You Better Werk!: Exploring Systems of Discipline, Stratification, and Labour on RuPaul's Drag Race

In recent years, drag performance has witnessed a significant shift as a result of the emergence of Drag Race (2009) and particularly the eighth season as it takes place during a pivotal cultural moment in North American history (the Trump era). This project aims to address: How do the neoliberal and hegemonic mechanics of reality television emerge in the Drag Race format and how do these mechanics discipline and stratify the development and conditions of drag performers, particularly those who are racialized and have low social and economic capital, on the show? This project utilizes a mixture of Foucauldian, critical, and affirmative turns to queer incorporation in media to address queer people's relationship to labour in the current oversaturated attention economy.