A glorious celebration of life in drag through the eyes of Australia’s most fabulous and fierce drag superstars, Drag Queens Down Under takes a peek behind the velvet curtain, sharing the many triumphs as well as hilarious misadventures in grit, grime and glamour.
A gorgeous, fully illustrated photography collection of Australia’s best drag queens, this dazzling collection has been curated and written by drag sensation Art Simone, star of the inaugural season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under and 2024’s Melbourne’s Favourite Drag Queen.
Drag Queens Down Under features a diverse range of 30 artists from across Australia, including Vanity, Cindy Pastel, Karen from Finance and Courtney Act.
Along with each queen’s personal experiences, the book covers the history of Australian drag all the way from Les Girls to Priscilla, Queen of the Desert to Drag Race and beyond. It’s also a backstage pass to their go-to makeup products, fashion styles and tips and tricks for being generally fabulous.
Following recent cancellations and banning of drag queen storytime events in Sydney, right-wing media has tried to tear down drag queens. So, now it’s more important than ever that we celebrate and amplify the voices of Aussie queens.
Drag has finally made its way into the mainstream Zeitgeist thanks to shows such as RuPaul’s Drag Race, and queens are now appearing in television shows, films and advertising campaigns, becoming celebrity household names.
Fully illustrated with stunning photographs, Drag Queens Down Under shares stories about being as fierce as a drag queen, both on and off stage. It’s a visual feast for the eyes for all fans of drag, cultivating authenticity and championing utter fabulousness.
Through creativity, humour, glitter and glam, Aussie drag legend and Ru Paul’s Drag Race Down Under superstar Art Simone has claimed her position at the forefront of the Aussie entertainment industry.
Slaying stereotypes, celebrating differences and tirelessly promoting social inclusion for over a decade, Art has helped move drag from margin to mainstream and she’s just getting started!
“I didn’t choose the life of glitz, glamour and grit – it chose me.” – Art Simone
Drag Queens Down Under is published by Affirm Press and available from all leading book sellers including QBD Books.
Image: Drag Queens Down Under – courtesy of Affirm Press