She was the direct inspiration for the beloved character Bernadette, a showgirl drag performer and trans woman.Ĭoming full circle, Carlotta has paid homage to Priscilla with her own outback touring cabaret shows.Īs her drag legacy matured, Carlotta became a mainstream media darling. When the three drag queens of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert flounced onto screens and into the hearts of Australians in 1994, Carlotta’s place in Australian drag history was solidified. She is glamorous, extravagant and charming – but also forthright and down to earth.Īs Carlotta has told us of Australian drag’s mainstream popularity:īy the 1990s, Carlotta was a household name in Australia.Īlthough initial media interest may have treated her as a curiosity because of her gender, Carlotta as a cultural presence became something much more than that.
In many ways, Carlotta epitomises typical characteristics of Aussie drag. Perhaps accidentally, RuPaul astutely identified a point of tension between Drag Race expectations and the localised relationship Australia has with drag culture.Īustralia has its own drag aesthetics, histories and celebrities, often associated with a certain Aussie sense of humour.
Read more: RuPaul's Drag Race is still figuring out how to handle gender and race Disappointment down underĮarlier this year, RuPaul made headlines describing Australian drag queens as “ more ratchet” – meaning Australian drag is cruder and bawdier than US or UK drag. Long before Drag Race, Carlotta (the stage name of Carol Byron) was foundational in establishing a specifically Aussie mode of drag that both queer and straight Australians embrace – one that is outlandish, flamboyant, irreverent and “ ocker”. But while Drag Race may have brought drag into the global media centre, in Australia drag has long been celebrated in the mainstream.Īustralia’s most enduring and adored drag celebrity has been a stalwart of Australian show business for almost 60 years: Carlotta. In becoming the global beacon of drag, Drag Race has set new ideals for what it means to do drag. After the first season last year wobbled on its heels, the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under began last weekend.
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