One of the most fascinating conversations about this years’s RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 10 has been the conversations around weight loss. A lot of queens came back to the show in general with a weight loss journey – notably Deja Skye who spoke candidly about getting weight loss surgery and the complications she had because of it. Due to the nature of All Stars 10 being filmed in sections almost a year apart, the queens who made it to the semi final merge like Mistress Isabelle Brooks and Ginger Minj came back with drastic weight loss transformations. RuPaul gagged over this, and whilst weight loss is worth celebrating, Alaska spoke about RuPaul’s fascination with weight loss and how it might be quite jarring to hear it on Drag Race.
‘The only thing RuPaul likes more than Jorgeous is weight loss’
Speaking on her podcast Race Chaser with co host Willam, Alaska and Willam are unpicking RuPaul gagging over Mistess’ weight loss on the Drag Race main stage and the dress that transformed from the fat suit.
@racechaserpodRu, Ru, Ruzempic ♬ original sound – Race Chaser
Alaska says “The only thing that RuPaul likes more than Jorgeous playing a male character is weight loss.” The video then jumps to a clip from the show where Ru can be heard saying to Mistress “You’ve got your new body, and it’s beautiful and it’s pretty amazing to watch you transform like this.”
Alaska continues: “Weight loss is tantamount to literally spiritual enlightenment. She is like when the Buddha got skinny towards the end of her life, she was like ‘you have now reached enlightenment.’ She loves weight loss. She equates Mistress’ weight loss with a complete spiritual turnaround.”
It’s interesting and fascinating in an age of body positivity, but also interesting because of RuPaul’s legacy as a 90s supermodel when conversations around weight were totally different.
The comments in the TikTok clip from the podcast are discoursing about this, with one saying “The conversations around weight on this season have been crazy.”
Another says “From experience, people who try hard and lose weight don’t mind being complimented on it. It’s not fatphobic to be happy for people going from morbid obesity to a healthier weight. Obesity is a huge health problem! I want to see these queens live long and healthy lives. It’s not about aesthetics it’s about health!”
As someone who has also had a huge weight loss personally, I do not find it fatphobic either to celebrate weight loss. But it can of course be incredibly triggering. There has to be more nuance in how we hold up body types – and it’s interesting to note than in a RuPaul fronted season the only winner with a plus sized body type is Lawrence Chaney.
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