Going Big: What It Takes to Be a Fabulous New York Queen
Mimi Imfurst is one of New York's most popular drag queens, making weekly appearances at some of New York's trendiest gay clubs. On the outside, she may seem like your typical queen -- big hair, over-the-top clothes, and enormously squeezable tits. But at the end of the day, after the make up comes off, who is Mimi Imfurst?
On the outside, Braden Chapman seems like your average, fairly conservative gay male. He's quiet, unless you mention issues surrounding gay marriage. And it appears as though he's passionate about very little. After graduating from Marymount Manhattan, he realized that he did not want to return to his home state of Maine, and instead began working odd jobs in order to pay the rent. After he realized that waiting tables at Greenwich Village's Grey Dog wasn't going to cut it, he started searching for something a little more lucrative.
So in steps Mimi, a character that Braden had created during his college years as a way of entertaining his friends. In "Be Big," Braden opens about his life in order to understand his transformation from his 9-to-5 self into New York's ultra fabulous Mimi Imfurst.
Outline:
I. Introduction: Braden Chapman at Loehmann's, where he is trying on shoes.
II. Examination of the drag culture in New York City (what makes its tick, why is it unique, etc.)
III. Braden/Mimi: the duality of our main character as he opens his closest and discusses the significance of his drag queen wardrobe.
IV. This section is one that I am still struggling with. Right now, I am planning on using this section to examine what makes a drag queen fabulous, which will coincide with my final section...
V. Closing at Barracuda, with Mimi's performance. What makes Mimi fabulous?
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
The Wig
Thirty-eight is an important number for Braden Chapman. No, it isn’t his age. It’s the number of wigs that he currently has in his possession. Twenty of them are blonde, twelve of which include some sort of pastel highlight. He prefers pink and violet, but doesn’t mind a splash of teal every once in a while.
“Why wouldn’t you want a little color?” he asks. “They make every queen look like a fucking Easter basket.”
He continues showing off his walk-in closet, reserved solely for wigs. Nine are brunette, six are red, and two are black.
“I mean, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing more adorable than a ginger,” he says with a wink. “But in the world of a drag queen, you need to personify the legends. I’ve got the blonde wigs so that I can look like Marilyn Monroe and I use the blacks wigs for when I dress up as Liz Taylor.”
We then move on to the final wig, which is kept in a black and gold hatbox, carefully tucked away on top shelf. As Chapman reaches up to get the box, he delicately wraps his arms around the box’s entirety, slowly lowering it and placing it on a nearby table. He opens the box to display his prized possession: a wig made completely of strands of silver sequins with a tiny Swarovski crystal attached to the end. He calls this his New Years wig.
“I only break this one out on the last day of December, just in time for whatever party I’ll be attending,” says Chapmen.
When asked why, he immediately seems taken aback by the question. He gets quite, and appears to brush a tear aside. The bubbly and fun-loving Chapman suddenly seems much different.
“This wig, this was a gift from Sue,” he says.
Sue was his adoptive mother, who took him in and nurtured him after his own family left him on the streets following his coming-out. She gave him the motherly love and affection that he desperately needed during the most difficult moments in his life.
“This was the last gift she gave me,” he adds. “Christmas 2007.”
Shortly afterward, Sue passed away following a two-year on-and-off-again battle with breast cancer.
“When she died, not only did I lose my mother, but I also lost my best friend and biggest fan,” he says. “She was always by my side, supporting me and giving me a reason to keep going even when I was convinced otherwise.”
“Her favorite time of the year was New Years,” he adds. “She believed that with New Years, all of the failures or mistakes of the previous year went away. It gave her a clean slate.”
“Why wouldn’t you want a little color?” he asks. “They make every queen look like a fucking Easter basket.”
He continues showing off his walk-in closet, reserved solely for wigs. Nine are brunette, six are red, and two are black.
“I mean, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing more adorable than a ginger,” he says with a wink. “But in the world of a drag queen, you need to personify the legends. I’ve got the blonde wigs so that I can look like Marilyn Monroe and I use the blacks wigs for when I dress up as Liz Taylor.”
We then move on to the final wig, which is kept in a black and gold hatbox, carefully tucked away on top shelf. As Chapman reaches up to get the box, he delicately wraps his arms around the box’s entirety, slowly lowering it and placing it on a nearby table. He opens the box to display his prized possession: a wig made completely of strands of silver sequins with a tiny Swarovski crystal attached to the end. He calls this his New Years wig.
“I only break this one out on the last day of December, just in time for whatever party I’ll be attending,” says Chapmen.
When asked why, he immediately seems taken aback by the question. He gets quite, and appears to brush a tear aside. The bubbly and fun-loving Chapman suddenly seems much different.
“This wig, this was a gift from Sue,” he says.
Sue was his adoptive mother, who took him in and nurtured him after his own family left him on the streets following his coming-out. She gave him the motherly love and affection that he desperately needed during the most difficult moments in his life.
“This was the last gift she gave me,” he adds. “Christmas 2007.”
Shortly afterward, Sue passed away following a two-year on-and-off-again battle with breast cancer.
“When she died, not only did I lose my mother, but I also lost my best friend and biggest fan,” he says. “She was always by my side, supporting me and giving me a reason to keep going even when I was convinced otherwise.”
“Her favorite time of the year was New Years,” he adds. “She believed that with New Years, all of the failures or mistakes of the previous year went away. It gave her a clean slate.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)