Subcultures began to emerge in Britain after the Second War, with the emergence of "Teddy Boys" and "Teddy girls"; this was the beginning of the youth creating their new cultural freedom (list of subcultures, n.d.). According to Gelder (2005), subcultures are a collective of people who deviate from the mainstream in a non-normative way, having specific interests, tastes, points of view and attitudes in their lives; Hebdige (1979) states that subcultures are “subordinate groups” within society. Williams (1965) also explains that people who are part of subcultures lead a shared lifestyle, i.e. they don't just share specific values: it's a whole way of life. In more detail Haenfler (2014) tells us about the common ground shared between most subcultures; they all share a specific vocabulary, from slang to codes; share musical and fashion interests (this is the easiest way to identify someone as part of a subculture); shared history and values ​​that are not shared with the rest of society; they also offer a mutual social support system, providing a safe space community where someone feels cared for and appreciated. Within mainstream society, subcultures connect very closely to other social groups, from social movements – animal rights and feminists to countercultures – hippies and queer cultures (Haenfler, 2014). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Modern youth subcultural society no longer appears as black and white as it once did, Petridis (2014) states that there are only two dominant subcultures recognizable to outsiders outside the culture; that is, “metalheads” and “emos” (Petridis, 2014). However, Barret (2017) argues that within the gay male community there appear to be subcultures within it rather than an individual subculture; some of the main ones are Drag Queens, Radical Faeries, Bears, Circuit Boys and Leathermen. These mentioned subcultures (apart from drag queens) are known as sexual subcultures developed by Western homosexuals (Rubin, 2002). These social or sexual subcultures acted as a reclassification of the stigma that burdened the homosexual community (due to the AIDS epidemic) transforming homosexuality from a medical issue to a social embrace (Rubin, 2002). In addition to this, gay subcultures can have their own subcultures, for example the drag queen subculture contains numerous different subcultures. They are: glam queens, trash queens, clown queens and street queens (Barret, 2017). Developing an understanding of drag culture in the period 1960-2017 The 1960s was the decade in which drag culture managed to establish a concrete infrastructure as art form (Boyer, 2016). Racca (2017) explains that in the early 1960s a man had to wear at least three items of men's clothing to avoid being arrested for cross-dressing. It was only during the Stonewall riots of 1969 that drag queens began to fight for their rights (Boyer, 2016). Barrett (2017) states that the Stonewall Riots were a symbolic period for gay culture and marked historical territory for the gay rights movement. During this time drag culture was formed through Drag Balls; these events occurred when women, especially men, dressed up and took part in theater performances and fashion shows (Haggerty, 2000). Ball culture was composed of a limited number of categories; most of the queens impersonated Las Vegas showgirls (Buckner, n.d.). Along with the Drag Ball events of the 1960s, the community gained values ​​andunique social structures. Many of the queens involved were unable to freely express their gender identity or sexual orientation with their biological families, many of them having been cast out on the streets because of their sexuality (Paris Is Burning, 2009). This is where the drag community formed their families or “houses” (Herzog, Rollins, 2012). Very strange young people had to participate in dances at a young age in order to have access to a safe space and sometimes live inside houses. Drag houses were run by “mothers” butch queens (gay men) or femme queens (transgender women) or “fathers” who are primarily butch queens or butches (transgender men); the parent of the house served as a guardian for their “children” (Bailey, 2011), who still live today. In Paris Is Burning Pepper LaBeija describes the houses as "a group of human beings in a bond with each other" (Paris Is Burning, 2009) Drag and ball culture didn't fully thrive until the 80s and 90s (Hash tag drag , 2013). Paris is Burning is a documentary that explores, studies and describes every aspect of drag from the 1960s to the 1990s. In it Pepper LaBejia, Doran Corey, Angie Xtravaganza and Willi Ninja are four legendary queens and "house mothers" who appear in the documentary. Doran Corey explains that the reason drag progressed was because of Drag Balls. By the time drag culture reached the 1980s, categories had become so fluid that there was a category everyone could fit into; some of the categories were: high fashion evening wear, city and country, women's reality and many others. Willi Ninja also shares that “Voguing” dance comes from ballroom culture; it came from queens throwing shade in the form of dance, and whoever had the best moves threw the best shade. The name of the dance comes from Vogue magazine, as some of the movements were poses taken from it (Paris Is Burning, 2009). In 1989 Susanne Bartsch held an event called the Love Ball, which was the first major fundraiser for AIDS (Maciejowska, 2017). While the Drag Ball era was thriving, RuPaul arrived. RuPaul Charles' career began in 1982 when he sent a photo of himself to the American Music Show, a television program where he hoped to appear on the air; It didn't take long before he was frequently appearing on the series with his band RuPaul and the U-Hauls (Biography, 2017). In 1989 RuPaul earned the title and crown of "The Queen Of Manhattan", later achieving worldwide fame with her first hit song, Supermodel (You Better Work); as well as reaching number 7 in the UK charts with her duet with Sir Elton John (RuPaul, n.d.). In 2009, RuPaul elevated the drag by premiering “RuPaul’s Drag Race” to the company via television, which was followed by 11 seasons, three spin-off shows, and RuPaul’s DragCon (Fernandez, 2017). The show even became the most effective LGBTQ reality television program ever (Nichols, 2017). He also stated in the second season of "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars," "I marketed subversive drag, to 100 million assholes in the world" (RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 2, 2016). To evaluate how men are represented within drag culture Drag culture tends to be dominated by gay men who dress in women's clothing, otherwise known as Drag Queens – the term “drag” has been around for centuries in the performance art industry; it was only when the gay population embraced this culture, that the term “queen” (which is an anti-slang word to describe an effeminate man) was added (Conger, n.d.). However, this has not always been the case, heterosexual men also take part in drag and label themselves as "female impersonators" or "female illusionists" (r, 2015 Within drag culture, gay men arestrongly represented in the community. However, there is no clear representation, as drag queens absorb characteristics of both the LGBTQ+ and heterosexual communities to create their personalities on stage (Greaf, 2015). Their performances for most audiences tend to represent questions about their opinions and their personal gender identity (Rupp, Taylor, & Shapiro, 2010). Additionally, male drag queens are heavily represented through the show “RuPauls Drag Race.” Straight men in drag culture have existed longer than gay men during the 1600s and earlier times. In this case, teenage boys were cast to play female characters (Anagnoson, 2011), and this is still the case in Kabuki theater in Japan; In Kabuki theater it is all male actors, where female personification is classified as an art form (Haggerty, 2000). With Kabuki theater being 400 years old, men still hold dominant representation in this area (Martin, 2010). To generate a better understanding of women within drag culture, female performers have found it difficult to be accepted into Drag culture; Scriver (2016) explains that a woman was told to “get out of the club” after pouring a drink on her head just because she was a woman in drag. There have even been offensive names generated by a minority of the community such as “Faux-queen” (Newell, 2017). “Bio-queens” within the scene have even been accused of seeing drag as a “novelty” instead of appreciating its historical importance as a social tool for the better of the LGBTQ+ community. Controversially, within the community, some queens are embracing the fact that women want to take part in the art form. Gander (2016) explains that Ms. Kasha Davis (a contestant on RuPaul's Drag Run) invited her to put together a drag character and perform on stage in a show she hosted. Lady Gaga represents women in drag culture; in season nine, episode one of "RuPauls Drag Race," she opens up about what drag means: "Drag for me was an opportunity to abandon myself when I didn't want to be myself, I felt completely out of place in high school" ( RuPauls Drag Race season 9, 2017). RuPaul also commented about Lady Gaga “She felt right at home” among the “Drag Race” queens (Rudolph, 2017). Within this culture there are also Drag kings; these artists are “exaggerated male characters” who represent hyper-masculinity (Honan, 2017). McMahon argues that women's involvement within drag is classified as “Rhetorical Drag,” even though it is still gender impersonation that supposedly began when women's narratives were very captive (McMahon, 2008). Public Interpretation of Drag Culture The way drag culture is perceived today compared to how it was perceived in the 1960s – 1990s has progressed. During this time of drag culture the entire gay community did not accept it, even though both sides were fighting for the same rights within the heteronormative society. Gelder (2017) tells us in an interview with Andrew Lumsden what it was like for him to be gay at that time; a gay-friendly pub in Notting Hill, London, had proposed a policy whereby people in drag would not be served, which it almost certainly knew had been put in place at the request of the police. He also explains that it was normal to be targeted and bullied by the police and the rest of society for talking about who you met or liked, if it was about homosexuality you would be targeted - he also stated that the police were worse (Gelder, 2017). The 1970s saw the opening of the boundaries of gender norms that appeared in films –“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, although this was shown through an antagonist role (The Rocky Horror Picture Show, 2006). In the 1980s, audiences were also shown drag through popular films, in which drag was the protagonist. Tootsie and Mrs. Doubtfire began a drag lust that would only ever flourish in the public eye; although these versions of drag did not display a sense of identity or break down gender, the fact that they were both profoundly heterosexual and comical in drag – brought drag into a more positive light in the eyes of the public (Stone, 2016). In the modern world drag is now something that is known and appreciated globally. It is still a platform where artists can express themselves freely through the art form, challenging gender norms and political opinions. Now, with the likes of RuPaul and His Drag Race winning two Primetime Emmy Awards in 2016 and 2017 for Outstanding Host for a Reality Program or Reality Competition; an OFTA Televison Award, a Gold Derby TV Award, and the Critics' Choice Award for Best Reality Show Host (IMDb, 2018), it's hard to say he hasn't brought a positive representation of resistance to society. The show also helps bring Drag Queen contestants on the show, further into the mainstream, so they too can also help bring drag further into the public eye. The four RuPaul's Drag Race season 9 finalists are all reflecting each other's statements in a "Vice" article that drag is going in the right direction in terms of becoming more accepted and embraced by the mainstream and the impact it is having on a straighter and younger audience (as well as LGBTQ+ audiences) will have a positive impact on the future of drag culture (Sasson, 2017). Terms such as “throwing shadow” and “yaas” have also moved from drag culture to the mainstream (Sasson, 2017). Representations of Gender Identity within Drag Culture Whether you are a Drag Queen or a King, drag culture addresses gender identity to be quite fluid. , meaning there are no boundaries on what it means to be male or female, masculine and feminine (Blodgett, n.d.). For example, Drag Queens or bio-queens portray hyperfemininity, that is, when they perform within a female gender character (Matschiner, Murnen, 1999); and Drag Kings or “bio-kings” make an endorsement of hyper-masculinity when they perform masculinity in a way consistent with the “real man” (Bengtsson, 2015). Within drag culture comes many different representations of gender identity with being part of the LGBTQ+ community. Different gender identifications include homosexual, heterosexual, bi-gender, transgender (male or female), Gender-Queer, Butch, Cisgender, Genderfluid, Agender, Femme, Intergender, and Nonbinary (Kelly, 2016). However, drag culture tends to blur the gender binary (Blodgett, n.d.). Within drag, there only seem to be issues relating to drag queens and transgender women, however this is not the dominant representation between the two. In the fourteenth season of Big Brother there were two contestants; India Willoughby who is a transgender woman and Shane Janek who is a Drag Queen called Courtney Act who appeared in the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. In the house in episode 6, India states that “Yano, how are some people afraid of clowns? Drag queens do it for me, just be honest” (Big Brother, season 14, 2018). Later in the episode Courtney (Shane) tells India, "There are a lot of trans people today who want to break away from the LGBT community," then goes on to talk about how, since India changed gender from a man to a woman, which is now benefiting the community. However,.