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Singer. Actor. Presenter. Creator. Icon. Legend. Diva.

Michelle Visage wears all of those hats and extra – it’s a very a marvel her hair stays as voluminous as it’s below the burden of all of them. Nonetheless, to most individuals, she’s nonetheless finest referred to as the long-serving, straight-talking choose on RuPaul’s Drag Race.

A protracted-time pal and right-hand girl to the present’s resident Glamazon, RuPaul, Michelle joined Drag Race in its infancy and has remained with the present because it exploded into the behemothic star-making phenomenon it’s right this moment.

“It’s really an anomaly that none of us might have predicted, that none of us might clarify,” Michelle says of Drag Race’s ascent. “It’s simply received that magic je ne sais quoi, and I’m so honoured to be a part of this legacy.”

Since taking over her spot on the panel, Michelle has seen actually lots of of queens shantay and sashay down the runway, supplied critiques to contestants on either side of the Atlantic, in addition to Down Underneath, sat alongside a plethora of A-list visitor judges and witnessed a few of the most iconic and meme-able actuality TV moments of the previous decade up shut and private.

Nonetheless, she insists, life on the Drag Race panel is simply as thrilling now because it was on her very first day on set.

“Think about with the ability to go to work each day, sit subsequent to your finest pal, and see the very best drag present on the earth,” Michelle says. “I used to be a drag superfan lengthy earlier than drag was ever on tv, so, for me, it’s enthralling to say the least. That can by no means ever get previous.”

It’s not simply the queens which have benefited from Drag Race’s success, with the present having additionally been a star car for Michelle herself, who acknowledges it as “the most important present in my skilled life”.

At 54, she is extra in demand than ever, having racked up appearances on Superstar Large Brother and Strictly Come Dancing, collaborated with Steps on their single Heartbreak In This Metropolis, carried out within the West Finish and landed her personal present on BBC Radio 2 in the previous few years alone.

On the time of our dialog, she’s contemporary from representing Drag Race on the Nationwide Tv Awards, the evening after internet hosting the Perspective Awards in London.

“It’s surreal, it’s a blessing, it’s a present, it’s an honour,” Michelle says of attending A-list occasions due to Drag Race. “It doesn’t go wasted on me what I do for a residing, which is to symbolize queer artists in a queer area to mainstream media. I’m blessed to have the ability to be one of many faces of it.”

Nevertheless, whereas she’s unquestionably having fun with the platform that Drag Race has afforded her, we in all probability received’t be seeing Michelle on any extra actuality exhibits in the interim.

“Pay attention, by no means say by no means to something, however actually Strictly was the one factor that I wished to compete on, as a result of I wished to discover ways to dance,” she explains.

“However you by no means know. I’m A Superstar? I’d be picked for each Bushtucker Trial so that everyone might watch me squirm. Perhaps I’d do Superstar Bake Off for charity. I’m shit at baking, however I’d love the world to see me attempt.”

For her newest enterprise, Michelle has teamed up with Virgin Atlantic for a shiny new marketing campaign to advertise the airline’s up to date gender identification coverage, which permits workers members to put on whichever uniform they really feel finest represents them.

Within the late 80s, Michelle was closely immersed within the New York ballroom scene, the place she walked within the “face” class (therefore the moniker Michelle Visage, the French for “face”) and discovered to vogue from legendary choreographer and ballroom staple Willi Ninja.

Reflecting on her ballroom days, Michelle admits that again then she “by no means” might have predicted a marketing campaign like Virgin Atlantic’s at a time when celebrations of queer tradition had been nonetheless principally happening out of sight and underground.

“I’d get stuff screamed at me simply strolling down the road with these queerdos and weirdos – of which I establish as myself,” she says.

“So no, I by no means thought I’d see the day that we’ve a tv present about drag [or] a worldwide marketing campaign about an unimaginable juggernaut of an airline. Or for them to be placing themselves on the market for trolls and all people to present their standpoint, and nonetheless not caring, and shifting ahead for the better good of humanity.”

“It’s wonderful what Virgin Atlantic is doing, and it truly is sensible,” she provides. “However nowadays, it’s nonetheless very courageous for them to do this.”

This “bravery” has already been put to the take a look at. Whereas the marketing campaign has obtained a wave of reward, the typical suspects throughout the right-wing media have additionally come out to make their predictable digs round an initiative that’s supposed to advertise inclusivity and progress.

Responding to criticism of the marketing campaign, Michelle says: “We’re going into 2023 right here, it’s ridiculous for us to be nervous about different folks. Who the particular person is subsequent to you has nothing to do or take away with who you’re, and the best way you lead your life.

“Transferring ahead, to be able to progress as a society, I believe humanity – as a result of it’s now not mankind or womankind, it’s humankind – must let go of the antiquated ideas, and open your thoughts and perhaps educate your self on pondering exterior of the binary.”

She provides: “Folks will all the time have their ideas and conceal hate behind faith and issues which might be snug for them that they assume that they know… and the fact is, we’ve advanced in so some ways. It’s an exquisite area the place we will be on this world the place we don’t establish because the X and the Y or the person and the girl, so to talk.

“I’ve a non-binary youngster, I would like this world to be a greater place for them. And I’d be remiss if I sat again and shut my mouth, as a result of it’s harmful on the market.”

Harmful, certainly. The marketing campaign – and, regrettably, its inevitable backlash – come at a time when the media appears intent on pitting opposing views in opposition to each other, whereas the rights of girls and plenty of marginalised individuals are below menace or, in lots of instances, being actively reversed.

Michelle agrees: “We’re going backwards. Our brothers and sisters who fought earlier than us didn’t do it in order that we might go backwards. I’m speaking about ladies’s rights, I’m speaking about trans rights. Once more, this brings me again to human rights. We’re all equal – that’s the best way it ought to be as humanity, as humankind.

“We’re solely right here for a restricted time, and Mom Earth is pissed off. So the time that we’ve left, we ought to be focussing on lifting one another up, supporting each other and main with kindness as a substitute of bringing again or amplifying hateful agendas and voices. We’ve got no time for this.”

And what could be her message to the younger queer folks coming of age within the present political local weather?

“We’re not giving up,” Michelle insists. “You matter. All the pieces you stand for issues, the very sense of you simply being who you’re authentically issues.

“So – give attention to the constructive, give attention to the kindness and the love. Attempt to keep away from the unfavorable power in your treasured bubble. And keep in mind that you’re beloved. The sunshine is just not all the time there, typically it’s a must to go digging for it, however within the presence of sunshine, darkness can’t exist.”

For a lot of in want of escapism throughout troubled instances, Drag Race has offered a few of that much-needed mild, not solely providing pleasure and enjoyable by means of a queer lens however amplifying conversations round vital matters, significantly these referring to the neighborhood.

“I heard lots of that in lockdown, how Drag Race saved so many individuals in a darkish time,” Michelle recollects. “And I’ve to let you know, that’s essentially the most rewarding a part of what we do.

“I am keen on listening to about queer children, or weirdos like me who don’t actually slot in with the on a regular basis faculty life or no matter, watching Drag Race with their household and their mother and father understanding them due to that. That’s so rewarding to listen to these tales, they by no means get previous to me.

“Folks come as much as me on a regular basis and so they say, ‘oh my god, you could get sick of listening to this, however I like you, I like what you stand for’, and it’s like, ‘who might ever get sick of listening to love and kindness and acceptance and reward?’. I’ll by no means get bored with listening to ‘I like you’.”

Drag Race has by no means been extra common, however Michelle maintains RuPaul’s previous mantra that “true drag won’t ever be mainstream”.

“Queer artistry on the whole won’t ever be mainstream – that’s type of the rationale it exists, to present a giant ‘F you’ to society, as a result of we had been by no means accepted within the mainstream,” Michelle says.

“It’s extra mainstream, however once I assume ‘mainstream’ I believe, ‘Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Julia Roberts’. These are mainstream. Drag is just not mainstream. However extra folks completely know what it’s about now and that makes me blissful. As a result of drag is an artform.

“Folks know what sculpting is, they know what portray is, they know what ballet is. Nicely, drag is up there with these artforms, and at last individuals are seeing that.”

In recent times, the present has been praised for taking extra steps in the direction of inclusivity, with a rise in trans and non-binary queens participating, and the UK’s personal Victoria Scone making herstory in 2021 by turning into the primary cisgender girl to compete on any Drag Race franchise.

Michelle enthuses: “Having Victoria there made me so blissful as a result of I establish as a drag queen – I don’t should say ‘organic’ or ‘cis’, I simply establish as a drag queen.

“It was actually fantastic to have her on – it was unhappy that she received injured [Victoria had to withdraw after two episodes due to a knee injury], however she is wonderful and we welcome all kinds.”

In one other transfer in the direction of inclusivity, RuPaul – who beforehand confronted backlash after feedback concerning the involvement of trans contestants on the present – traded the present’s “gents, begin your engines, and should the very best girl win” tagline to the much less gendered “racers, begin your engines, and should the very best drag queen win”.

Nevertheless, this in itself has been known as into query by some viewers who felt it excluded drag kings from competing sooner or later. Thus far, a drag king is but to be featured on RuPaul’s Drag Race (rival drag competitors The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula featured its first king in 2019), though it’s a transfer Michelle herself would welcome.

“Oh my god I like drag kings, completely love them. All of us do. So, let’s hope!” she says when requested about kings competing on the present.

“All people is welcome to audition, simply make it possible for is a really excellent audition tape.”

For now, although, Michelle says Drag Race is doing “an exquisite job at evolving” with the instances.

“We’re now an evolutionised model of what we had been,” she says. “Identical to people, hopefully all of us evolve, if we permit ourselves and embrace change. And I believe that’s what we’ve completed as a tv present.

“And there’s no stopping it. All people wants a little bit of Drag Race of their life.”

Michelle Visage has teamed up with Virgin Atlantic to disclose the airline’s up to date gender identification coverage, which permits its LGBTQ+ folks to decide on to put on the uniform that finest represents them.