Camp is described as a vision of the world in terms of style and I think the contestants of the competition in Drag Race create this world from the confidence they have in their own styles and identities. The fact that it may appeal to people because of the fact that it emphasizes embracing one’s true inner self promotes Camp in a positive way since “camp draws on a mostly unacknowledged truth of taste.”
Looking at the show as a whole, it immediately reminded me of “America’s Next Top Model” in the way it is constructed with weekly modeling challenges. However, instead of the stressful challenges that the models in America’s Next Top Model fight to win in order to make it to the fashion industry, the contestants in Drag Race 3 seem less serious. The overall show seems less serious not necessarily because of the actual theme of the show, but because of the way the show is portrayed. The contestants are serious in their work but this is a “seriousness that fails,” as described by Camp style, because of the mixture of the exaggerated, the passionate, and the naive. The naiveness comes from the fact that the producers were probably aware of the criticism they would receive from the show. This emphasizes another Camp style that the show relates to, and that is that one doesn’t need to know the artist’s private intentions. I can see how it is created for people to enjoy, and I think that even as people may criticize the show, they will inevitably be entertained by it because of its “failure to be serious.”
I had such a hard time understanding the "Camp" article, you have made it a bit easier for me to understand exactly what she was trying to say. I really got confused when she would go back and forth with her ideas. I agree with what you said about the show as well. I really felt that the producers intentions was for pure entertainment.
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