to drag Kylie down.
@@user-qe2mq2nv6z They're not dragging Kylie down at all. The series welcomed 2 trans-women, one making it to the finale, literally soon after Vanessa Van Cartier won Holland S2, which was truly important.
@@user-qe2mq2nv6z why is that y’all’s only talking point? Y’all repeat “don’t bring Kylie down” and that’s not what anyone is doing. And y’all know it and still say it. Rajah also has a community she represents. And it woulda been just as important and meaningful to them.
I ended this video in tears. Thinking of how much I disliked Rajah before because I loved Yvie. And then thinking of how I was screaming for Rajah to win in All Stars 6. The ways in which our perceptions of others can be manipulated is powerful. I remember when Rajah won the Drag Tots episode and said “if they tell you you off beat, tell ‘em, “you just can’t hear my music.”” And I cried when she said that. It was as if I was watching a completely different person on the screen. Someone I directly identified with. Someone talented and intelligent and kind. And that was where I realized I allowed the show to make me almost actually hate someone like me. hate myself, in a way. And now I am so happy that she’s getting all she deserves and Silky and A’keria. And and and. Well done although, we need to talk about All Stats 6 and why we need more of that. I never cried watching a reality show so much.
Ra'Jah was never any more catty than every other queen, but the producers knew they would get away with heavily editing her as the villain. They knew the fans would eat every second of it and take every jab they could to knock a beautiful black contestant down. Nothing but love to her.
Bro.. when you stopped the video to address the fact that you don't condone any of the racism, fat phobia, & overall hate. I started screaming at the screen "yaaas you better speak! " love your channel. This video is so important for so many different reasons. Cheers to your future success
Really great video essay. So much of our implicit biases and beliefs come from our exposure to media, and it's really important to think critically about how the ways in which people of color are framed in the TV industry often perpetuate harmful stereotypes. I also love that you site a black journalist and encourage your viewers to seek out the perspectives of black writers/creators. I really appreciated this, and am looking forward to more of these types of videos!!
With how AS6's official theme was "Redemption" i was almost certain they were gonna give Ra'Jah the crown given that she had the best redemption out of everyone else (P.s. This is not meant to be hateful towards the actual winner, I was just stating an observation).
I felt all the black queens except Yvie got this edit that made them look problematic. At the time anything they said that was shady or looked that way made them look problematic. I never thought Rajah was the villain or the problem and not to say she was always right but she had her moments and wasn't perfect.
I'm not even finished with this but I just have to stop and say how much we NEEDED this type of dissection. I genuinely hope Ra'jah sees this video and is in some way comforted by the fact that we can see exactly what the edit is doing and realizes how frustrated so many true fans are at witnessing this type of unfair storytelling, which (let's be real) definitely seems to target the black queens more often. While I feel like Yvie deserved the win that season, I'm baffled at the lack of accountability she was expected to have when she's the one who seemed to genuinely enjoy kicking people when they were down.
Ra'Jah's redemption arc on AS was one of the most satisfying things on the show, she was a bright beacon and talent and joy and she DESERVED IT! Thank you for taking the time to make this video it is as top tier! X
I watched this whole video being so impressed by the delicate way this topic was handled, especially considering I'm not the biggest fan of a lot of drag race RUclipsrs, and then the gag at the end of the video was when you said you were 19. Most older drag race video essayists haven't made videos as thorough, in depth and sensitive as this one
i can’t express enough how much i love and appreciate this video! rajah’s arc thruout her two seasons was so special to me, and i think this video did an incredible amount of justice to how she was let down in her original edit, and how she got to shine in AS6. would love to see this done with other queens of color!
I am really glad you did this, Rajah deserves much more respect. She is an amazing QUEEN. Also while you touched on racism, you never explored colorism (which in many instances is a far bigger problem and rarely discussed). Many Queens of color have used their "bitchness" as a positive, Bianca del Rio, Niamoi smalls, Roxxy Andrews, Yvie Oddly, and the fans love them for it. Whereas darker skin black Queens like Rahjah, the Vixen, Akira, and Silky are held to a much higher standard.
I sometimes follow seasons by watching commentary, recaps etc without actually watching the season. This was one of those, and when I finally watched the actual season I was stunned at how mean Yvie often was, because in all the peripheral media she’d been characterized as a lovable underdog, who maybe keeps it a little too 💯 now and then but that’s just because she’s so real. So the reality of how she actually behaved really shocked me that people gave her the benefit of the doubt so much regarding her intentions… and we all know why
You're my favourite drag race youtuber :3 And that's saying a lot, because there are a lot of amazing content creators in this community. But Idk, you are just so well spoken, calm, kind and really genuine (and I always love your ideas for videos). I wish for the best for you, keep up the good work :)
I haven't seen AS6, so I'm yet to see this more positive outcome Ra'Jah gets there you've talked about. I'm so happy to know she got the opportunity to shine and show herself as the charming, funny and creative person she's always been, rather than the one note so called "villain", coming for your faves and whatever. As you said, context is important and the lack of it in the portrayal of, not a fictional character, but a real person with real feelings will always come out as incomplete and how it has been the case, misleading. I think neglecting that very context of, say, mental health related issues, frustration and pressure and also racism within the community and fandom is not only irresponsible, but malicious, especially when it's done that way to push a narrative of drama and resentment.. its was very clever, compassionate and humane for Plastique to be able to see that so I admire her for that, honestly. And I very much agree with you on thinking no queen should go home without a good moment, I mean, come on, all of them are potentially capable of providing that and sharing what their take of this art form is. Back in the day, Ra'Jah may not have been my favorite queen of the cast, the edit may have not helped with that, I guess, but you could see the passion and the talent regardless, and she's one of the Queens I think the most of, primarily because of how she was presented on her season and how representation works as a whole, precisely lol.. and on top of that, an opinion or perspective of something can change when presented more information, even if it is a relatively "old" topic, e.g. I recently learnt some context on the "look at how orange you look, girl" which completely changed the way I saw that moment: back in the day queens with darker skin tones had to apply a lot of orange powder in order to be able to add some depth to their make up, giving that the repertoire make up brands provided was very much tilted towards white people and therefore black people had less to work with. Then, providing more information and perspective is important, especially when it comes to addressing racism or any topic that has the need to be spoken about. Your video does that with great care and grace, it is magnificent. Can't wait to see more like this in the future.🥰
So glad you’re pointing Rajahs journey on drag race. She was the only queen from season 11 I followed and she was so interactive and sweet. I hated that “fans” just love to hate on queens that get these really bad edits when they are making the good tv that said “fans” are enjoying. She was done dirty and I’m glad people finally hopped on the Rajah train in AS6. Better late than never
saw Rajah at Seattle pride today. hearing 200+ people cheering and chanting her name absolutely filled my heart with joy- it's what she deserves!! im so glad people have finally started seeing her for the kind, fierce, and TALENTED queen she is. love this video, obviously ❤️
I was annoyed by a couple of rajah's comments during s11, but I was super confused every time she was made out to be some great villain. Hell, most of the drama annoyed me at some point. I think they tried to make this season alot more gritty and shady and it just tired me out so much by the end of the season. I think this season is a huge reason why the girls are/were so scared of being catty because of how much production did to bury them on s11.
Her edit on her season was killing me. You could tell it was editing + the rigging. She made pants!! GOT DRAGGED FOR PANTS, it all looked really good. I was glad that she didn't get a villain edit on all stars. It was long overdue! She's so stunning and talented
You've become my favourite Drag Race-related channel next to U. and Drag Detective. And to think you're this thoughtful, polished and prolific at NINETEEN. You have an amazing career ahead of you, I am so excited for what's in store.
I’ve been watching your videos all day and this one bought a tear to my eye. To be so young, you get it. I love your videos and you definitely have a fan in me. This was great and it’s great seeing what Ra’Jah has become!!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
7:5929:09 This was an ongoing thing all throughout S11: Yvie Oddly was (not-so) casually cruel for the sake of being honest towards other queens and keeping it 💯 and wutuwutuwu, you can be honest and aim others to be such but she had a _garbage_ and nearly insulting approach (and even unwarranted) AT NEARLY ALL TIMES
I wish this post was higher. She constantly showed her ass and did not listen when the others asked for her to stop giving commentary. Then she decides to play victim when they get angry with her for not stopping the comments. I wish literally anyone else won.
26:17 as a disabled person, willow pill is the best representation I've seen on TV. HOWEVER, willow pill not being accommodated for her condition and facing borderline ableism isn't what made that representation good, those are the parts that made me feel horrible because they reminded me of everytime I've been in a competition or test setting and wasn't given my accomodations because they'd "give me an edge". Willow pill makes great drag and great tv, production didn't do that.
Rajah is literally one of my favorite queens she gave drama she was humble she was the soul of season 11 and allstars 6 and i still want to see more from her cause she is a literal icon
There's a thing a former coworker (that actually exposed me to drag race) said to me when he saw his fave singer was in drama and her fans and haters were going at it: "Yeah, I love her, she's a queen and her music's great, but I don't fuckin know her. She doesn't know me. If I get in drama, is /she/ going to defend me? No, so why the fuck should I?" And that's always stuck with me when it came down to people developing parasocial relationships with their faves. I know that people will always get attached to characters and people, that's a reason we watch TV, but when it comes down to it, you don't know them. That's why I never got mad at Phi Phi O'Hara during s4, or Roxxxy Andrews during s5, or Ra'Jah during s11. Hell, I LOVED Ra'Jah during s11. The edit did make her out to be a messy, delusional queen but I was enamored with her when she came for Yvie for her smell lol, and Yvie was my favorite during season 11! Like come on... ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? It's reality TV. People have to spend months locked up in a hotel, put on drag in the wee hours of the morning, work 12 hour shifts, and be videotaped throughout their time filming (obviously). They probably had to cut hundreds of hours from the edit we'll never get to see. People are gonna end up being messy or production will, as per their profession, PRODUCE messy moments to get those "crazy TV moments". The Tamisha vs Kandy fight won them an EMMY for chrissake! Just... Don't be a racist asshole. Anyway, great video and analysis! Looking forward to the next video!
This is such a beautiful tribute to who has become one of my favorite queens of the show. I love her so much and I cannot believe you're only 19. You're incredibly wise and well spoken and I think you're gonna go far.
Wooow what a video!! Thank you for this, as someone who's been a fan since S11, I always love it when I see other fans looking at her more positively. It's so true that she had her struggles, watching it live, it was so obvious she was not in a good headspace, which is normal and human given the kind of competition they're in. It hurt to see such a big part of the fandom be constantly negative towards her - Reddit very much included, actually. Other social media was simply even worse. She reminded me of me in a few ways and she's such a good performer. The production team really dropped the ball here in order to have, like you said, a good foil/villain to the fan favorite queens. The 180 many fans did on AS6 never sat right with me, as I mostly saw a much better edit, not a massively different Ra'Jah as a person/queen. It's kind of terrifying how much of an impact an edit has on how those fans feel about a queen. I've seen this trend with some other queens who got a villain edit... It's usually queens who are very big in their hometown, with much experience, but on the show, it just doesn't all come out and they get in their heads about it. Often with getting mad at the wrong people - other queens they feel are getting unfairly favoured. Maybe another topic for discussion?
H, love the video! Really great breakdown. :) One quick thing: I am a dancer and I don’t know Travis personally but I have danced with Travis Wall at conventions multiple times. I used to be a big fan but, I wanted to let you know he had multiple sexual assault allegations against him. On top of this, unlike how he is on Drag Race, in the real world he is quite blunt/mean to dancers. I’ve personally seen him stop a dancer in the middle of a conbo (short dance) and tell them to sit down because they were “dancing like they didn’t want to be there.” Anyways! Just wanted you let you know he’s not someone deserving of support. Obv you don’t know me you can do your own research to confirm or deny my claims. But yeah, just felt like telling you was the right thing to do even if you don’t see this comment.
I learned a lot from the end of your video about the racism prevalent in the drag race community. I've heard it acknowledged many times before, but never fully expanded on. I plan on doing more research to be more knowledgeable about the racism prevalent in the fandom. Thank you for using your platform, and for encouraging others to listen and amplify black voices.
I feel like you always do a really great job at explaining things with such compassion, and you help explain the nuances in a really brilliant way. I remember watching early drag race and HATING Roxxxy because of how she was in season 5 especially as a huge Jinkx fan. (I never sent her any hate or anything though cause that's fucked up). When All Stars came out, it really made me see her in a different light and she has grown into somebody I absolutely love to see now. On a rewatch, I can see a lot more nuance in the way that she acted, and while I still think she did some nasty things, I have a lot more compassion for her. I think that really helped me understand that people are complicated, and that we should show compassion and if we have opinions we can always just...keep them to ourselves lol. I love your vids so much
Thank you for that moment of open disapproval of shitty behaviour. Even though you gave 0, zilch, no notes of that kind of behaviour, having someone openly and firmly come out against it makes people feel safe. As one trans man, thank you for making me tear up out of nowhere. Parasocial or not, we're cool. Thank you x
What a stellar video! Jack really out did himself and it’s a great example of how significantly the edit can play into the lives and experiences of the queens!
It's really scary how a tv edit can shift the view of millions about you. and if that's a negative view then it's really damaging. I'm glad rajah got her rudemption and that her and scarlet made up
Thank you for such a thoughtful video essay on Ra'jah and the redemption from her mistreatment on S11. AS6 was SO satisfying for many reasons, and she played an integral role in it being a stellar season
I didnt like Ra'jah so much on ss11, but then again didnt hate her guts like some 'fans' did. Coming into as6, I was team Trinity and Kylie all the way, until somehow Ra'jah yeeted herself into the mix and I was unknowingly rooting for her to get the crown 👑 Such a talented and entertaining queen
Great video. I loved Ra'Jah in S11 and loved her even more in AS6 and CVTW. What she said on S11 wasn't even that bad (and that's coming from someone who adored Scarlet too btw). She should have never got the hate in the first place but the way she got one of the best redemptions ever was so extremely satisfying. Ra'Jah is a huge talent, she only deserves great things
I never saw Rajah as the villain. I thought Silky was the villain because of her ableist comments to Yvie. Loved seeing both of their redemptions and growth in All Stars though!! And as for Yvie, I can't wait to see her on AS7! She's my favourite to win!
Thank you for making this video. It’s so important for drag race content creators to highlight the issues regarding Ra’Jah’s edit on season 11 as well as many other queens. I feel like it is a topic many shy away from but the conversation only allows for growth! Loved this video down, keep blessing us with the content!🤍✨
You know what I liked about Ra’jah’s redemption is that she just came in and said I’m a changed person and then she slayed… so I guess you do just get a redemption RUPAUL! How about you apologize to Jeremi
This video was truly well-thought-out. The wording is so good yet so understanble for a non native speaker like me. It breathes good intentions. We see and hear that you took care of the issue very seriously without being extreme. Either by being too preachy about it or being clumsy with how you brought up. I'm happy that you open and amplifies conversation that needs to be spoke about more often in this fanbase. For Ra'Jah, I wasn't particularly attracted to her in season 11 but after watching s11 few times, I loved her. She was the most iconic for me but her edit endured her iconic behavior..but when she came back on AS6. It was amazing to see her thrive and being so careful to her sisters and her iconic behavior came back around. If she was not a winner by crown, she was by heart !
Guys! No negativity towards any queens please. That was like the whole point of the video
Except for Serena.
Ra'Jah is my favorite drag queen and it's SO validating to see others acknowledge the shady edit, toxic fandom, and devastatingly brilliant redemption. just wanted to say thank you for all of this
@@agcaoiliproductions9580 Cackling.
It's sad that the producers vilified Queens of color especially dark skin Black Queens. The reason this because everyone who works on the show are white and have these racist aggression against them. The only Black person who worked there passed away. I love Raja and The Vixen.
@@JoseMartinez-df2db the only black person? I'm sure throughout the entire World of Wonder production crew there is atleast one other black person or atleast person of color. If I am wrong please let me know
Jackfed: *Explains how a host should handle hate and racism towards its cast
RuPaul: BLAME IT ON THE EDIT! EDIT EDIT! BLAME IT ON THE EDIT!
Man every time I think about that song I get so heated. “You’re the one who said it” yeah said 5 different sentences on 3 different days that the show built a single quote out of 🙄
@@JC-yy8iv You can't cut and paste positivity and get pointed comments, but you can place shade out of context. Misdirected shade is still shade. Raja was venting her insecurities without emotional awareness, her comments would've cut regardless.
That being said, the producers were negligent for not considering the hate and racism that exists in the queer community, predating the show. They should always take better care with POC narratives for this exact reason. Raja needed time to feel comfortable enough to open up about the insecurities that fueled that out of context 'shade'. But once she provided the 'emotional context' (something only she, not the show could provide), the non-racist viewers got it and fully empathized.
I love that song
@@TruCentrinoTech if you think they can’t build negativity out of nothing, I think you’re underestimating what they do. They’ll literally just build a sentence out of other words and phrases. Like if they needed to portray you as annoyed by someone, maybe the other day you said “I’m so damn tired” and they use that and they go find an “of” and the other queen’s name from something else you said. And maybe you weren’t even annoyed by her at all!
But then in the main footage they can also patch in a shot of you rolling your eyes and put it after she says something. The overwhelming majority of reaction shots are fake, even if they aren’t misleading, because there’s only one or two cameras at a given time. So if someone says something and you see four different queens faces reacting to it, those have to be taken from somewhere else, they aren’t rapidly swinging the camera back and forth in the split second it takes someone to make a face
In the confessionals, anytime someone is talking and the video cuts to b-roll midsentence it’s to disguise the seams (because they’re much more obvious visually). If you start listening for it, you can hear the subtle changes in tone every time the camera cuts away from confessional. They literally build sentences from scratch.
Which is why after season 3 they started making queens wear the same thing in all their confessionals, because tv audiences were getting more savvy and noticed queens changing clothes midsentence (I believe it was Raja that had the really egregious one everyone noticed)
@@JC-yy8ivIf your trust is THAT broken, I can't see watching this show as being healthy for you. Instead of getting "heated", just stay away from the show and/or comment section and enjoy local Drag edit free.
Anyone else here after she won Canada VS The World? SOOOO happy for her 😭
Love Ra'Jah but watching this video back... Travis Wall, yikes.
Spoilers much
@@GKiller34 it was months ago... its no longer spoilers lol
@@geggyFNop
ooo😊😊8 is it
I’m just going to say it: I lived for Rajah on season 11. She makes the season entertaining… “like do you bathe?”
So many people have said it before, but as long as this is still an issue, it still deserves to be said again: "When did we decide that drag queens AREN'T bitchy?"
It really bothered me that she was always a shady bitch but when you look back you see it; it’s more joking bitchy, it’s more fun in nature. But the editing sucks out the more fun nature of it, emphasising the bitchiness. And between the “underprepared” edit and this one, I feel like they kinda fell back on this idea of being overly defensive. Personally I think part of it was just to push Yvie as a hero as Yvie at points was not a very nice person and they needed to villainise people to make Yvie the hero.
I actually started liking her after she left. The season felt empty afterwards and I really missed her presence.
yessss. the season was boring af i watched for vangie and ra’jah
YES! I came to see if anyone else would say this. I really enjoyed her in season 11 and never understood the hate.
Plastique’s response to Ra’Jah made me cry, because it showed how much she cared about Ra’jah and their relationship.
I understand where rajah was coming from but she had no right to take her moment like that…it could have been dealt with much better
@tatyanadennis9926 um no she had. It was the competition and she was absolutely right with production and ru favoring them that episode
i was waiting for her arc to where she becomes lovable to the fans, bc on season 11 she was funny but really edited to be shady. Once they found that balance of her sweet and sourness, it made for one of the best redemption arcs the show has ever seen.
I hated the way she was perceived. I’d met her several times before she got on and was just SO warm and loving
Right? Like she seems like such a light, like a best friend even
S11 Rajah was obviously cast as filler. I’m so glad in AS6 they realized how truly full of life she is.
@@FYFAYAS exactly her vibe irl
I don’t see the problem with her edit. I think fans are blaming the edit so they can justify the toxic behavior they exhibit. They just like bullying the shady black queens
I need people to understand that villain edit is NEVER meaning the queens didn't say rude or catty remarks. A villain edit is when you ONLY see a queen make rude and catty remarks. We NEVER saw Rajah laugh, have a friend in the workroom, a conversation with the queens in season 11 UNLESS it was negative.
Daya Betty was not given a villain edit whatsoever. We heard so much from her, we saw her make friends, we saw her tell her story, we saw so many layers to her. She had the mildest "villain edit" known to man.
Genuine question. Do you not think this is relative? As in the show has been watered down over the years so that the edits are less intense, the judging is less intense (thinking max’s hair v. boscos brows) probably because the online fan base critique/hate has become MORE intense and the show wants to distance itself from that?
This!
This also applies imo to say that saying someone got a villain edit does NOT imply that they weren't arguably a villain;
case in point: Acid Betty. Acid Betty is well-known for being openly and unapologetically bitchy. She's a hardass and she knows it. She also got the villain edit; the edit CHOSE to play up what, by pretty much ALL accounts, was absolutely there in reality. I don't even think she would disagree; she seems to own being a bitch pretty well (and i live for it, frankly)
and i'd also like to point out the inverse, of which there are many examples, but the two that jump to mind are violet chachki and sharon needles.
Sharon is probably arguably more egregious, because her antagonistic behavior was WAY more serious than violet's, but she was outright using slurs against her castmates and being openly racist and none of this made the edit. and with violet, i've heard from a few different accounts that they had to edit the HELL out of that season to get her not to look super evil lmao (notice how she barely gets confessionals in the early episodes up until she gets the award for shadiest queen). this even extends to her pit stop episode with trixie, which according to trixie, had to be reshot TWICE so that violet wouldn't come accross as being super mean to the whole cast. (and on No Gorge she STILL complained about being depicted as "crazy" on the show for not liking michelle visage's "boy chest" comments, despite that it didnt even come across as THAT bad, even bringing to attention something about the show's judging that had bothered a lot of people, me included, for a LONG time)
That Vixen moment was the biggest eyeopener for racism on the fandom for me. It was the first time I noticed how EASY it was to either create a negative narrative for a BIPOC person or force them into a Big Loving Mama/Laugh Riot trope. It feels like, as a BIPOC person, you can only either be UNNECESSARILY AGGRESSIVE or COMPLETELY SUBMISSIVE.
Any inch of inclination towards the first option makes you UNWORTHY of empathy for the rest of your run.
Youre not wrong, but Vixen is a terrible example. Cant blame the edit for her. Thats who she is in real life. Ask Monet.
@@rogerdodger1984 I honestly disagree that doesn't have anything to do with the show. I feel like this is unfair and comes off as using a feud between two black queens to validate your personal feelings towards the vixen, monet is the definition of a WOW golden child so naturally the two don't get along, and not to mention she has been called out by other POC within the community for putting her relationship with the show above social issues. The vixen was done DIRTY by production and at the very least deserves that to be acknowledged.
@@rogerdodger1984 Bro in the context of the show and her storyline tho come on lol
I disagree. Look at Yvie, she picked a fight with everyone and yet was extremely charismatic and well received by fans.
@@rogerdodger1984 I Will Never Ever Understand Monet's Appeal. zzzzzzZzzzz I don't find her creative or interesting a particularly talented. I still can't believe there was a double crowning! If you remove her association with Bob she's just basic!!
Thank you for this video! I can’t stand when people say “Ra’jah changed” no, she didn’t changed she’s always been amazing, her edit changed.
But in a way, she did change. Because you can never be the same person after such an experience like that. Rajah did change, because change constant, inevitable and every single experience changes us. There's definitely a development since S11 to AS6.
But- like... She sorta did? Her attitude did in fact change from the experience, her facial expressions the way she presents herself.
@@inventions178 no, the way they decided to present her to us changed. I’m sure she had all that before but they just didn’t show it to us because they didn’t want use to like her.
@@inventions178 I agree. Ra'Jah acknowledged it herself at the start of AS6.
@@Insulindependantfati It's probably both. Obviously production had a big influence in how she was perceived each season; but Ra'Jah herself admitted that her behavior in season 11 wasn't the best, and faced AS6 with a different attitude.
I get you're trying to -FAIRLY- call out the role production on their mistreatment of Ra'Jah. But denying her growth in the process isn't really doing her any favors.
Comparing the reaction to Rajah's entrance mishaps with her earrings to that of Willow is quite interesting. The difference in the audience reaction says a lot. I can't blame production here but the audience themselves. Why was Willow's mishaps with her glasses cute but Rajah was just unprepared? These are questions we should ask ourselves
You already know why….
Wait for real though
I never even noticed this until just now. Even within myself I have to look and be like “really?” Because I’ve been guilty of this very thing. I literally bought into the whole ‘Raja is a mess’ vibe whereas with Willow I was eating it all up from the first episode.
Good point! I forgot about the glasses moment completely, but it was definitely portrayed differently with Willow. I can see how the edit wanted us to feel about Ra'Jah messing up her accessories while not so much with Willow.
Let's be honest, we know exactly why
I really hope that you do a similar video on TKB’s redemption too. Ra’Jah’s redemption was a little better, but TKB’s reputation did a complete 180 to where she’s now Live in Vegas.
Yes I would love this!
I third this motion!!
YESSS
Ra'jah is so real and down to earth, and I wish they let us see more sides of her on her original season
I always find the “you saw what we saw” “you’re the one who said it” “it can’t be aired if it didn’t happen” argument incomplete because we know editing exists. It’s so weird that everyone is expected to pretend and act like this isn’t the case.
Yeah, that stuff needs so much more nuance than "well, you said it". This video and other edit videos have pointed out how much an edit can slant things into your favor, or against you. Even if it's true that they give editors the material, said material can easily be manipulated.
But it should be common sense. The Queens have said on air they go back to a hotel and it's been days since they started the outfit or something. The thing is that the fandom get so drawn into Drag Race they genuinely believe anyone can be a Drag Queen and on camera and be themselves and shown as a good person when they don't understand that when the show airs, the fans see the footage as we do as well and they have to go in public while the world sees them a different way and have a personal opinion on them when they see like forty minutes of them on TV
When they literally stitch together completely invented sentences from multiple quotes about different topics. So much that they made the rule the queens have to wear the same thing in confessionals after s3 when fans first started noticing queens changing clothes mid-sentence
As much as I love yvie, the way she delivered her criticism was always really harsh. I love her for the brutal honesty but it’s a stressful competition and not everyone steamrolled all the challenges like her. She meant well but the delivery just didn’t come across well.. then again that was 3 years ago and I’m sure in AS7 there’ll be a new side for the fans to see.
She said she was aggressive because of the lack of weed on set.:d
Does honesty always have to be brutal? Can’t it be compassionate? I do love Yvie. But I hate this “brutal honesty is the only honesty” trope
@@codyrikerbrand sometimes it can cross the line between being "honest" and using that trait to convince people you are right because of your honesty...and in some cases even delusional and manipulative people exploit that masking it as brutal honesty. Not saying this is Yvie's case at all, it just that the term tends to remind me of certain individual that was despised by almost everyone here on RUclips because he always ran around telling everyone his criticism and antics were because he was just "brutally honest", when in reality he was delusional, really annoying, crazy, most types of "ist" and "phobic" words you can think of, but never really accepted that everyone but him was in the right. Not to mention he was a massive troll and hater. Ahh the days of the internet coming against the man once known as Onision hahahaha. That whole saga was like a fever dream to me, from discovering him, liking his funny videos, to quickly realizing "oh no, this guy is a massive prick and creep", to the big downfall.
I genuinely think Yvie was the problem and not Ra’Jah or Silky lol and Yvie had the audacity at the reunion to say Ra’Jah said some hurtful stuff. I mean look ffs Yvie’s bestfriend on the season was Scarlett who was also disliked by majority of the cast ans especially Brooke Lynn
@@moonlightbae6143 I dont think so. And yes Rajah did say a lot of hurtful stuff, you cannot deny that and Im sure she wouldnt deny it. Where both Silky and Rajah went astray from not looking so bad, especially Rajah, was the insults and delusions. Yvie was never someone that you could say interjected in the right moments. She mostly talked during the worst moments. But none of the things she said where wrong...just none of it came out during the best times you could think to say those things except when she called someone out rightfully so. Rajah, mostly said very negative stuff about almost everyone in the cast that she didnt think of as a friend...even going as far as dumping on one of said friends, Plastique, using her to shade production. And Silky...well she literally yelled out in a room when it wasnt necessary, even Nina was like wtf are you doing girl??? Also tried to 'convince' RuPaul that Yvie should have been sent home because of her slight injury.
I will say..the one fight I really was against Yvie was Vanjie's fight. I really got Vanjie's point, and it was literally nothing for Yvie to be saying that moment...she just decided she wanted more screen time instead of telling Vanjie that stuff in private.
I think Rajah's storyline on s11 is also one of the worst in the series and closest to a typical reality tv "villain" edit that I've seen on drag race. Despite the very glaring issues of the show, I have typically been inclined to say that the fandom is worse than the show because production usually creates a rounded, three-dimensional villain. Roxxxy, Jaremi (on both seasons) and the Vixen all had moments of great success or where they were shown to be in the right, and their anger towards the "heroes" of the season had been framed as a reaction to insecurities and trauma. But with Rajah, until the reunion, her vulnerability is consistently shown as bitterness and jealousy, and the judges were unfairly critical of her and never gave her a fair shot. It's the only time a drag race villain edit seemed just as manipulative and cruel as reality shows like ANTM or the Glee Project.
Yeah, this was so obviously an edit and her better moments were deliberately kept out of the edit or downplayed. I remember her having some nice friendship/sister moments with A'Keria and Honey and a sweet comment on Mercedes' goodbye message... and that's it. it was really like you weren't allowed to like or root for her.
@@riannecharlotte7923 see that’s when the producing is too obvious. I don’t want to be told what to think; just document and craft a story around what actually happened.
💯
Music to my ears honestly!! We have nothing but love for Ra'Jah in this house!!
I know we have years and years left of drag race, but I truly don’t think we will ever see a redemption this STRONG again. Nothing tops it. It was an even bigger turnaround than Roxxxy Andrews. She made all the little twinks that were sending her death threats literally turn around and end up revolting when she didn’t win AS6. Pretty legendary if you ask me!
They pushed a narrative and I hated it. Yvie was the one always kicking up dust and the fans loved it and ate it up but made Rajah look bad
Yvie is light skinned. Colorism is a huge factor of the fanbase hating black queens too but y’all aint ready to talk about it yet 🍷
@@marckid93 💅
CAME HERE JUST TO SAY THISSSSSS. I'm biracial with VERY fair skin and boy do I know the double edged sword of havoc that colorism creates all too well. From fetishism to down right racism, colorism is EVERYWHERE, present in just about all cultures and it's never EVER talked about enough.
@@marckid93 I feel like "respectability politics" often get tied in too. Don't be a person of color with any kind of accent, fire or big personality because descriptors like "ghetto" and "hood" will get thrown around real quick as a reason to dismiss someone's intelligence, wit or worth.
@@marckid93 The same sector of fans who would defend Yvie and call "racist" everyone who criticized her were the same ones hating on Rajah and being blind to their own racism.
bro. yvie was just saying what her thoughts were and were merely critical. imo she shouldve had more filter on what she said bc sometimes thats not what ppl want to hear. on the other hand rajah was straight up insulting people 🤡
Honestly, your whole section about the show refusing to address the pure vitriolic hate in the fandom reminds me of in the reunion for s14 where they had Ru say "This is the greatest fandom in the world!!", then like 2 minutes later, Daya Betty was crying over the sheer number of death threats she has received. YOU DO NOT HAVE THE GREATEST FANBASE. You don't even have a GOOD fanbase. I'm sorry to say, but Drag Race has one of the most terrible, garbage fanbases in the world. Anyone who denies it is part of the problem and is basically the TV fan equivalent of #NotAllMen. If you are a decent person, you should be able to recognise and admit that the fanbase is bad when anyone with an even kind of bad edit is sent literal death threats, racism, homophobia, transphobia, etc.
Unless a contestant said they support the triple K or something equally deplorable (which, to my knowledge, the only person who even came close to that was SP on s12), there is NO EXCUSE for sending death threats. I have been watching since S5 was on air (started from S1 though, so only saw S6 onwards live) and not a single hated queen has ever felt like they deserved the hate they got from the show. NOT ONE.
As garbage as the fanbase is, it’s not any worse than any other fan base. The only difference is the drag queens read and respond to it, whereas other celebrities have teams of publicists and social media managers likely filtering comments through before their clients even open the app.
Absolute truth. The production company and Ru herself should do a whole lot more to protect the queens. That has to start with addressing the extreme hate from the community, which they are absolutely aware of but choose to ignore.
You're absolutely right. However not all the fans, because us. We get to have conversation about it. We get to wait and see a queen grow. Whereas some people continues to being horrible to the queens and that's where the fanbase gets problematic.
It doesn't allow the fans to have this conversation. Only few fans does it. And mostly because Drag Race doesn't want us or allow us to. That's the problem. This is why the fan fanbase keeps being toxic bc of ignorance.
The thing is, I do think that a good portion of the fanbase _is_ pretty phenomenal. The stardom that sooooo many of these queens have been propelled into is amazing.
However, on the flip side, there is also a _huge_ part of the fanbase that’s toxic as fuck and absolutely disgusting. It’s really sad/infuriating.
So, you absolutely _aren’t_ wrong. But there are a lot of great Drag Race fans out there. I just deeply wish we could get rid of all, or even most, of the terrible assholes out there. (And, no, Ru definitely _shouldn’t_ be giving the fandom a pat on the back, either.)
@@Lunariant Absolutely. A big issue is that every time Ru talks about how great the fandom is, those people (the ones sending death threats, etc.) are feeling vindicated. The OWNER of the show is saying that they're AMAZING and THE BEST IN THE WORLD??? Wow, then clearly they're doing things right!! Obviously, I do not actually wish any negativity onto any queens, but part of me wishes that there would be one season where something changes to the point where production and Ru HAVE to address it. Honestly, if I were one of the queens and saw one of my """sisters""" getting death threats caused by the show and its fandom, I'd straight-up boycott it. I wouldn't attend the reunion or finale.
I do not think queens are responsible for how their own fans act (for example, I don't think Valentina was an asshole just because she didn't "silence her fans") but at a certain point, you have to at least stand up for something.
To all the people saying "but there are decent fans too!!" I don't care if half of the fandom literally found the cure to cancer and spend all their weekends volunteering at orphanages and animal shelters. When the other half of the fandom is sending racism and hate to ANYONE over "you were a bit bitchy on this tv show", that is not a good fandom. The actions of the good fans no longer matters. Especially when 90% of the time when you bring it up, the ""good"" side of the fandom feels the need to do exactly this: belittle the problem by saying things like "but there are good fans too!" Again, you are the TV fan equivalent of "NotAllMen". It's not a good look. The fandom is shit, period, end of. Until this problem is addressed and at least lessened, the fandom will continue being shit.
"I'm not gagging" still made me cackle. I love Ra'Jah so much
Having Raja‘s lip sync songs as background music is perfect subtle framing
❤️
Rajah just seems so much happier and confident in all stars 6. I was rooting for her to win, she had such a great redemption
a bit unrelated to the topic, but watching season 11 back i realised: silky is not *that* annoying. sure, shes *edited* to be annoying, but everyone hated her with a passion up until as6 n watching it back u realise a good part of the reason ppl were so mean towards her was just bc shes black, fat n outspoken, not bc she was actually bringing the season down like everyone claimed. just some food for thought
every time i rewatch season 11 I find Yvie to be the actually annoying one :D
100% agree
Silky was even MORE annoying than her "edit" lead us to believe. She was not outspoken, she was downright mean and unpleasant.
i agree with you that a lot of it was edited for her to look annoying, but that scene with miley cyrus made me incredibly uncomfortable, even before it cut to other queens commenting on silkys behaviour towards miley. ofc she met a huge celebrity and she may have been very excited and maybe that was why she kinda assaulted her, but jeez 😅 LOVED her in AS6 though, it seems she understood after her season that maybe sometimes she needs to tone it down a few notches.
@@fantomaorgasma5906 what are you basing this off of? What do you know that nobody, not even silky’s actual friends, do not?
I’ve been waiting for this one turn it up!!!
Come on lizzo quote
Crazy how people just wanted her gone ASAP in S11 and in All Stars 6 she had the most support to win the season of all the top 4 queens.
Oh my god you’re only 19???! And this mature, articulate, understanding, thoughtful, and talented? We’re all so impressed with the work you’re doing. You’re putting out some of the best deep dives (for every subject matter you choose to do not just drag race). Thank you so much for this content and your hard work ❤️
I'm so happy Raja'h is now receiving the love and recognition she deserves. When she was announced for AS6 I remember seeing people complain and say it was gonna be horrible, so I'm pleasantly surprised so many have fallen in love with her. I assumed they'd all just hate her regardless of what she was like or how she was edited
Little gagged you didn't say confirmation bias, it's definitely the vibe. The racist stereotypes and underlying biases you were talking about in the "fans" are quiet until they can find some sort of justification for them then they kindof double down. People are Searching for a reason to express their hate and are quick to amplify it when they can. This is where the edit comes in.
Yeah, and I think it can be a tricky because of the reactions to calling it what it is. Stuff like this isn't obvious, it's more like an "I knew it" that crosses these people's minds. Which makes it hard to point out to other fans when it's happening. Most fans probably don't go around thinking, "I don't want this queen to win because she's ", it shows through how quickly they turn on a queen or how quick they are to call them out in comparison to other queens.
YES FINALLY 😭😭😭 I didn't watch s11, but I learned of her behavior there through videos from other Drag Race commentary channels. And when AS6 came out, I watched religiously, with her becoming one of my favorites 💜
Most of the O'hara's have been some of my favorite queens of all time. Eureka, Ra'Jah and Asia are all special and have all been under a microscope at one time or another. We NEED an official chance for an Asia O'hara redemption. Butterfly gate was a misguided decision but it didn't feel malicious in any way. I miss her insane comedic ability and how she always seemed to come from a place of LOVE. She was such a mother figure to other queens on her season. 💔
!!!! 100%. ra’jah & asia were my favorites on their seasons, and i miss asia so much. i’m hoping she gets another chance on all stars and finally takes her crown!!
Eureka is a mess.
@@Whothefuckisgrey why? I think she is really cute🕴
@@Whothefuckisgrey have you watched we’re here? i didn’t love eureka initially but that show changed my whole perspective about her! she’s one of my favorite queens now and i was able to see her in a better light during AS6.
You've quickly become my favorite drag race youtuber. You touch on fascinating and important topics with love and sensitivity, and never let the fandom shape your ovjectiveness. You're creating the kind of content I wish I had the time to do myself, so please keep going! 💜💜💜
not rain LMAOO this is korrio from the discord
@@nicholas8484 byyyyeeee 😂😂😂😂😂
THIS!
As a 19 year old you have wisdom beyond your years, everything you said in this video is so well articulated and impactful. I hope more people see this video
We've had 13 queens for season 13, 14 for 14...I think we may have to endure 15 queens one more time next season...
u forgot season 12, it had 12 queens as well
We’re gunna end up with a top 7 next season
@@frankcamper869 "For the first time in Drag Race Herstory! All the cast members will fight for the crown 👑😻😻😻"
@@frankcamper869 and 36 episodes, including a ball with 255 looks
@@frankcamper869 The queens all have to lipsync against Jujubee to stay in the competition
Wait, you're only NINETEEN?! I am so shocked at the maturity and so delighted whenever I see younger people shining and excelling!
You have a crazy bright future ahead of you.
😊🌈🎉
Agreed. You took the words right out of my mouth, Savannah Darling. Speaking of mouths, My mouth was agape with jaw on floor when I heard you say you're 19. I am even more impressed. GREAT JOB.
im sorry the way you're speaking about her dance experience is blowing me. no matter your experience you're not always gonna pick up obviously hard choreo right off the bat. just because she didn't, doesn't mean she lied or exaggerated, she clearly just needed more time.
Yeah, even if you're a good dancer in one discipline, it doesn't mean you'll breeze through other ones as well. I hated how it was portrayed as being delusional, while it made sense to me.
Exactly 💯%. Another example of this is Kennedy in AS3 during the divas live. Dancing and learning choreography are two completely different skills
@@GodMothaKyle Oh Kennedy is a good example, too! I do think being a dancer helps with picking up choreography in general, but it's no guarantee. We've seen queens struggle even in their own style, for being in their heads, being injured, personal problems. It just happens sometimes.
I'm a trained dancer and i do a lot of choreo but since I can so ballet and couple dances I would struggle a lot in dancing challenges on drag race. The only thing helping me would be experience in learning how to dance. I probably would completely fail 😂
Also legit Yanis was an asshole. The OP is really correct about the dichotomy between Travis and Yanis. Travis wants the queens to succeed and lifts them up, Yanis was/is all about the drama and competition (like other choreographers too). Ultimately it servers the show better to have choreographers that bring out the best in the queens rather than dig into insecurities.
She should’ve won All Stars 6.
Ra'Jah and Kylie, the double crowning we deserved!
definitely
Yeah
I was rooting for her so hard! I'm happy with Kylie winning, too, but would've loved a double crowning as well.
Real talk.
it’s evident that there was so much care, respect, and dedication poured into every minute of this. thank you so much for using your knowledge of storytelling and narrative to show the intricacies of racism in drag race (and reality tv in general.) as a storyteller, and as a black person myself, I am astounded by your work here. i love all of your videos and analyses, keep up the great work💗
Does anybody else feel like maybe Rajah should’ve won All Stars 6? At the time I remember being happy for Kylie Sonique Love but in retrospect, Rajah is one of the most memorable people from that season (and on the shady side, what really has Kylie Sonique done with the crown? I mean, let’s talk…)
Kylies win is very important to the trans community, she has done as much as she can with the crown in these uncertain times (it hasn't even been a year btw). They're both phenomenal queens and there really is no need to drag Kylie down.
@@user-qe2mq2nv6z she's not dragging kylie down
@@user-qe2mq2nv6z They're not dragging Kylie down at all. The series welcomed 2 trans-women, one making it to the finale, literally soon after Vanessa Van Cartier won Holland S2, which was truly important.
Oh definitely! Rajah honestly was the clear winner. Her or Trinity tbh.
@@user-qe2mq2nv6z why is that y’all’s only talking point? Y’all repeat “don’t bring Kylie down” and that’s not what anyone is doing. And y’all know it and still say it. Rajah also has a community she represents. And it woulda been just as important and meaningful to them.
I ended this video in tears. Thinking of how much I disliked Rajah before because I loved Yvie. And then thinking of how I was screaming for Rajah to win in All Stars 6. The ways in which our perceptions of others can be manipulated is powerful. I remember when Rajah won the Drag Tots episode and said “if they tell you you off beat, tell ‘em, “you just can’t hear my music.”” And I cried when she said that.
It was as if I was watching a completely different person on the screen. Someone I directly identified with. Someone talented and intelligent and kind. And that was where I realized I allowed the show to make me almost actually hate someone like me. hate myself, in a way. And now I am so happy that she’s getting all she deserves and Silky and A’keria. And and and. Well done although, we need to talk about All Stats 6 and why we need more of that. I never cried watching a reality show so much.
Ra'Jah was never any more catty than every other queen, but the producers knew they would get away with heavily editing her as the villain. They knew the fans would eat every second of it and take every jab they could to knock a beautiful black contestant down. Nothing but love to her.
Bro.. when you stopped the video to address the fact that you don't condone any of the racism, fat phobia, & overall hate. I started screaming at the screen "yaaas you better speak! " love your channel. This video is so important for so many different reasons. Cheers to your future success
Really great video essay. So much of our implicit biases and beliefs come from our exposure to media, and it's really important to think critically about how the ways in which people of color are framed in the TV industry often perpetuate harmful stereotypes. I also love that you site a black journalist and encourage your viewers to seek out the perspectives of black writers/creators. I really appreciated this, and am looking forward to more of these types of videos!!
With how AS6's official theme was "Redemption" i was almost certain they were gonna give Ra'Jah the crown given that she had the best redemption out of everyone else (P.s. This is not meant to be hateful towards the actual winner, I was just stating an observation).
I felt all the black queens except Yvie got this edit that made them look problematic. At the time anything they said that was shady or looked that way made them look problematic. I never thought Rajah was the villain or the problem and not to say she was always right but she had her moments and wasn't perfect.
THE BLEMISH DETAIL OMG UR AMAZING
I'm not even finished with this but I just have to stop and say how much we NEEDED this type of dissection. I genuinely hope Ra'jah sees this video and is in some way comforted by the fact that we can see exactly what the edit is doing and realizes how frustrated so many true fans are at witnessing this type of unfair storytelling, which (let's be real) definitely seems to target the black queens more often. While I feel like Yvie deserved the win that season, I'm baffled at the lack of accountability she was expected to have when she's the one who seemed to genuinely enjoy kicking people when they were down.
and she won
im so happy for her
Ra'Jah's redemption arc on AS was one of the most satisfying things on the show, she was a bright beacon and talent and joy and she DESERVED IT! Thank you for taking the time to make this video it is as top tier! X
Season 11 - and Ra’Jah on it - was great, I don’t care what people say
I watched this whole video being so impressed by the delicate way this topic was handled, especially considering I'm not the biggest fan of a lot of drag race RUclipsrs, and then the gag at the end of the video was when you said you were 19. Most older drag race video essayists haven't made videos as thorough, in depth and sensitive as this one
i can’t express enough how much i love and appreciate this video! rajah’s arc thruout her two seasons was so special to me, and i think this video did an incredible amount of justice to how she was let down in her original edit, and how she got to shine in AS6. would love to see this done with other queens of color!
I actually met Ra’Jah at an event in New Orleans, and I told her about this video. I hope she’s able to watch it!
I am really glad you did this, Rajah deserves much more respect. She is an amazing QUEEN. Also while you touched on racism, you never explored colorism (which in many instances is a far bigger problem and rarely discussed). Many Queens of color have used their "bitchness" as a positive, Bianca del Rio, Niamoi smalls, Roxxy Andrews, Yvie Oddly, and the fans love them for it. Whereas darker skin black Queens like Rahjah, the Vixen, Akira, and Silky are held to a much higher standard.
Agree with you 100% always hated this
I sometimes follow seasons by watching commentary, recaps etc without actually watching the season. This was one of those, and when I finally watched the actual season I was stunned at how mean Yvie often was, because in all the peripheral media she’d been characterized as a lovable underdog, who maybe keeps it a little too 💯 now and then but that’s just because she’s so real.
So the reality of how she actually behaved really shocked me that people gave her the benefit of the doubt so much regarding her intentions… and we all know why
+++
my favourite drag queen, niamoi smalls
You're my favourite drag race youtuber :3
And that's saying a lot, because there are a lot of amazing content creators in this community. But Idk, you are just so well spoken, calm, kind and really genuine (and I always love your ideas for videos). I wish for the best for you, keep up the good work :)
I haven't seen AS6, so I'm yet to see this more positive outcome Ra'Jah gets there you've talked about. I'm so happy to know she got the opportunity to shine and show herself as the charming, funny and creative person she's always been, rather than the one note so called "villain", coming for your faves and whatever. As you said, context is important and the lack of it in the portrayal of, not a fictional character, but a real person with real feelings will always come out as incomplete and how it has been the case, misleading.
I think neglecting that very context of, say, mental health related issues, frustration and pressure and also racism within the community and fandom is not only irresponsible, but malicious, especially when it's done that way to push a narrative of drama and resentment.. its was very clever, compassionate and humane for Plastique to be able to see that so I admire her for that, honestly.
And I very much agree with you on thinking no queen should go home without a good moment, I mean, come on, all of them are potentially capable of providing that and sharing what their take of this art form is.
Back in the day, Ra'Jah may not have been my favorite queen of the cast, the edit may have not helped with that, I guess, but you could see the passion and the talent regardless, and she's one of the Queens I think the most of, primarily because of how she was presented on her season and how representation works as a whole, precisely lol.. and on top of that, an opinion or perspective of something can change when presented more information, even if it is a relatively "old" topic, e.g. I recently learnt some context on the "look at how orange you look, girl" which completely changed the way I saw that moment: back in the day queens with darker skin tones had to apply a lot of orange powder in order to be able to add some depth to their make up, giving that the repertoire make up brands provided was very much tilted towards white people and therefore black people had less to work with.
Then, providing more information and perspective is important, especially when it comes to addressing racism or any topic that has the need to be spoken about. Your video does that with great care and grace, it is magnificent. Can't wait to see more like this in the future.🥰
I can definitely recommend AS6! Especially for Rajah. I liked her on season 11 tbh, but I loved her on AS6. Amazing. Great.
I hope to see more long form video essays like this from Jack!!!
So glad you’re pointing Rajahs journey on drag race. She was the only queen from season 11 I followed and she was so interactive and sweet. I hated that “fans” just love to hate on queens that get these really bad edits when they are making the good tv that said “fans” are enjoying. She was done dirty and I’m glad people finally hopped on the Rajah train in AS6. Better late than never
The positivity you radiate in your videos is noticeable
saw Rajah at Seattle pride today. hearing 200+ people cheering and chanting her name absolutely filled my heart with joy- it's what she deserves!! im so glad people have finally started seeing her for the kind, fierce, and TALENTED queen she is. love this video, obviously ❤️
I was annoyed by a couple of rajah's comments during s11, but I was super confused every time she was made out to be some great villain. Hell, most of the drama annoyed me at some point. I think they tried to make this season alot more gritty and shady and it just tired me out so much by the end of the season. I think this season is a huge reason why the girls are/were so scared of being catty because of how much production did to bury them on s11.
40 MINUTES?? You’re too kind
I need to add: you are great at these videos❤ it's a pleasure to listen to you! You are talented, kind and very smart!👏👏👏
Came here to celebrate our newest winner 💜 so proud of how far she’s come
Her edit on her season was killing me. You could tell it was editing + the rigging.
She made pants!! GOT DRAGGED FOR PANTS, it all looked really good. I was glad that she didn't get a villain edit on all stars. It was long overdue! She's so stunning and talented
Watching this after Canada VS the world hits different, i love Ra'Jah so much and she deserves everything
You've become my favourite Drag Race-related channel next to U. and Drag Detective. And to think you're this thoughtful, polished and prolific at NINETEEN. You have an amazing career ahead of you, I am so excited for what's in store.
This makes me love raja so munch more ITS SO EYE OPENING ITS COMPLETELY CHANGED THE WAY I SEE SEASON 11
I’ve been watching your videos all day and this one bought a tear to my eye. To be so young, you get it. I love your videos and you definitely have a fan in me. This was great and it’s great seeing what Ra’Jah has become!!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
7:59 29:09 This was an ongoing thing all throughout S11: Yvie Oddly was (not-so) casually cruel for the sake of being honest towards other queens and keeping it 💯 and wutuwutuwu, you can be honest and aim others to be such but she had a _garbage_ and nearly insulting approach (and even unwarranted) AT NEARLY ALL TIMES
I wish this post was higher. She constantly showed her ass and did not listen when the others asked for her to stop giving commentary. Then she decides to play victim when they get angry with her for not stopping the comments. I wish literally anyone else won.
To give such a well-researched and in-depth analysis of such a sensitive topic at 19 is very impressive. Well done
i forgot that ra'jah and ginger took their photo together in the first mini challenge. the foreshadowing!
26:17 as a disabled person, willow pill is the best representation I've seen on TV. HOWEVER, willow pill not being accommodated for her condition and facing borderline ableism isn't what made that representation good, those are the parts that made me feel horrible because they reminded me of everytime I've been in a competition or test setting and wasn't given my accomodations because they'd "give me an edge". Willow pill makes great drag and great tv, production didn't do that.
Rajah is literally one of my favorite queens she gave drama she was humble she was the soul of season 11 and allstars 6 and i still want to see more from her cause she is a literal icon
Thank you for standing up for our villain and POC queens! Subscriber for life
There's a thing a former coworker (that actually exposed me to drag race) said to me when he saw his fave singer was in drama and her fans and haters were going at it: "Yeah, I love her, she's a queen and her music's great, but I don't fuckin know her. She doesn't know me. If I get in drama, is /she/ going to defend me? No, so why the fuck should I?" And that's always stuck with me when it came down to people developing parasocial relationships with their faves.
I know that people will always get attached to characters and people, that's a reason we watch TV, but when it comes down to it, you don't know them. That's why I never got mad at Phi Phi O'Hara during s4, or Roxxxy Andrews during s5, or Ra'Jah during s11. Hell, I LOVED Ra'Jah during s11. The edit did make her out to be a messy, delusional queen but I was enamored with her when she came for Yvie for her smell lol, and Yvie was my favorite during season 11! Like come on... ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? It's reality TV. People have to spend months locked up in a hotel, put on drag in the wee hours of the morning, work 12 hour shifts, and be videotaped throughout their time filming (obviously). They probably had to cut hundreds of hours from the edit we'll never get to see. People are gonna end up being messy or production will, as per their profession, PRODUCE messy moments to get those "crazy TV moments". The Tamisha vs Kandy fight won them an EMMY for chrissake! Just... Don't be a racist asshole.
Anyway, great video and analysis! Looking forward to the next video!
This is such a beautiful tribute to who has become one of my favorite queens of the show. I love her so much and I cannot believe you're only 19. You're incredibly wise and well spoken and I think you're gonna go far.
This video actually made me real emotional as someone who loves Ra'Jah to death. I cannot thank you enough for this king!
Wooow what a video!! Thank you for this, as someone who's been a fan since S11, I always love it when I see other fans looking at her more positively.
It's so true that she had her struggles, watching it live, it was so obvious she was not in a good headspace, which is normal and human given the kind of competition they're in. It hurt to see such a big part of the fandom be constantly negative towards her - Reddit very much included, actually. Other social media was simply even worse.
She reminded me of me in a few ways and she's such a good performer. The production team really dropped the ball here in order to have, like you said, a good foil/villain to the fan favorite queens. The 180 many fans did on AS6 never sat right with me, as I mostly saw a much better edit, not a massively different Ra'Jah as a person/queen. It's kind of terrifying how much of an impact an edit has on how those fans feel about a queen.
I've seen this trend with some other queens who got a villain edit... It's usually queens who are very big in their hometown, with much experience, but on the show, it just doesn't all come out and they get in their heads about it. Often with getting mad at the wrong people - other queens they feel are getting unfairly favoured. Maybe another topic for discussion?
I never knew Plastique came out so publicly like that in defense of Rajah. Love it!
H, love the video! Really great breakdown. :) One quick thing: I am a dancer and I don’t know Travis personally but I have danced with Travis Wall at conventions multiple times. I used to be a big fan but, I wanted to let you know he had multiple sexual assault allegations against him. On top of this, unlike how he is on Drag Race, in the real world he is quite blunt/mean to dancers. I’ve personally seen him stop a dancer in the middle of a conbo (short dance) and tell them to sit down because they were “dancing like they didn’t want to be there.”
Anyways! Just wanted you let you know he’s not someone deserving of support.
Obv you don’t know me you can do your own research to confirm or deny my claims. But yeah, just felt like telling you was the right thing to do even if you don’t see this comment.
I learned a lot from the end of your video about the racism prevalent in the drag race community. I've heard it acknowledged many times before, but never fully expanded on. I plan on doing more research to be more knowledgeable about the racism prevalent in the fandom. Thank you for using your platform, and for encouraging others to listen and amplify black voices.
I feel like you always do a really great job at explaining things with such compassion, and you help explain the nuances in a really brilliant way. I remember watching early drag race and HATING Roxxxy because of how she was in season 5 especially as a huge Jinkx fan. (I never sent her any hate or anything though cause that's fucked up).
When All Stars came out, it really made me see her in a different light and she has grown into somebody I absolutely love to see now. On a rewatch, I can see a lot more nuance in the way that she acted, and while I still think she did some nasty things, I have a lot more compassion for her. I think that really helped me understand that people are complicated, and that we should show compassion and if we have opinions we can always just...keep them to ourselves lol.
I love your vids so much
Our purple queen is amazing. Glad she could spread her wings.
What a beautifully written and executed script you've created! Well done, human!
I thought we couldn't do enough justice to rajah until all stars 6, where she really showed what she's capable of. thank you for this video.
I love your dedication to Drag Race … I hope your channel only becomes more and more popular ❤️
Thank you for that moment of open disapproval of shitty behaviour. Even though you gave 0, zilch, no notes of that kind of behaviour, having someone openly and firmly come out against it makes people feel safe. As one trans man, thank you for making me tear up out of nowhere. Parasocial or not, we're cool. Thank you x
What a stellar video! Jack really out did himself and it’s a great example of how significantly the edit can play into the lives and experiences of the queens!
And now, she's a winner!
she looks incredible in purple and she knows it, i love her sm
It's really scary how a tv edit can shift the view of millions about you. and if that's a negative view then it's really damaging. I'm glad rajah got her rudemption and that her and scarlet made up
Thank you for such a thoughtful video essay on Ra'jah and the redemption from her mistreatment on S11. AS6 was SO satisfying for many reasons, and she played an integral role in it being a stellar season
I didnt like Ra'jah so much on ss11, but then again didnt hate her guts like some 'fans' did. Coming into as6, I was team Trinity and Kylie all the way, until somehow Ra'jah yeeted herself into the mix and I was unknowingly rooting for her to get the crown 👑 Such a talented and entertaining queen
Great video. I loved Ra'Jah in S11 and loved her even more in AS6 and CVTW. What she said on S11 wasn't even that bad (and that's coming from someone who adored Scarlet too btw). She should have never got the hate in the first place but the way she got one of the best redemptions ever was so extremely satisfying. Ra'Jah is a huge talent, she only deserves great things
I never saw Rajah as the villain. I thought Silky was the villain because of her ableist comments to Yvie.
Loved seeing both of their redemptions and growth in All Stars though!! And as for Yvie, I can't wait to see her on AS7! She's my favourite to win!
Thank you for making this video. It’s so important for drag race content creators to highlight the issues regarding Ra’Jah’s edit on season 11 as well as many other queens. I feel like it is a topic many shy away from but the conversation only allows for growth! Loved this video down, keep blessing us with the content!🤍✨
You know what I liked about Ra’jah’s redemption is that she just came in and said I’m a changed person and then she slayed… so I guess you do just get a redemption RUPAUL! How about you apologize to Jeremi
You rock for doing this. You’re amazing m. I hope she sees this and is reinvigorated! We love you Rajah!
this is what im eating for lunch today
This video was truly well-thought-out. The wording is so good yet so understanble for a non native speaker like me.
It breathes good intentions. We see and hear that you took care of the issue very seriously without being extreme. Either by being too preachy about it or being clumsy with how you brought up. I'm happy that you open and amplifies conversation that needs to be spoke about more often in this fanbase.
For Ra'Jah, I wasn't particularly attracted to her in season 11 but after watching s11 few times, I loved her. She was the most iconic for me but her edit endured her iconic behavior..but when she came back on AS6. It was amazing to see her thrive and being so careful to her sisters and her iconic behavior came back around. If she was not a winner by crown, she was by heart !