Charlie Kraus looks at a man standing in a mirror.
A pale, freshly-shaven face stares back into his brown eyes. His strong jaw line and thick, dark eyebrows make it very clear that he is indeed, a man. Within hours, and with help from the make-up laid out in front of him and a steady hand, a woman will be looking back at Kraus.
Under the lights in a Park Hall bathroom, Kraus picks up a flesh-colored wedge dipped in foundation, and begins to paint his face.
“It’s not like I’m just putting on make-up, it is so much more than that,” Kraus said. “When I’m finished, my entire personality changes and I’m not Charlie anymore, I’m Tequila.”
Tequila Mockingbird is Kraus’s drag persona. At least once a week Kraus finds time to take on this persona. Sometimes he performs at Downtown Olly’s in Indianapolis, other times he takes on the persona long enough to paint his face and then wash it off in the shower.
Drag queens are men who impersonate women in the way they dress and act for performances.
Drag is a large part of LGBTQ culture and most queens perform in gay bars. The men that perform drag step into that character when they perform and strip it away with the make-up and clothes.
Kraus and his persona, Tequila, are completely different people. Tequila is more outgoing and communicates better than Kraus. Although Kraus is still outgoing, his insecurities sometimes hinder his ability to approach people. Tequila is confident and doesn’t concern herself with opinions of others.
“She is a punk rock chick who plays with gender roles and is very androgynous, and she loves the middle finger,” Kraus said.
The foundation covering his face gave him a darker complexion. As he sucked in his cheeks, mimicking the fish face, he brushed bronzer up his cheeks forming cheekbones.
Giving off the illusion of being a woman requires drag queens to do a number of make-up tricks. Playing with light and dark shades can create high cheekbones, narrow chins and noses and long, slender necks.
When performing as Tequila, Kraus plays with gender roles and likes to keep the audience guessing when he performs. Tequila is a self-proclaimed weirdo, and sometimes the audience doesn’t understand. When they do however, she doesn’t disappoint.
Premiering at last semester’s drag show, Kraus walked away a winner, which is a rarity in the drag community.
“I went into it knowing that I wouldn’t win, a queen never wins on her first performance,” Kraus said. “I didn’t believe it when they called my name, I literally thought they were joking.”
Kraus placed the bronzer down and opened a brand new case of eye shadow. His hand went right for the black and started applying it under his right eyelid. He traced his eye with long thick strokes extending out to his temple.
“This is really nice eyeliner,” he said observing the case again.
Ball State’s drag show offers the chance for people who want to get into drag that chance. The show is the definition of friendly competition.
“I’ve had so much support from the other queens here at Ball State,” Kraus said. “They’ve helped me with make-up and tips and tricks. Even backstage everyone is letting people borrow this and borrow that, it’s a unique experience.”
This kind of support and help is a rarity in the drag community, said Jaime Whitaker aka Avery Leigh.
Jaime started performing drag at Ball State his freshman year. With a more conventional style of drag he was well received right away. He performed thinking it was going to be a one-time thing, but realized he couldn’t walk away from a new love.
“Everyone was so supportive and helpful at my first show,” Whitaker said. “When I started performing at the bar scene I realized that wasn’t the case. It’s a lot of a ‘every woman for themselves.’”
After Kraus put down his eye shadow, he picked up eyeliner and started to draw an arch on his forehead where his eyebrows were hidden under eye shadow, foundation and glue. He was drawing on long, thin eyebrows.
One eyebrow had a dominant arch, while the other was slightly smaller and had a different shape to it. He is always learning new tips to paint a better face.
“I always look like I’m questioning someone,” Kraus said. “I’m still new [to] the entire thing but my drag family and friends are always there to help me out. They will throw shade, but it’s all out of love.”
A drag family is a group of drag queens that paint and perform together. Kraus was invited to join his drag family after his first performance, and has helped him get gigs at bars.
Kraus’ drag family is not the only one he has to fall back on. He is fully supported from his blood relatives and fraternity brothers in Phi Gamma Delta.
During his first show, his brothers were the first ones to tip him, and his parents try to attend the shows in Indianapolis.
“I’m so blessed to have so much support everywhere,” Kraus said. “My older sister did pageants, so my mom is always trying to give me her old pageant clothes. I may dress like a woman, but I don’t have the parts to fill out those clothes.”
Putting on a show is the main reason drag queens step on stage. They are performers, the attention and tips they receive while on stage are what keep them coming back.
With expensive make-up, clothes, shoes, wigs and accessories drag is not a cheap profession to get into.
“It’s not as glamorous as it seems,” Kraus said. “If you are not in love with it, then there is no point to make it a regular thing. You have to want to do this, and commit. I’m not in it for the money though.”
Although drag shows can be vulgar and comedic, they can also be inspiring. Freshman elementary education major Brandon Wylie was inspired at last year’s drag show and decided to try his hand at performing as a female.
With help from the other queens, Wylie has developed his drag persona Fame.
“The courage they have to get up there, in heels and really serve it is something that I want to be able to do,” Wylie said.
Kraus positioned his hair over his questioning eyebrow, and slips on a pair of clip on earrings. He wipes away residue from his pink lips and stares into the mirror. Immediately he picks up his phone and starts posing in the mirror.
“I look good tonight,” Kraus said.
