Severely Mame's Tips for Halloween Drag

Doing drag for the first time on Halloween is a time-honored gay tradition, like hating your parents or knowing all the words in a Lana Del Rey song. Unfortunately, not everyone gets it right the first time, and there are many pitfalls to first timer drag.

Severely Mame has a hair-raising reputation as New York City's favorite dead girl, and is an expert when it comes to all things spooky. Halloween is sort of her thing, and she is oozing with wisdom for crossdressing noobs.

Out: When was the first time you went out in drag on Halloween?
Severely Mame: It wasn't actually until I was actively doing Drag that I went out in drag on Halloween. I had dressed up as Courtney Love for a costume party in college, but I don't think that was Halloween related.

What are some rookie mistakes people make doing drag for the first time?
Doing drag in general, wearing a wig out of a bag and not paying your drag queen friend to put you in drag.

A post shared by Severely Mame. (@severelymame) on Oct 21, 2017 at 7:33pm PDT

What are some of the best Halloween drag costumes you've seen?
Myself as Joan Crawford in Straight-Jacket two years ago. Phillipe Blond every year.

Trixie Mattell said that if you're doing drag on Halloween you should be everything or be garbage. Do you agree?
Yes! I think that's true about drag in general, that's why I keep it 100% garbage all day every day!

What are some tips you have for people doing drag for the first time on Halloween?
Don't aim too high, be a character from Roseanne don't try to be Lady Gaga or Beyonce. When you inevitably buy a shake and go wig, baby powder it to fix the synthetic shine and trim the bangs. Buy mules instead of pumps, I love a clacky mule it's such a classic feminine thing. Also for a novice it will be less painful for your feet!

A post shared by Severely Mame. (@severelymame) on Aug 10, 2017 at 4:35pm PDT

What are some great drag Halloween costumes you'd like to see/do yourself?
I think that people should start being drag kings for Halloween, there's enough damn queens. Boys, take the "masc4masc" ideals that you tote around every day and channel it into a hyper-masculine drag king character instead of dressing as a woman for one night and playing into every misogynistic idea of a women you have. As for me, I had a costume I was so excited to make this year but I spent the month sewing and making wigs for other people and now it's already Halloween Weekend and I haven't started a costume, so you'll have to wait for next year to see this costume!