three figures of the French scene

Kam Hugh, the power of the (makeup) brush

A professional make-up artist, this 22-year-old young man wearing a mullet haircut with blond fringe grew up in Aubenas (Ardèche). Having a makeup artist mother allowed him, as a child, to go to the carnival disguised as a fairy. He discovered the art of drag during his BTS in aesthetic marketing, perfumery in Lyon. “I saw images of the “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, I became a fan overnight of the very beautiful Kim Chi and I said to myself: “Ah well? Can we do that without wanting to transition?” I felt good in my male body. But I’ve always loved cute, colorful, sparkling things. The aesthetics of Barbie and Swan Lake. Her mauve pink dress is sublime! »

“In drag, I feel powerful, more confident, I have fun and I amuse people. I dream…”

He started flaunting his transformations (requiring two and a half to three hours of makeup) on Youtube, immediately finding an audience. “I wanted to make it all visible, I was thinking back to when I was 16. In my high school, there was no one like me, no boy wore makeup…” Then he met drag queen Cookie Kunty. And started performing on stage three years ago. On social networks, Kam Hugh is also a make-up influencer (feminine) for various brands of beauty products. He took the stage at Jean Paul Gaultier’s “Fashion Freak Show”, performed his own show, “Superstar”, in December 2021… “I don’t stop, day and night! You can’t imagine all the work behind a look…” His motivation? “I wanted, needed, to express a part of femininity. I’ve never gone clubbing as a guy, I’m not interested. In drag, I feel powerful, more confident, I have fun and I amuse people. I dream. And I represent the values ​​of the LGBTQIA+ community: be yourself and be proud of it. »

Cookie Kunty, standard bearer of the queer community

Cookie Kunty, in June 2020. Wigmaker: Jean-Baptiste Santens.  Adornment and earrings by Nicolas Deschaux and outfit by Adèle Cano.

Romain Eck, 28, an employee in an art supply store, created his drag queen Cookie Kunty character seven years ago. “With my sister, in Guadeloupe, I watched the first season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race”. I was not in a quest for identity, I came to drag to express myself artistically. To apply my drawing quality to makeup. And also to free myself from the norms imposed by society. We homosexuals have been criticized for our femininity so much that we need to express it in our own way. »

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