INTRODUCTION This research focuses on the discourse portrayed at a reality TV show, RuPauls Drag Race (RPDR).

By the employment of a multimodal discourse analysis I will show what statement in the Foucauldian sense is being perpetuated towards the drag/queer culture as well as the public culture by the show.
Show why you are only showing a discourse in terms of the perpetuation of a particular stereotype By focusing on the shows trajectory from season 2 to season 5, this study highlights how RPDR contributes to the perpetuation of a perpetuation or the creation of a new discourse on drag within the drag or queer communities. While the show has the ability to change the perception of the public

on gender as well as drag queens as performers through the shows portrayal of them in general, it also perpetuates certain model that seeks to delineate different types of drag and rendered some as proper and other as improper. This has an implication to the drag culture and queer culture. What is RUPAUL Drag race? RPDR is a reality tv show produced by World of Wonder for Logo, a Tv channel that deems itself as the TV provider for Queer America. It involves a certain number of queens - drag queens (the number changes every season) competing to win the title of Americas Next Drag Superstar. Every episode, the queens will compete in a mini challenge, main challenge and runway challenge, and one queen will be eliminated until three queens remain to compete in the finale. Up to date, the show has been running for six seasons. Rupaul (the male version) act as a mentor to all the queens during their challenges and her female persona (also named Rupaul) act as the supreme judge who ultimately determines who wins and who gets eliminated with little minimal consultation from the rest of the judges. In the show, various queer references are made in relations to the queer cultures and popular icons in America. In addition, the show also endlessly show the trajectory in which the producer, the host, the supreme judge, Rupaul went through in becoming a successful drag performer. In addition to this show, they also have a spin-off show that airs immediately after RPDR which is RPDR Untucked! where they reveal the contestants interaction in the waiting lounge while the judges are deliberating.

Drag queens
Drag queen or drag performances have been argued by Butler to be able to act as a transgressive strategy for gender (2004). For her, drag mocks both the expressive model of

gender and the notion of true gender identity (1990, p.137). Because of the ways in which sex is disconnected from the performance of an individual in performing drag, she argues that their audiences can finally see the rupture of naturalization of sex and gender. Drag queens show that gender can be reconfigured regardless of ones sex by inscribing performances outside of the statement (Foucault, year) of a particular discourse and thereby transgress certain traditional gender distinctions (Taylor and Rupp, 2005). However, while drag queens have the capacity to reconstruct gender binary, gender stereotypes, it can also be argued that at the same time, they can reperpetuate the same stereotypes (Coles, 2007). In her article, The Question of Power and Authority in Gender Performance: Judith Butlers Drag Strategy, Charlotte Coles (2007) highlights, while *D+rag illuminates the fault lines of patriarchal society by showing that there is nothing natural or essential about gender expressions (p.15), not all kinds of drag performance can do what Butler contends they can do. Drag encompasses so many things and not just the one described by Butler. In her article she shows how there are certain kinds of drag portrayed by popular drag queens is a perpetuation of conservative image of women in existence. In addition and in relation to RPDR, they can also perpetuate a certain archetype within drag communities as to what constitute a proper and an improper drag. By studying, season 1 or RPDR, Eir-Anne Edgar (2011) shows how no matter how many different types of drag queens are portrayed on the show, the drag queens competing in the show are still subjected to normalization of what it means to be a proper or polished drag queen. This is exemplified through the critics given to some of the drag queens during the runway challenges on the show. Her study confirms Coles (2007) argument on how certain drag queens perpetuate feminine stereotypes. Edgar analyzed the ways in which the Top 3 were chosen for the season. On her way to the top 3, she mentions Nina flowers were subjected to normalizing effect that she needs to tone down her androgynous nature of her looks by the judges. Rebecca Glasscock was praised constantly due to her level of believability with regards to looking like a real stereotypical women and the winner, Bebe Zahara Benner were always praised on her perfect hourglass figure. While the show does show the transformability of gender that is by showing the transformation of these competitors from male to female, in addition, they also normalized what it means to be a proper drag queen: looking stereotypically feminine, within the queer culture. By now, it is established that while the drag culture or RPDR in particular do challenge the binary conception of gender, it can still perpetuate gender stereotype and what is more worse is the fact that it normalizes what it means to be a drag queen within queer communities. This study is conducted to deplore and examine what the show have been perpetuating and normalizing since its first season. Furthermore, I will also explore its probable implications on the queer communities. METHODOLOGY

For the purpose of this research, the methods of multimodal-discourse analysis (Levine and Scollion, 2004) were employed. According to Foucault (1972: 100), statement is a special mode of existence which allows groups of signs to exist, and enables rule s or forms to become manifest (Foucault, 1972: 99). This method draws on Foucaults work in finding out the discourses of true and false the correlative formation of domains and objects the verifiable, falsifiable discourses that bear on them, and the effects in the real to which they are linked. (1980a: p.237). Using this sort of analysis means that we must find out what statement is discursively fostered and what are the functions provided in relations to power. Furthermore, this method is also drawn from multimodal analysis which holds that communication occurs through more than one mode (Kress and Leuven, 2006). It holds the assumption on the interconnectedness of various modalities of communication in a given context (Royce & Bowcher 2007) to achieve a communicative function of a given text. These modalities include speech, bodily gestures, and visual. Connecting multimodal analysis to Foucauldian discourse analysis means seeking to find out what statement is conveyed across a particular mode of communication that articulates language and visuality, orality, and writing to convey a discourse (LeVine & Scollon, 2004). This also means identifying the sort of influences being conveyed through the communicative mode within a particular context (Royce & Bowcher, 2007). In accordance to the above method, I seek to answer and examine the following: What is being normalized in the show? From what aspect of the show are they perpetuating/normalizing? What are the implications and effects of the show? By watching the whole episodes of season 2 to season 6 of RPDR I have indentified that they are a particular discourse that is being perpetuated by the show that seeks to delineate what is considered as a proper drag and what is not. This is shown on the ways in which the show picks its winners, its casing of the contestants among other. The next section will identify some of the aspects of the show that perpetuates certain standard that seeks to render other types of drag represented and unrepresented in the show as invalid or improper. Furthermore, I will also show that the show perpetuates certain gay stereotype that involves the duality of masculinity and femininity within the gay culture as well as the stereotype that in involves the sexualized nature of queer culture.

CONTENTS AND ANALYSIS OF RPDR 1. Perpetuation of the normal body of the drag queen

Since Edgars study on Season 1 of RPDR, so much change have been implemented in the show. While there is still normalization that occurs in the show with regards to what it means being a proper drag queen, it does not necessarily follow the argument put forth by Edgar. First and foremost, while Edgar argues that there is a normalization that occurs in what it means to be a drag queen, it is by no means that the drag queen must have stereotypically feminine attributes. Based on my analysis of season 2 up to season 6, the notion of being Polished is being perpetuated. Being polished means that the contestant must be able to execute their idea of drag flawlessly in the run way in with the right outfit and the right hair, being able to beat (transform their face by means of stage make up) their face spotlessly and present themselves with confident and grace. This idea or drag and the ways in which one can beat ones own face are of course interchangeable but one thing that is important is the fact they are able to present it flawlessly and glamorously. Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent is a phrase that is being used in the show and uttered almost on every episodes for the last five seasons that portrays what traits the Americas Next Drag Super Star should embody. Not only that one must be polished, they must also possess these traits! It is easy for one to equate drag queens glamour and polished-ness to being glamorously feminine. However, this is not exactly the case. It is one thing to be for drag queens to be androgynous (as argued by Edgar), but it is also another thing for them to be stereotypically feminine. In accordance to what is legitimized by the show, a polished and glamorous drag queen is situated along side of both of this continuum. Being either one is not proper. The treatment of androgynous drag queen such as those portrayed in Season 1 by Edgar (2011) shows how there is a stigma attached on being androgynous by the show. But unlike what she argues; that the show is looking for a feminine type of drag queen, it is not the case at all. My analysis from season 2 up to season 5 has showed that a drag queen that is too feminine is also not what they are looking for. Tatiana from season 2 were basically picked on by the more polished queens based on how she looks (feminine) and how she relies on how she looks. In one scene, Raven (a contestant in season 2) clocks and picked on Tatiana on how she relies on her look and not her talent (even though Tatiana had won some of the major challenges thereby proving her worth in the competition). (INCLUDE DIALOGUES) Because of the ways she looks which is too feminine; her talents are rendered meaningless. She got to the Top 4 with Raven, Juju Bee and Tyra Sanches but in the end she was voted of the show because she does not display what the show legitimizes as drag. The same thing happened to Vivienne Pinay in season 5, where she was considered as the fishiest (the most feminine looking) queen in the show. Because of the ways in which she labeled herself and was

labeled by the other contestants as fishy, she was consequently sent home. Her fishiness overshadows her talent in the eyes of the judges. In season 3, a queen, Carmen Carera was scolded by Michelle Visage for relying too much on her feminine body as a form of drag presentation and after seven episodes she was sent home. From what I have observed from being in the drag scene in New York City, Michelle Visages phrase of dont rely on that body are now considered as a mantra for seasoned drag queen to give to the new queens. From here it can be argued that, femininity is not considered to be an attribute necessarily desired in being a polished drag queen. Drag Queens must situate themselves in the middle ground of being androgynous and feminine. What Mariah Balenciaga said in one of the episodes in season 3 that Drag queens must be larger than life and they should not rely on feminine traits as a tool to win this competition pretty much sums up this point that I am trying to mak e. The idea of polished with Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent can also be seen clearly in the ways in which the winner for season 2 and 3 is being chosen. The winner of Season 2, Tyra Sanchez and the winner for season 3, Raja Gemini were chosen because they were considered by RuPaul as the most polished and glamorous in their season and they embody the traits that Americas Next Drag Superstar should have. Both of them knew how to beat their face flawlessly and week after week during their respective seasons they were almost always on point on what they bring to the runway challenges. Raja Gemini was a perfect blend of androgyny and femininity. Once in a while the show does have drag queens to, in Rancieres (2004) term, to rapture the conception of the representative regime in what it means to be drag queens. For season 4 and 5, the winners of the show are considered to be atypical in relation to what RDRC would pick as a winner as these queens can be categorized as a campy type of drag quee ns. Campy queens are those who challenges.. (references) . However, even though the show is finally accepting of a different conception of what proper drag is, it does not mean that their original notion is invalid anymore. The notion of being able to be polished (in the original) still lingers on the contestants especially if they feel that their take on drag is different than the usual queens held to be polished in nature. While the show tries to allude their supposed acceptance to this type of drag, they do subject both of these drag queens if they are able to deliver Glam. In season 4, Sharon Needles felt it was important for her to show a different side of her that is being polished and glamour and deliver something other than what she does, which is showing a spooky and halloweeny kind of drag. As for Jinx Monsoon in season 6, she was also ostracized by her peers of being too campy and not enough glamour and in the words of Roxxy Andrews during the finale, You *Jinx+ are not polished and you should not have made it to the top 3 in the first. Jinx was also criticized by Michelle Visage for delivering a wrong conception of glamour. If it were not for the fan votes

in the show for season 4 and 5, these queens would probably not have won. Even though, they are not generally considered as a polished drag by the shows standard, but their back stories were relatable to the audience. If it were not for the fan votes, Rupaul would probably choose a different contestant in the top 3 to win the show for season 4 (Phi Phi O Hara or Chad Michaels) and 5 (Roxxy Andrews or Alaska Thunderfuck) who arguably fits with the shows conception of polished or proper drag. It could be argued that, the fact that Rupaul crown Sharon and Jinx marks as an attempt for their openness to different kinds of drag, it does not mean that their representative regime of being polished is replaced. It simply means that a new representation and connotations to the representative regime is added. Even if it did, the show still creates an archetype of polished drag whereas there are still hundred kinds of different drag that needs legitimization and are disregarded by the show. It must also be noted that ever since winning that show, both Jinx and Sharon has transformed their kinds of drag drastically in accordance to the shows conception of what a proper and polished should be. In a reunion episode for season 5, Jinx herself has admitted to have entered Jinx 2.0 alluding to the fact that she is now more glamorous and he conception has changed. XXXXXXXXXXX The ways in which this notion of proper drag is also legitimized is also shown through the casting of each season. From my analysis, it seems that they seem to cast half queens which can be argued to be polished by the shows standard and half queens whose take in drag can be seen outside of what the show would legitimized as polished. Throughout the season, dramas of those who are considered polished and unpolished will be portrayed where the polished queens are seen to scold the worthiness of the other queens in the drag competition. One can say that of course there is drama! It is a reality television after all, but one thing that we must note is the fact that they are sending a message to the drag world that only certain types of drag can be considered as proper or polished drag. In Rancieres (2004) term, while they are using the regime of aesthetic art to overthrow the representative regime of what is considered as gender, at the same time they are also promoting another representative regime on what is considered as polished or proper drag. One could argue that the show has the right to choose what kind of drag they want to legitimize for that show, but we need to understand that up to date, this is the only queer show that portrays drag culture and in addition, this is the most popular show for queer show across America, and there are implications as to what they are portraying. It influences the audience to view drag in a way that is legitimized by the show.

Now, I would like to point out that there is an implication in the ways in which the show choses certain queens to be a winner. While the show may challenge the dualism of gender (masculine/feminine), they also recreate and legitimize only one kind of drag that challenges that duality and thereby delineating and rendering other kinds of drag that does not fit into their conception of drag as not a legitimate form. In accordance to Foucault (year), they are creating a statement. This statement might have challenged the other discourse on gender, masculinity and femininity, but in doing this they are also promoting a particular discourse in the drag culture that legitimizes only certain form of drag.

2. Perpetuation of gay stereotypes

Not only that the show perpetuates a certain form of drag, from my analysis, they also seem to perpetuate the gay stereotype that works on the binary of masculinity and femininity. While in terms of the drag presentation where the contestant needs to be somewhere between this continuum, however, in terms of the show presentation, they still promote this duality. For one thing, the contestants who are chosen to be in the competition are only men who do drag and up to date there is no contestant that represent transgendered male who does drag for a living. This perpetuates the stereotype that drag queens are only men who dresses up in womens clothing which is of course not the case. It was made clear in the previous season that drag queens who entered the competition must be a man outside of drag. One contestant came out during the show that she was a transgendered woman during episode 2 of season 5, however she was sent home in the subsequent episode. In the reunion episode for the fifth season, Rupaul tried to make clear that being transgendered women does not matter to the show as long as they possess Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent. With that said, it could be that the show is trying to open up their vocabulary on what it means to be a drag queen, but as far as I am concern, they have yet to really represent or dwell in an aspect of drag that involves transgendered women in doing drag. However, some of the contestants from the show have come out as transgendered after their involvement in the competition like Sonique and Carmen Carera. It is worthy to note that they have made clear that they can still be a woman and be a drag queen too. Some of the men who are casted to compete in drag in the competition are usually feminine in personality. The show is also accompanied by two pit-crews who are muscular in nature who walks around the show only in their underwear to help Rupaul to deliver the cocktails to the contestants and also to help the contestants in some of the challenges. The subtle yet apparent contrast of most of the contestants and the pit crews embodies the stereotype that there are only two types of gay men, the manly and the feminine. The fact that the contestants are always ogling onto the pit-crew in their underwear and usually caught staring at their bulges seems to portray the highly stereotypical and sexualized nature of gay culture.

IMPLICATIONS TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD Implications on the world: Media Now I need to understand that. Of ocurse as audience.. we are not passive.. but we could not fogo the effect of such discourse in queer culture and the larger public culture. While they do subverse.. sometimes but they also create new ways from within. d) They chastity those who look really2 feminine.. and those who still like a man. Could reargue that they are subversing what it means to be man but not woman. e) THEY MUST BE A MAN! Transgender no!! although in drag world . 1. Perpetuation of the gay men stereotype In the show they have feminine and masculine.. but supposedly they are mediator BNCHMARKING of WhAT??h confusing the gender LGBT!STEREOTYPE GAY MEN a. Andrew Christian underwear, naked men spectacles.. 2. Perpetuation of Racial stereotypes Jiggly, Manila.. blab la heat!! 3. Confusing what it means to be drag queen and

2. Perpetuation of stereotypes:??? Chinese When Manila Luzon . . .by making her a winner for that challenge. Through out yes they have that..

Conclusion
While femininity and the notion of proper or polished may have changed in terms of its meaning, there are still normalizing effect on what it constitutes

Reality television has the power to influence our notions of normalcy versus difference, convince us that certain behaviors are innate or different groups of people, and present culturally constructed norms of gender, class, and sexuality as natural, rather than performances weve learned to adopt through societal education and expectation. (Pozner, 2010)

This is where u start to ramble ok? Find: 4] Kress, G. and T.V. Leeuwen, Multimodal Discourse: The Modes and Media of Contemporary Communication. 2001: Arnold. [5] Kress, G. and T.V. Leeuwen, Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. 2006: Routledge. Royce, T.D. and W.L. Bowcher, eds. New Directions in the Analysis of Multimodal Discourse. 2007, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers: Mahwah, NJ. Royce, T.D. and W.L. Bowcher, eds. New Directions in the Analysis of Multimodal Discourse. 2007, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers: Mahwah, NJ. Furthermore, by using theories of media discourse,

By using what method? Reintroduce your argument by showing what season you are going to analyze and the reason why season 1:

The different issues that the show have dealt with

recent theorizations of identity construction (e.g., Bucholtz & Hall, 2004, 2005) to examine the discourse of drag queens on the LOGO channels television reality show RuPauls Drag Race, a competition program in which men show-off their artistry dressing as women