Drag
Vic Mensa Gets in Full ‘To Wong Foo’ Drag for Cringey New Music Video
He’s Rachel Tensions right? He’s definitely Rachel Tensions!
July 26 2019 10:05 AM EST
July 26 2019 10:05 AM EST
MikelleStreet
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He’s Rachel Tensions right? He’s definitely Rachel Tensions!
There is a lot going on in Vic Mensa's new video for his song "3 Years Sober." A. LOT. So before we get to asking why, let's just go through the what.
First up, Mensa appears, his muscled and tattooed body wrapped in a white towel, in front of a vanity display singing idly. He turns on some music and starts shaving with a pink razor -- people pay more for those so, luxury? Smooth face done, he begins to apply make up: mascara, darkening his eyebrows. And then ... just like that ... he's in drag.
The reality is you can't put on a blonde wig, red lip, and Confederate flag dress in a post-To Wong Fu, Thanks for Everything Julie Nemar world and not be likened to the infamous Rachel Tensions, played by RuPaul. So that is where we are It's in this garb, after picking up a container of birth control, that Mensa fights someone in Mike Pence cosplay.
It happened guys. I don't know what to say other than it happened.
Having escaped, Mensa THEE Drag Queen gets gaybashed on the side of the street by two random guys, and gets homophobic words drawn in Sharpie on his face while singing "I fuck myself and call it masturbation" --fuckign yourself, to be fair, is a valid form of masturbation for a number of people so let's not get too crazy.
Later, after presumably escaping from this, Mensa finds his way into a bathroom filled with BBQ Becky's calling the cops. He goes into the lady's restroom -- we are assuming this is some ham hocked commentary on gender, but honestly are not going to go there today -- and finds himself yanked out when the cops arrive, and arrested. My god. But why? Why would you do any of this?
"The '3 Years Sober' video is a statement about identity," he told Rolling Stone about the project which came out of his new rock band 93PUNX. "I put on a confederate flag dress to be able to laugh at a symbol of hate, and played tug of war with Mike Pence over birth control. I had my face written on to get ahead of everything I know people will say about me and had a diner full of BBQ Becky's call the police on me for using the women's bathroom. I know some in hip hop culture will see this and say 'Vic's gay' (which I'm not), whereas if I was white they'd just say 'he's a rockstar.' 93PUNX is about being yourself, fuck what people think."
OK sis, I guess.
Mikelle is the former editorial director of digital for PrideMedia, guiding digital editorial and social across Out, The Advocate, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus. After starting as a freelancer for Out in 2013, he joined the staff as Senior Editor working across print and digital in 2018. In early 2021 he became Out's digital director, marking a pivot to content that centered queer and trans stories and figures, exclusively. In September 2021, he was promoted to editorial director of PrideMedia. He has written cover stories on Ricky Martin, Miss Fame, Nyle DiMarco, Jeremy O. Harris, Law Roach, and Symone.
Mikelle is the former editorial director of digital for PrideMedia, guiding digital editorial and social across Out, The Advocate, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus. After starting as a freelancer for Out in 2013, he joined the staff as Senior Editor working across print and digital in 2018. In early 2021 he became Out's digital director, marking a pivot to content that centered queer and trans stories and figures, exclusively. In September 2021, he was promoted to editorial director of PrideMedia. He has written cover stories on Ricky Martin, Miss Fame, Nyle DiMarco, Jeremy O. Harris, Law Roach, and Symone.