Cover girl! Put the bass in your walk! Head to toe! Let that whole body talk! And… what? If you don't immediately know what I'm talking about, we might have a little issue. I recently started watching "RuPaul's Drag Race" after FINALLY finding somewhere to watch it online. If you didn't know, it's literally the hardest show to find maybe ever (Hey, RuPaul, if you're reading this… please, please, PLEASE make it more accessible!). Anyway, I originally started watching it because of all the amazing moments I kept seeing on Twitter, but I didn't know I would actually learn a huge life lesson from it.
Again, I'm only three seasons in, but it's been pretty life-changing.
For those of you who don't watch, RuPaul ends every episode by saying, "Now remember. If you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?"
Boy, is that the truth. I feel like this is something I've kind of secretly known, but I didn't know it would be so important to hear over and over again.
At first, I took it as a clever and cute way to end every episode, but after hearing it over and over again during my long binges of the show, it started to actually resonate with me. At the crux of it, Ru is basically saying that you need to prioritize your own self-worth and self-love before you can give someone else your attention. If you aren't confident and who you are and who you want to be, you could risk becoming completely dependent on someone else for your happiness.
As someone who has struggled with anxiety, this is a big fear of mine. I don't want to find myself relying on others to get me through dark times, even though it's more than okay to ask for help. However, that's the crucial distinction. Needing some love from others to get through something is far different than relying on people to pull you out of tough times. If you don't want to help yourself, no one else will be able to help you for more than a temporary period of time.
When I started watching "Drag Race," it was purely for entertainment. What I've gotten out of it is so much more. I've learned a lot about drag culture, LGBTQ+ culture, and frankly, myself. Although this show is wildly hard to track down online, if you get the opportunity to watch it, I highly recommend it. Now, let the music play!
