Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/MTV
Tonight, RuPaul’s Drag Race hit a milestone that few reality competition shows hosted by legendary drag queens who were big in the ’90s and have a hit song called “Supermodel” ever reach: its 200th episode.
Over the last 200 episodes, 15 seasons, and 14 years, Drag Race has changed the face of television and injected a weekly dose of impenetrable vitality into the queer community. While the show has been home to queens of all kinds, the most memorable contestants tend to be the ones who reflect the concept of drag as a punk art form. Modern drag is a political act, a form of self-expression that goes against the grain to reject ideas of gender and binary, in favor of something wholly unique.
As the seasons have gone by, several queens have emerged as ambassadors of drag’s radical spirit. In early seasons, the show scooped up local stars from their home cities and gave them a national platform to display their greatest fantasies. Contestants like Raja and Alaska Thunderfuck brought new drag styles to television, paving the way for others like Milk, Adore Delano, and Sasha Velour. In more recent years, the Drag Race image of punk shifted again, with captivating queens like Yvie Oddly and Crystal Methyd clashing old-school rocker energy with modern, fashion-forward aesthetics.