S07: Pearl

[radishcake]

Here's a link to Pearl's Instagram! Brooklyn NY

[evilandproud]

Oh my gosh, Pearl is everything. She's a hot dude too!

[SteveAC10]

On other sites the fangurls are positively gushing about this one. You can tell it's pretty much the "I'm not really old enough to attend an actual drag show" crowd, but nevertheless it's mystifying. Tonight they all love her even more because she was so terrible, and didn't seem to give a fuck that she was terrible. She "saved" the episode. To me she reads terminally over it Williamsburg hipster douche playing at 30's movie star with nothing but a look (that apparently includes too many thirsty platinum blonde wigs to count and lots flowy ivory and black gauze). Somehow she's giving a sizable contingent "life". Other than the fact she's a rather cute twink out of drag, I don't get it.

Edited March 17, 2015 by SteveAC10

[snakenax]

I don't find it surprising, last season we really started to see the influx of young, pretty twinkies who are only questionable professional drag queens with drag(and often out of drag) personas of 'over it hipsters' and they played extremely well to the fanbase, heck one of them made it to the finale. The current crop is even more heavily in that direction and Pearl is, besides maybe Violet, the very personification of that style.

 

It's not my favorite style by a mile, but it's the current drag trend and is really heavily favored by the show's audience(and at least IME, the style is largely born out of the increased interest in drag that Drag Race spawned). It's one of those areas where as Willam has pointed out, 'good Drag Race contestant' and 'good professional drag queen' are two different things that don't always overlap well.

[SteveAC10]

 

It's one of those areas where as Willam has pointed out, 'good Drag Race contestant' and 'good professional drag queen' are two different things that don't always overlap well.

 I agree, but Ru has yet to award the crown to one of them. And it appears to be Bianca and Courtney hauling in the coin made possible by season six. Violet bothers me less, perhaps because she at least shows glimmers of charisma; and while full of herself and allergic to constructive criticism seems to be a real drag queen. My money is still on either Max or Ginger triumphing. Max because he has that lovable oddball aura that propelled Sharon, Alaska and Jinkx to stardom and Ginger because it's about f'ing time a big girl took the crown - and who doesn't love a queen who calls herself a glamour toad?

[dolphincorn]

I think that Pearl is going to be the Adore of the season. It's going to be about the growth-arc rather than the raw goods.

[blaase]

I don't see her going as far as Adore though, I actually see Katya getting adore's edit, first  starting slow , then winning challenges at the end before losing in the finale.

[Xazeal]

I actually totally see Pearl making it to the final three - her warning tonight was very similar to the one Courtney got last season, although much more pointed. It was clearly meant to set up a story, which makes Pearl pretty much the only queen right now to have even a hint of a long-term story arc. Except for Violet and her "bitch" stamp, of course.

 

As for Pearl's rapidly growing fanbase, I can really only speak for myself, but I like her mainly for her style and her unintentional hilarity. Her awkwardly stumbling around on set, walking into a tree and knocking her head on a sign, it was sort of like a physical version of Joslyn's comedy. She also has a very expressive face - I can't even begin to tell you how many pictures there are out there of Pearl randomly pulling the most ridiculous faces during interviews or performances. I originally expected her to be stuck-up and boring, so that stuff is oddly charming.

 

For the record, I was not even remotely a fan of Adore, so it's not that.

[Dirtybubble]

Ok the thing with Pearl for me is, I like her character/drag style but IDK I'm just not getting the mad love that I see on other sites.  Yeah out of drag he is fairly attractive but 5Gs gurl, 5Gs he ain't all that!  My gut is telling me that Pearl is used to people telling him that he is attractive, etc. and is simply going with a pretty face and the hipster ho-hum attitude to get thru.  I don't mean it to sound as mean as it does because I generally like Pearl but I'm not wildly in love with her.  

 

I agree with previous posters though I see a story arc with her and if I had to guess the queen that is going to break down and cry on the runway sometime this season it's her.  So much for this season being more raw, realistic, uncut, whatever...all I see is the exact same story lines but with different queens. 

Edited March 17, 2015 by Dirtybubble

[Dandesun]

I'm in my 40s and I love Pearl. She had me at 'Sup? Really. I don't know it was this gorgeous robot sex doll and then that deep voice came out of it. It made me laugh. I think she can paint for real and her style is fierce. Plus, I love me some laid back, sarcastic firebombs. There is a warmth to her although you generally only get to see it in 'Untucked.' From what I've seen elsewhere, she's an amazingly good sport about how she's been coming off on the show (particularly the 'Illiterate' thing from last night.

 

I just really like her.

[SteveAC10]

 

I just really like her.

I like the idea of Pearl, I just don't see how it translates into a career entertaining people - which is what drag queens do to earn a living. I have no desire to pay 25 bucks to watch Pearl look bored. She's like this bizarre hybrid of hipster douche and 30's movie siren. It's intriguing, but where do you go from there to sustain interest. You can't pay the rent in Brooklyn with an instagram full of selfies in filmy white dresses, Also unlike Violet, Ginger, and some of the other "front-runners", there is precious little performing footage out there. Maybe she's the drag queen we deserve for the Kardashian era. If she can make coin based on style and exposure alone, more power to her.

Edited March 17, 2015 by SteveAC10

[Dandesun]

As I understand it, Pearl's based in Chicago and performs regularly. I've seen some of her stuff and it's very entertaining.

Edited March 17, 2015 by Dandesun

[snakenax]

I do like Pearl because she has a funny dry personality, somewhat like Willam but more hipster and less bimbo. I probably wouldn't pay to go to one of her shows, but hey I have actually seen Violet in performance and blegh is all I can say there.

[SteveAC10]

 

As I understand it, Pearl's based in Chicago and performs regularly.

She has since moved to Brooklyn. She identifies as a New Yorker these days.

[Mattipoo]

I think they might give Pearl the win this season if they want to ride the trend of the hipster fashion queen. Pearl seems like the poster child for that aesthetic.

[SteveAC10]

 

I think they might give Pearl the win this season if they want to ride the trend of the hipster fashion queen. Pearl seems like the poster child for that aesthetic.

I have to wonder if she's too polarizing. Also, unless she's sandbagging some crazy performance skills I think Ginger is being set up for the nod.

[snakenax]

Generally no Queen has won on aesthetic since the final fan vote was implemented in season 3. Unless Pearl busts out performance chops that have been unseen so far, the only way I see her winning the fan vote is if it's Pearl, Violet and Fame in the top three. But the other front runners like Max, Ginger or Katya? Not a chance.

[SteveAC10]

 

the only way I see her winning the fan vote is if it's Pearl, Violet and Fame in the top three. But the other front runners like Max, Ginger or Katya? Not a chance.

There is a sizable contingent of fans are convinced the former is the inevitable outcome of this season. They forget that since season three the top queens have always been well contrasted. A trio of fashion queens is not going to happen. One also has to wonder how much role the fan vote really plays. Ru and WOW are very careful to ensure the finalists contain at least 2 queens who have the performance chops to put butts in seats and continue the brand. They're not making coin off a queen because she has the most ardent instagram followers. And based on what I've heard about the contracts - WOW gets a cut for the first year.

Edited March 19, 2015 by SteveAC10

[Mattipoo]

Have any fashion queens ever won? If not, I think Pearl stands a real chance. I feel like last week (when she got in the bottom 2 with Trixie's) is the beginning of her redemption arc, and she will surprise us with some high call-outs over the next few episodes and make top 3 or 4.

Edited March 30, 2015 by Mattipoo

[snakenax]

 

Have any fashion queens ever won?

Rajah. I mean Rajah is like the most fashioniest of fashion queens ever. And I guess to a lesser extent Tyra and Bebe could count as well(Ru obviously had a much higher preference for that kind of queen than the viewing public).

[SteveAC10]

 

Rajah. I mean Rajah is like the most fashioniest of fashion queens ever. And I guess to a lesser extent Tyra and Bebe could count as well(Ru obviously had a much higher preference for that kind of queen than the viewing public).

Raja is also capable of more than a killer look. She is an expert shade thrower and can land a joke without breaking a sweat. Tyra and BeBe might be fierce queens, but they are not box office. Ru trots them out when the occaision calls for all of the winners to be there. They were long ago eclipsed by the likes of Tammy, Raven and Pandora when it comes to wider recognition and fan bases. I think, at least since season 3, Ru looks for a queen that will work her ass off, give a good interview and add polish to the RPDR brand. Pearl's stronghold is apparently Instagram. Why, I can't say. It appears to be nothing more than endless selfies in blonde wigs and various combinations of pale lingerie. For real creativity you need to head to those of Max and Katya.

[Mattipoo]

Pearl is really cute as a guy, and he is also pretty masculine acting when not in drag, so I think she has the potential to crossover into mainstream acting as a male actor. She is just not that great as a drag queen.

Edited April 30, 2015 by Mattipoo

[Egg]

I think Pearl could do that if he were a good actor, but unfortunately, he's not. In the acting challenges is where I see the most "I'm too punk rock for RuPaul's Drag Race" attitude from Pearl, acting like she's too cool to commit.

[kieyra]

I think Pearl could do that if he were a good actor, but unfortunately, he's not. In the acting challenges is where I see the most "I'm too punk rock for RuPaul's Drag Race" attitude from Pearl, acting like she's too cool to commit.

Yep, and once again I end up comparing her to Adore in my head. Adore was young, had a social media following, and had a bit of an "over it"/shell vibe at first ... But was also vulnerable, hugely charismatic, extremely talented, and full of heart and enthusiasm. (I know Adore has had some stumbles with fame, but I'm talking an apples to apples comparison of their respective seasons.)

And she was quotable.

[vrocotamy]

Yep, and once again I end up comparing her to Adore in my head. Adore was young, had a social media following, and had a bit of an "over it"/shell vibe at first ... But was also vulnerable, hugely charismatic, extremely talented, and full of heart and enthusiasm. (I know Adore has had some stumbles with fame, but I'm talking an apples to apples comparison of their respective seasons.)

And she was quotable.

 

I think Adore and Pearl have certain surface similarities, but are ultimately apples and oranges. As you say, Adore was fully dedicated, sincere, charismatic, and an immensely talented entertainer. Although she had a shallow "Valley Boy" persona and tics of diction to match, she didn't have Pearl's purely shallow worth as a queen. If I had to compare Pearl to a queen from a previous season, I'd go with Laganja. They're both entitled brats who can't take criticism, and who put a lot of stock in their runway appearance as proof of their worth as a performer. That said, at least Laganja is a fierce entertainer. Maybe the most apt comparison is...*drumroll please*....TYRA SANCHEZ. Pearl is the hipster Tyra Sanchez. They're look-centric, self-satisfied beauty queens in their early twenties with phlegmatic personalities and stank attitudes. That said, Pearl's hipsterism precludes her attainment of Tyra's crazy drive to win and genius catering to the judges and producers. So, ultimately, she can't equal Tyra. Violet also gives me shades of S2's baby queens, Tyra and Tatianna, although I like Violet far, far more.

[buttercupia]

Pearl's actually growing on me, especially after her fake read on RuPaul.  So I expect her to be next to go.

[jellywager]

At least Laganga was a talented dancer and I love Adore's singing. Pearl seems to have no talent to fall back on, she is just meh. 

[SteveAC10]

 

At least Laganga was a talented dancer and I love Adore's singing. Pearl seems to have no talent to fall back on, she is just meh.

According to her ardent, but shrinking fan base, Pearl is extremely talented. In fact more talented than Katya, Ginger or Kennedy. But if challenged for specifics they can't tell you how other than they "live" for her runways, her who gives a fuck attitude, and her gif-able grimaces. At least Violet is an aerialist of sorts and apparently makes most of her own wardrobe.

[vrocotamy]

According to her ardent, but shrinking fan base, Pearl is extremely talented. In fact more talented than Katya, Ginger or Kennedy. But if challenged for specifics they can't tell you how other than they "live" for her runways, her who gives a fuck attitude, and her gif-able grimaces. At least Violet is an aerialist of sorts and apparently makes most of her own wardrobe.

 

I think Pearl's fan-base - which seems to be mostly under 21 - has a radically different conception of what talent means in relation to a drag queen than most posters here. For me, at least, the core of talent as a drag queen involves entertainment and performance. What differentiates drag performance from other kinds of stage performance (beyond consisting, on the most basic level, of men dressed as women) is the status of aesthetic - costumes, hair, makeup, etc. - and the creation of character through that aesthetic as a core component of performance. If a queen's look is an end in and of itself, apart from a performance, they'e not a talented drag queen; they're an interesting club kid.

 

In the days of yore, before Instagram and Tumblr, Pearl would have been called what she is: a club kid. From what I've gleaned online, Pearl dropped out of high school at 16 in Florida to get a Vo-Tech degree as a hairstylist/makeup artist. She then moved to Chicago around 21 and began attending clubs like Berlin in drag, and eventually began appearing on stage. Pearl has gone through two aesthetics - old-Hollywood-cum-New-Wave-ice-queen before appearing on RPDR, and drugged fashion robot after appearing on RPDR. Each has a corresponding style of "performance" (a.k.a. low energy lip-syncing.) The thing is...each incarnation of Pearl is ultimately just an aesthetic, just a stylistic sensibility that's an end in and of itself. Pearl is clearly an inventive and skilled makeup artist - that's one thing I've discovered from the links posted on Reddit - and has an intriguing, if not especially varied, sensibility in other aspects of styling. But it all stacks up only for a club kid aspiring to entertain themselves and their friends on the weekends outside of Westgay in New York or Berlin in Chicago, not for a professional performer. If I were her life adviser...after proscribing her an attitude change, I'd tell her to try to get into the fashion industry as a stylist and continue using herself as her own muse, and give up the stage performance aspect to those with more talent.

[SteveAC10]

 

I think Pearl's fan-base - which seems to be mostly under 21 - has a radically different conception of what talent means in relation to a drag queen than most posters here.

I think more so than their age, it's that Pearl's fans (and the same could be said those of the other glamour girls this season) have no conception of drag as a performing art because for them it's a visual medium they discovered on line. Many of them freely admit they have never been to a drag show, and relentlessly complain that Ru is constantly making the queens act, sing, dance etc. because it's not showing the world their "talents". Their sole frame of reference is ANTM - and they are not happy RPDR is not just a drag version of that show. It's also shocking how invested these fans are in the show (and how little they get that it's supposed to be mindless fun). They spend what seems to be every waking hour scouring the internet for anything Drag Race related and compiling stats like a band of deranged fantasy football addicts. Of course the fact Pearl is an extremely good looking young man has nothing to do with their devotion.......... nope, not at all.

[kieyra]

Of course the fact Pearl is an extremely good looking young man has nothing to do with their devotion.......... nope, not at all.

This is what has annoyed the fuck out of me. If Pearl out of drag looked like Jinxx out of drag, none of this would be happening. And I don't remember a prior season/contestant where that was a factor. I mean, everyone seemed to think Milk was insanely hot as a boy, but it was as an aside; his fandom didn't flow from that single fact.

[editorgrrl]

I thought Ivy Winters was an attractive man, but a meh kween.

I like Pearl, but hate her attitude. And her aesthetic bores me. So much about season 7 bores me.

[SteveAC10]

 

This is what has annoyed the fuck out of me. If Pearl out of drag looked like Jinxx out of drag, none of this would be happening. And I don't remember a prior season/contestant where that was a factor. I mean, everyone seemed to think Milk was insanely hot as a boy, but it was as an aside; his fandom didn't flow from that single fact.

This! There have been other queens who, out of drag, caused some viewers to make yum-yum sounds (Milk, as you mention and a few others), but nothing on the scale of Pearl. The funny thing is Milk fans will freely admit he, as Ginger would put it, floods their basement - Pearl fans are insulted (and will insult you quite colorfully in return) if you even suggest his boy looks might play even a minor role in their devotion. Meanwhile, they chatter incessantly about how hot he is.

Edited May 2, 2015 by SteveAC10

[Zuleikha]

I want to defend Pearl. Pearl had one extremely negative interaction with Ru in the Despy awards, but otherwise, she appears to be a well-liked and nice person who simply has a calm, laidback approach to life. She could have gone home instead of Trixie, but she didn't (and I think she earned her stay in that lip sync, whether it was lucky or not). She has done fine in every other challenge and definitely should not have gone home instead of Miss Fame. So I don't think she's being kept beyond her time or that she's just a look queen. She's not the comedy queen that Ginger is, but Pearl's been funny and even witty and did a good job performing the heck out of the Charleston twerk despite her complete inability to actually twerk. 

 

Yes, she's ridiculously hot. Yes, it's probable that her ridiculous hotness helps her gather a fanbase. But she's not just a pretty face. She's genuinely been doing a good job. She shouldn't win, but she should still be in the competition.

[Egg]

I think part of my frustration with Pearl comes from seeing other people drool over how fabulous she is. It's that she's so overrated that I end up hating everything she does because it's nowhere near as cool as I'm told it's going to be. If she didn't have her ridiculous army of defenders (e.g. those who INSIST as fact, based on her word alone, that a scene was re-shot to slightly change RuPaul's wording), then I might find her to be an okay, Jade Jolie-level queen. As it is, I'm so frustrated trying to figure out where the "there" is with her.

[roamyn]

I like Pearl, too. She's had some good moments. BUT...she's a baby queen . She needs a momma like Bebe or Chad or Latrice or Bianca (esp Bianca) to take her under their wings.

She needs more baking and really isn't ready for RPDR.

[vrocotamy]

I think part of my frustration with Pearl comes from seeing other people drool over how fabulous she is. It's that she's so overrated that I end up hating everything she does because it's nowhere near as cool as I'm told it's going toe. If she didn't have her ridiculous army of defenders (e.g. those who INSIST as fact, based on her word alone, that a scene was re-shot to slightly change RuPaul's wording), then I might find her to be an okay, Jade Jolie-level queen. As it is, I'm so frustrated trying to figure out where the "there" is with her.

 

I'm on the same page. I've probably been a little too hard on Pearl personally, but I do have problems with her making top 5 in the competition (much less top 3). And what is the source of my problems? The source is that, in my opinion, she's a very good reality TV contestant but a very mediocre drag queen. I see drag queens primarily as entertainers, and executing looks as an essential part of skill at that entertainment, not an end into and of itself. Pearl cannot do compelling stage performance, either as a dramatist/comedian or as a lip-sync performance, for the life of her. Pearl's performances in the Snatch Game and the DESPY awards - and her talking heads - show she can be funny and witty, but she hasn't shown it's something she has shown she can translate as an entertainer. And if you see what she's done since the show, she hasn't progressed very much on the entertainment front...she's just moved on to another, admittedly very stylish, gimmick.

 

But Pearl has been a great reality show contestant. She's confronted the host, had a redemption arc, is good-looking, and gives good quip in the talking heads. And that's why she's still here, which makes me concerned about the direction of RPDR. Like other skill-based reality competitions (perhaps even more so), RPDR makes no pretensions to objectivity. But, unlike shows like Project Runway, the queens on RPDR - or those who make it far - are consistently actually very good, at least in one facet, at the art in which they're "competing." Even if Laganja, for example, was mediocre in the show's challenges and mostly valuable to create drama, she's a great drag queen. I'd pay to see her. In fact, in Season 6, I would pay to see every one of the queens who made the top 8 (and a few who left earlier), because, in spite of the editing f*ckery, they're more than reality show characters - they're all talented entertainers. Pearl is basically a good reality TV character; her skills lie in makeup and styling, not in entertainment. Of course, you could argue some previous queens who made it far - Phi Phi or Tatianna - were better reality TV contestants than drag queens, but their post-show careers have proven that wrong.

Edited May 9, 2015 by vrocotamy

[Zuleikha]

But Pearl has been a great reality show contestant. She's confronted the host, had a redemption arc, is good-looking, and gives good quip in the talking heads. And that's why she's still here, which makes me concerned about the direction of RPDR.

 

That's where I disagree. She's still here because she's performed well in almost all of the challenges and wasn't up for elimination. The two times that she was up for elimination, the judges thought she won her lip sync. 

 

I also disagree with the assertion that her post-show work shows she's not a compelling stage performer. I just YouTubed two videos of her from this past April (because I haven't seen any of her post-show work) and I thought she was very compelling. Her style is bizarre, so I can see how she wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. But she's intentional, musical, and has a lot of intensity in her face and eyes. Personally, I'm more interested in seeing Pearl than I am in seeing Trixie or Max.

[SteveAC10]

 

The source is that, in my opinion, she's a very good reality TV contestant but a very mediocre drag queen. I see drag queens primarily as entertainers, and executing looks as an essential part of skill at that entertainment, not an end into and of itself.

Even more, her wins play more to the story arcs created for Trixie and her more than dominating a challenge for a week. The Despy win closed the "wake up Pearl" arc, and the conjoined twins brought Trixie back (which I'm sure was the plan all along) and gave a touching counterbalance to Pearl having sent Trixie away to start with. Others could have plausibly won both weeks. I still think she's destined to finish fourth.

Edited May 10, 2015 by SteveAC10

[vrocotamy]

That's where I disagree. She's still here because she's performed well in almost all of the challenges and wasn't up for elimination. The two times that she was up for elimination, the judges thought she won her lip sync.

I also disagree with the assertion that her post-show work shows she's not a compelling stage performer. I just YouTubed two videos of her from this past April (because I haven't seen any of her post-show work) and I thought she was very compelling. Her style is bizarre, so I can see how she wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. But she's intentional, musical, and has a lot of intensity in her face and eyes. Personally, I'm more interested in seeing Pearl than I am in seeing Trixie or Max.

Ultimately, all of this comes down to personal opinion, so I respect yours but I differ. I've seen her post-show work and yes, it may be "compelling" in terms of being unusual and stylish, but she's done the same thing every time. She can serve face, sure, but what drag queen worth her salt can't?

Both Pearl's wins - in the DESPY awards and Conjoined Queens - were part of Trixie's storyline, and, at least in the first case, required heavy producer prodding (apparently, she was absent from the work room for over an hour, ostensibly with producers giving her the lowdown on what storyline she was expected to fulfill.) I will admit Pearl can be witty and funny (as proven by Snatch Game) and is a really creative and skilled makeup artist. As for her lip-syncs on the show...Pearl's first lip-sync was believed by Ru and Michelle to have "embodied Debby Harry", but you can see on Ru's face in Divine Inspiration that she's realized the lip-sync she gave for "Dreaming" was just Pearl's schtick. And having beaten Miss Fame in a lip-sync is no great feat.

Edited May 9, 2015 by vrocotamy

[SteveAC10]

 

And having beaten Miss Fame in a lip-sync is no great feat.

This times three! I also find for a supposed "fashion" queen, her looks are extremely samey-samey. There is a whole heaping helping of tea stained vintage lace and lingerie mixed with pastel pleather. That plus the very thirsty almost platinum wigs (does she buy them in bulk with Angeline?) is bringing on boredom. Sure Violet works almost solely in a Betty Page as dominatrix wheelhouse and has worn one too many corsets, but she still seems three or four cuts above Pearl when it come to fashion ,and despite her petulant start  actually appears to be growing as a queen from week to week. Pearl is still Pearl. Gruffly effeminate, and strangely self-satisfied (in an "I'm over it all" kind of way).

Edited May 10, 2015 by SteveAC10

[vrocotamy]

This times three! I also find for a supposed "fashion" queen, her looks are extremely samey-samey. There is a whole heaping helping of tea stained vintage lace and lingerie mixed with pastel pleather. That plus the very thirsty almost platinum wigs (does she buy them in bulk with Angeline?) is bringing on boredom. Sure Violet works almost solely in a Betty Page as dominatrix wheelhouse and has worn one too many corsets, but she still seems three or four cuts above Pearl when it come to fashion ,and despite her petulant start  actually appears to be growing as a queen from week to week. Pearl is still Pearl. Gruffly effeminate, and strangely self-satisfied (in an "I'm over it all" kind of way).

 

I could elaborate more on the forthcoming comparison later, but the last time the show had so many "baby queens" (IMO, meaning queens under 24) making it far was S2. Tyra and Tatianna, who were both 21 at the time of filming - younger than Violet even - made it far. Tyra reminds me (more than a little) of Violet, and Pearl is a bit like a (hipster) Tatianna. Except...Violet has Tatianna's charisma and Pearl has Tyra's lack thereof. 

[SteveAC10]

 

Violet has Tatianna's charisma and Pearl has Tyra's lack thereof.

Which is why I think Violet will go further than Pearl. Charisma now seems to be much more important it once was. That, and Violet is actually showing the will to improve. Pearl seems content to be Pearl. I also know that during the first segment of this weeks Podcast Michelle had remind Ru of Pearl's name. Just a brief moment that spoke volumes.

[vrocotamy]

Which is why I think Violet will go further than Pearl. Charis'ma now seems to be much more important it once was. That, and Violet is actually showing the will to improve. Pearl seems content to be Pearl. I also know that during the first segment of this weeks Podcast Michelle had remind Ru of Pearl's name. Just a brief moment that spoke volumes.

 

I feel like Mariah Balenciaga reading Raja, but, when I see Pearl, all I see is "club kid, club kid." There have been comparisons made to this season's cadre of fashion queens and those in S3 - the Heathers, primarily Raja and Manila, and Yara Sofia - but I still see Pearl and Miss Fame, at least, as having less stage presence, poise, and personality than those queens. The "club kid" read, IMO, isn't accurate for the S3 queens, but it is for Pearl.  Let's explore that. Manila, prior to S3, was essentially a "club kid" who'd been doing herself up in drag for 5-10 years, first in Minneapolis and then at clubs like Westway in New York; Sahara pushed her into performing and she learned how to sew in a matter of days before flying to Los Angeles for RuPaul's Drag Race. Where Manila and Pearl diverge is that a.) Manila had a fairly wide diversity of looks, b.) Manila had a sparkling, open, and professional personality and drive, c.) Manila knew how to create character through look, and d.) Manila knew how to entertain (as proven by "MacArthur Park.") Like Pearl, she stumbled at the harder performance challenges (Manila was mediocre in the singing challenge and flunked the stand-up), and relied on a set shtick to get through the comedy portions (the Margaret Cho-style Asian woman impersonation.) But, in spite of that - in the ways listed above - Manila proved she was a drag entertainer, not just a club kid. Pearl has yet to prove that. There's always a burden on the pageant queens like Kennedy to prove they're not just pageant queens, but Pearl hasn't had to work as hard to transcend expectations, IMO. 

 

I'm actually fairly convinced Pearl will make it to the final 4, and quite possibly the final 3, even if Ru can't remember her name. The "Hello Kitty" challenge is very much in her wheelhouse in terms of styling.

I believe the spoiler that Pearl, Ginger, and Violet are the final three, based on the sources it came from, and the three appearing on a leaked poster for Night of 1000 Queens in New York this Pride Weekend

.

[snakenax]

 

I also find for a supposed "fashion" queen, her looks are extremely samey-samey.

This is my overall feel of all the look queens this season, just so much old Hollywood glam mixed with burlesque it all just blurs together into one boredom of lace and corsets and garters and lingerie. The look queens of past seasons tended to have a much stronger versatility in what they brought, from Raja's variety of living art to Trinity doing pageant gown to carnivale to flower child to alien princess to Sharon Needles going in wildly different directions every episode to Alyssa's absolute insanity. Which I guess is a general part of the well.. underbaked feeling, these people are look queens who haven't worked out the kinks in their style and figured out their art yet. Pearls knows he wants to be in all white with heavy clown face on, i'm just not sure he's figured out how that translates to something more and the best way to work it.

 

Though I kind of guffaw at Pearl or Fame calling themselves 'fashion' queens. They aren't neeeeeearly genderfuck enough to fit into the category. And they need to learn how to walk a damn runway. What happened this season that nobody knows how to walk a runway?

[Mattipoo]

I like Pearl much better out of drag than in drag. She is cute as a boy but her drag persona has too much badly applied makeup and seems to be a poor parody of the drunk party girls from the early 2000s like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears. Specifically she reminds me of the Wayans brothers in drag as blonde heiresses in "White Chicks".

Edited May 14, 2015 by Mattipoo

[editorgrrl]

From the Entertainment Weekly review of episode 12:

Candis put it best when she said, “Ugh, these queens!” At this point last season, Bianca, Courtney, and Adore were giving us life with their music video performances, whereas this year, Pearl was giving us the same clumsy movements (the other queens dubbed her dance moves “PEARL SMASH”). It’s like she’s constantly booby-honking an invisible nine-foot-tall woman, a.k.a. Latrice Royale.

[Xazeal]

Pearl's album just popped up (here it is on Amazon), set to be released on June 2nd. She's not singing on it (clearly) but from what I gather she produced all of the music and I have to say, I'm kind of liking what I'm hearing. I've always been a fan of her music choices for performances outside the show, and I think this is a smart direction for her to go in.

[Mattipoo]

Who's singing on pearl's CD if she is not singing on it? Is she a producer/DJ like Calvin Harris or David Guetta? She looks good as a he on the CD cover.

[editorgrrl]

In a LogoTV.com bonus clip from the season finale, Alyssa Edwards is obviously frustrated with Pearl—as if she'd already failed to understand (much less answer) previous questions. Alyssa even snarks, "And tonight, ladies, gentlemen, and judges—your second alternate!"

 

BTW, the question was "Devon in New York City asks, 'Pearl, your style is amazing. Would you ever consider starting a fashion line?'"