If you ask me how to define drag, I probably would never do it justice.
It is art. It is a show. It is women and men all working together for the common good of bringing joy to others. Yet, it is also so much more than that. I never really understood how much joy it could bring to someone until I saw Trixie and Katya.
Many people know their faces and they know the memes. Trixie and Katya are the definition of modern, drag culture and how it changing the world around us, one episode at a time.
Before we dive in, we must understand the background of each of these wonderful ladies.
Trixie Mattel, or by her original name Brian Firkus, has been a drag queen for over a decade. She is from Wisconsin but thrives in the art that is folk and country music. Coming from a Native American family, he learned many tricks growing up, one of them including how to play the autoharp.
Trixie got her start when she was a contestant on the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2015. She came in sixth place, but competed again, winning the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race: Allstars. This sent Trixie soaring to the top of the drag world. From there, she became a social icon in the drag industry, releasing albums and even starting her own cosmetic line, Trixie Cosmetics, in 2019.
Yet, she is most famous for her collaboration with fellow drag sensation, Katya Zamolodchikova. They have an internet show called 'UNHhh', which started in 2017.
Katya Zamolodchikova, or by her original name Brian McCook, is also a drag queen hailing from Boston. He got his start in the industry after college and being in a local cabaret show. She placed fifth on the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2015, the same year as Trixie, which is where their friendship blossomed. She also came in third on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race: Allstars.
After a few years of drug addiction and issues regarding health, Katya always seemed to find her way back to Trixie and their web show, where the two of them make people laugh until their stomachs are sore.
I found 'UNHhh' and both of the drag queen stars during my freshman year of college. In my dorm room, scrolling through YouTube, to distract myself from getting my homework accomplished, I found their video called "UNHhhh Ep. 119: Gurl, You Gay". When I tell you, I have never laughed harder in my life, it is the full truth.
From then on, it was an escape.
Some days, I felt down and my anxiety was hitting me harder than usual. Some days, I felt like doing nothing or talking to none. It was Trixie and Katya that pulled me out of my funk, made me laugh, and made me feel like I could conquer the world.
Not only that, they influenced me to be myself.
Not even just myself, but the best, most authentic version of myself. The person people could laugh with and cry with. This show pulled me out of my sadness and made me want to strut my stuff, something that is important to do as often as you can.
So, I encourage those of you reading this, to take a second. If you are feeling sad or in a rut and need to find a way out, go turn on the funniest drag queens of the century. They will make you laugh until you realize you are crying and she needs to fix your makeup.
