By Lucas Fauno Gutiérrez Photos: Poroto Yañez Judith Butler, Dracula, and Frida Kahlo, under the direction of the legendary Drag Queen RuPaul, converge in this monstrosity called Sasha Velour. On October 15th, the recent winner of the latest season of the reality show 'RuPaul Drag Race' arrived in Argentina as part of the Plop Party. For a large part of the LGBT community, the reality show 'RuPaul Drag Race' is our World Cup. We wildly cheer on the competitions in design, acting, comedy, and more. We could go out into the streets shouting euphorically, and instead of the crude graffiti of a soccer fan, we would create makeup looks that honor our candidate. "I follow you everywhere and I'll cheer you on in any app," we have to support our drag queens. Surfing the crowd full of crowns, unibrows, and roses, I arrived to meet Sasha. Everywhere I looked there were red petals, those that became her emblem after the lip sync (a dubbing and choreography competition) that led her to become a finalist in the pageant. Since its debut, 'RuPaul's Drag Race' has revitalized the world of drag across the globe. More and more people are embracing, enjoying, and even performing this art form. The show has eleven seasons, and the last one, won by Sasha Velour, was not only the most-watched but was also broadcast on VH1. The fact that so many drag queens and non-heteronormative concepts are entering so many homes through television—that, too, is activism. 'Charisma' is one of the requirements to win the reality show. Being in front of Sasha makes you understand why she won. Her smile is a catalog of pearls framed in red, a testament to her passion for drag art. Hugging her and running your fingertips along the velvet of her dress is like reading Braille of her personality: softness and subtlety masking a perception difficult to explain. On stage, Sasha Velour begins her performance show, in which her costume and the interaction with the projected images transform everything into a unique experience. Whenever something hurts, something is doubted, or something needs creative fury, let's return to that moment or to the YouTube videos. Monstrous Sororidrag.

Velour Cartography

Part of the program's challenges involves designing outfits that are then showcased on the runway. Sasha's creations are a constellation of pieces and nods to art. Bram Stoker's 'Dracula,' Keith Haring, Madonna—they all camouflage themselves in her outfits, working together to make the nerdiest Queen the pageant has ever seen shine. “The true inspiration for my style is grief and sadness. People need to see heartbreak transformed into beauty.” Velour told NBC NewsIn a world where hair is a trademark of the most hegemonic concepts of beauty, Sasha has empowered baldness as an alternative and alluring form of attraction. This stems from her mother's death from cancer. Sasha embraced the pain of the disease and the effects of chemotherapy to honor her mother and speak to other ways of being amazing. “Things that people consider ugly or unpolished can also be a source of beauty,” he replied when asked about his unibrowShe puts design and creation at the service of a trait with such a bad reputation. Sasha Velour explains that her aesthetic references are Nosferatu and Frida Kahlo. High vampire. In a universe like drag, where glamour and ferocity are necessary weapons, a queen who demonstrates that the treasure chest of abjection is full of elements that empower us is absolutely essential. That's why all the 'monsters' of the world celebrated when, in her rap for the song 'Category is,' Sasha machine-gunned the line: “Beauty be damned let monsters reign.” Sasha Velour entered the reality show's workroom, and her first words were a heart-wrenching scream. She literally walked in and started screaming. When it was revealed that she was the new winner of RuPaul's Drag Race, her scream erupted again, but this time in a message: “Let's be inspired by all this beauty and let's change this motherfucking world".

How to unite Judith Butler with RuPaul?

Sasha Velour managed to put queer theory on a high-flying stiletto, showcasing knowledge, activism, and glamour. More than one person was stunned when they heard that in the impersonation game played each season of RPDR, Sasha wanted to portray the philosopher Judith Butler. While other queens were preparing Liza Minnelli and Amanda Lepore, Sasha swapped this kamikaze move for another equally complex one: Marlene Dietrich. Her punchlines are full of references and historical context, and it works. In this challenge, as in the others, Sasha Velour displayed an academic background that includes studies in modern literature and a Fulbright scholarship where she explored the relationship between art and Russian society. In fact, 'Sasha' is the Russian nickname for Alexander, and this recently turned 30 drag queen's university degree lists her full name as Alexander Hedges Steinberg. “They say that if you look in the mirror and say sad things, I appear and give you a queer history lesson,” she jokingly told RuPaul during their chat at the season finale. Because Sasha doesn't flaunt her knowledge arrogantly, she shares it. And among the productions this artist has shared is a magazine about drag art called 'Velour'There is a previous Sasha who illustrated comics, there is also a cultural manager who organizes a monthly show. 'Nightgowns' It's a diverse showcase of different drag performers, brimming with alternative tones, political and disruptive languages. Part of Nightgowns' profits go towards supporting LGBT causes. Their activism goes beyond simply being visible as gender fluid and discussing queer theory; Sasha collaborates, opens spaces for new drag artists, pushes the boundaries of this art form with fresh ideas, and dismantles the tyrannical hegemony of stereotypes. My encounter with Sasha was as fleeting and powerful as a lightning bolt without rain. A hug, leaving her poems by Pizarnik, and my first pill organizer for HIV medication. Telling her that I, too, try to transform pain into beauty, and forever treasuring her response: "This is what we need." I didn't get a chance to thank her for breaking paradigms, but I think she sensed something of it in my trembling and emotional state.