She Better Work: RuPaul on Queens Having Kids, the Wisdom of Cher and Expanding Her Drag Empire

Would you consider expanding your reality empire?

We do have another show coming up. It's called RuPaul's Drag University which starts filming in March. The show invites real women to the Drag University -- Drag U. -- and they are not made over, but they undergo a psychological evaluation to determine when they gave up on themselves. Drag U. teaches them how to own their power and to stop playing small. Ultimately, they graduate at the end of the show with their newly empowered, made-over self. The professors at Drag U. are some of the kids from Drag Race and also some of the drag legends. I think everybody could learn from the kind of self-reinvention that drag teaches. Everyone could reemerge and reinvent themselves through the process, but once it's done, you have to maintain it. It's something I maintain everyday. I've got to keep mindful of my thoughts and how I see myself in this world.

Your new book offers advice about beauty and confidence to people of all gender and sexual orientations. You're developing a show targeting straight women. A lot of people identify you as being a role model for just the gay community, but when did you realize that you were a model for straight men and women too?

I think with my website, when people would email me for for advice. A lot of women have big feet and want to know where they can get sexy shoes. A lot of women would write to me and say they just had chemotherapy and they were looking for the kind of wigs that I wear -- where it looks like the hair is coming out of my scalp. People would write to me and let me know that they were watching and they would like to know some of these secrets.

Role model territory is a tricky thing to navigate though. I've never conducted my career with the idea that I am a role model. I think if people are inspired by the things I do, I think that's rocking, but it's not my goal to be a role model because the truth is that people find inspiration from all over. I'm human and I would never want to thwart my creativity because I think it offends someone. I'm always going to do what inspires me first. If somebody else gets off on it, right on. And if they don't, right on.

Will Drag University be on Logo too?

It will be on Logo and I think it comes on in June. We start filming it in March.

And it's for both straight and gay women?

We will probably have some gay women on there but it's primarily for women from Middle America. There are different themes. There will be a show with different groups or types of women who have been through similar struggles in their lives. But for the most part, it's straight women.

Is there a counseling component to it?

Yes, there will be. I am, of course, the Dean of the University and each of the contestants will have a consultation with me and we'll have a heart-to-heart to figure out when and why they gave up on themselves and why it feels like such a tall order to own their power. Most people find it easier to play small than to own their power and I understand because there is a lot of responsibility in playing big.

Do you think confidence is a nature vs. nurture issue at heart? Do you think certain people are just born with confidence?

I think some people are, but it's something you can learn once you have the processing tools. I talk about this in my book, but I remember when I was a kid and I went down to the beach. When I'd come back, all the kids in my neighborhood would say, "Oh, you think you're white or something? You think you're better than us?" There is a huge component to this that is really other people's fear and other people feeling threatened by your power or your ability to move about seemingly unchallenged. The truth is that it's a big challenge because you have to deal all of these other people and their shortcomings or their fears or their feeling threatened by your beauty. I am not just talking physical beauty but the part of you that is your God-self, you know.

How do you think Drag Race has affected the public's perception of drag?

I don't know yet. It's still early on but I think we will know after this second season because the first season was a runaway hit and we didn't have any advertising, really. I think this time around, with a bigger audience and with the advertising, we'll get a good idea of what the general public is feeling about the show.

Do you think there will be a time when America is ready for a reality show about drag on network TV?

I think so, I really do. I think that it could be our show. It really could be. But again, network TV is not the holy grail anymore.

What would you like people to take away from the show?

I think the story of drag really has to do with not taking life so seriously. It's about remembering that you are a spiritual being having a human experience and that this human experience part is to be savored. To have fun and to laugh and to use all your colors in the crayon box.

Don't let people or society or your idea of yourself keep you from living this life and enjoying all this life has to offer. We live in this world where it's boys go here, girls here, blacks there, Jews here. You know: You can't do that, you can't do this. That's bullshit. It's important to do whatever you want to do as long as you don't hurt anybody else. That's what I would want people to walk away with.

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