Hey, it’s me Leo, aka Violet Vixen and today I want to talk about my passion, Drag! I want to talk about where it all started for me and when it all started to fall into place and make sense.
It’s funny I say ‘where it all started’ because really it’s always been there. My mum tells me that I would watch her intensely while she applied her mascara and straightened her hair every morning. Age 2 and I’d be copying her in the mirror applying my lipgloss. And now look at me popping on my lashes! *tongue pop*
No later had I perfected walking in my red and yellow lego hi-tops I soon turned to high heels. They just felt so good to wear. I loved that they made me taller. I loved the noise they made. Me and my sister used to walk around in our pants and cowboy hats wearing mums high heels and costume necklaces and bangles. We used to play ‘ladies with handbags.’
Soon I began asking my Aunties or mums friends for any of their cast offs. Jewellery, makeup, heels, dresses. I grew quite a collection and I would love playing fashion shows and catwalk the runway.
As I got a little older my Mum had expected me to grow out of dressing up and made an effort to try to direct me to more traditional male activities like playing football and playing with cars and gradually threw away the things I had collected.
I felt really sad at the time, but it’s a vague memory. I still mourn for the purple lace dress and those graffiti patterned heels were ‘bomb’!
It turned out that as much as I missed my heels and other things I actually really did like cars which leads me onto the good bit.
So, here’s a STORY! When I was around 8 I was OBSESSED with cars, I knew all the names of them and all the ‘jush’. But sis…
My favourite type of racing was drag racing. For those that don’t know, it’s when two cars start side by side and race at high speed on a straight road to see which car is fastest. So, on Netflix, I searched up drag race, and up it popped!
I started with Season 6, Episode 1 and I was sitting there waiting for the race to begin. “This isn’t Americas Next Top Model.” I waited and waited and was so confused. Where were the cars? I was like “what the hell is this? I like it, but this isn’t drag racing!” I couldn’t turn it off. I remember seeing Courtney Act, and my jaw dropped. And the rest is history!
I carried on watching it for a good few weeks before my Mum found out and by that point I was a peacock spreading his tail feathers! I was fully fledged fabulous darling, mwah! I had taught myself to do high kicks and the splits. I was a tongue popping tranny, and I loved it.
On a serious note, my Mum was pretty angry when she found out I was watching it and she literally banned me from it, but like most things when you can’t have them, you want them more, and I found ways to get around it. I would youtube the lipsyncs and other high lights on my iPod and watch it with my headphones in. I was obsessed. I loved the idea of transforming yourself into whatever you wanted. I love the glitter and glam. I loved the makeup and costume. I wanted to be just like them!
I started to really study the makeup side of things, and I would practice every day. I remember the day the penny dropped for my Mum. It was when I came out of my room like this;
*Please note, since this post was published, Violet Vixen’s account on Instagram was hacked and deleted. Believe me, if the Kiki Krew could get hold of them, they wouldn’t know what hit them. Meanwhile, you can follow Violet’s new Insta account Instagram @violetvixenofficial
She was just like “Wow!” She sent the photo to the members of our family and my Mums Auntie Lisa told her that we should start an Instagram page for my looks. And Violet Vixen was born. The name comes from me being younger referring to every female as Violet, so dolls, teddy bears, pets, future babies HA! Vixen was literally my Mum trying to find something catchy to go with Violet, but I loved it, so it stuck.
We started right away with that picture. I tried to do my own youtube tutorials, but I struggled because I didn’t really have the right equipment and found it hard to make a video the right length (each look would take over an hour which made a long boring video.)
I told Mum how much Drag Race meant to me and that it was the reason I felt able to express who I really was. Yes, certain parts may be unsuitable, but it’s mostly positive. It encourages you to embrace and love yourself. It celebrates individuality. Mum agreed that I could watch it as long as I kept it appropriate. I wasn’t to share things with other kids that I didn’t know the true meaning of, and I wasn’t to repeat things that I knew wasn’t suitable for child viewing. I can’t say that I’ve always kept my side of the deal, BUT we all make mistakes, I’m only alien.
I say alien, It’s what I used to reply when people would ask me if I was a boy or a girl. Truth is, I am male. I am a boy who likes to dress up to express myself. Just because I have a penis, I can’t wear a dress? Get the hell out of here! I am a boy in a dress who finds other boys attractive, but that doesn’t define me. Sexuality doesn’t define us.
Through the love and support shown to me through Instagram I have grown and grown. I’ve found that I’m not alone. There are so many different people out there that I can’t wait to meet. Over the last year or two, I’ve not only evolved my drag, but I’ve grown as a more confident version of myself. The future excites me. It’ll be colourful and loud, and I look forward to it!
Author Bio
Violet Vixen is a young drag queen with the intelligence to rule the world while simultaneously Death Dropping to da gaaads! (If you don’t know what that means, gurl, where you been?
Support Violet Vixen on Instagram @violetvixenofficial okkkkrrrrr *tongue pop*
*All thoughts and opinions remain the authors own and do not necessarily reflect the sentiments of Sareta Fontaine…HOWEVER, Violet Vixen is so kick ass amazing, she loves everything she stands for, unapologetically so x
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