"Miss Vanjie" : A RuPaul Drag Race Show Iconic Moment And Viral Catch Phrase From Season 10 (2018)

 

@DragRealnessShorts, April 16, 2022

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcased the origin of the "Miss Vangie" and "Vangie" meme that originated with the iconic exit by contestant Vangie from Season 10's RuPaul Dray Race.

Information about Vangie is included in this post. This post also includes information about the term "banjee" which was the inspiration for the drag name "Vanjie".

The Addendum to this post presents my editorial notes about how I happened upon this RuPaul Drag Race video more than six years after it first was televised.

The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, etymological, and entertainment purposes.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE RUPAUL DRAG RACE TELEVISION SHOW
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RuPaul%27s_Drag_Race [retrieved on January 5, 2025]
"RuPaul's Drag Race is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race franchise, produced by World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, VH1 (season 9–14) and, beginning with the fifteenth season, MTV. The show documents RuPaul in the search for "America's next drag superstar".[1] RuPaul plays the role of host, mentor, and head judge for this series, as contestants are given different challenges each week. Contestants are judged by a panel that includes RuPaul, Michelle Visage, one of three rotating judges (Carson Kressley, Ross Mathews, or Ts Madison),[2] as well as one or more guest judges, who critique their progress throughout the competition. The title of the show is a play on drag queen and drag racing, and the title sequence and song "Drag Race" both have a drag-racing theme.

RuPaul's Drag Race has spanned sixteen seasons and inspired the spin-off shows RuPaul's Drag U, RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race, and RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars; the companion series RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked; and numerous international franchises including British and Australian and New Zealand versions hosted by RuPaul as well as Chilean, Thai, Canadian, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, French, Philippine, Belgian, Swedish, Mexican, Brazilian, German and South African editions, and international vs. the World competitions hosted in the United Kingdom and Canada and All Stars in Spain and France.

The show has become the highest-rated television program on Logo TV,[3] and airs internationally, including in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Israel. The show earned RuPaul eight consecutive Emmy Awards (2016 to 2023) for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program. The show itself has been awarded the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program 4 consecutive times (2018 to 2021), and the Outstanding Reality Program Award at the GLAAD Media Awards. It has been nominated for four Critics' Choice Television Awards including Best Reality Series – Competition and Best Reality Show Host for RuPaul, and was nominated for a Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Make-up for a Multi-Camera Series or Special (Non-Prosthetic). Later in 2018, the show became the first show to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program in the same year, a feat it has since repeated three times.[4][5][6]"...

****

SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 - Vanjie Goes Viral | RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10

RuPaul's Drag Race, Jun 21, 2018  #DragRace #VH1

Mama Ru and the Season 10 queens reflect on the lasting impression Vanessa Vanjie Mateo left after her elimination.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT RU PAUL DRAG RACE CONTESTANT VANESSA VANJIE MATEO
From https://rupaulsdragrace.fandom.com/wiki/Vanessa_Vanjie
"Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, also known simply as Vanessa Vanjie during the ninth season of All Stars, is an American drag queen, performer and a contestant on Season 10 and Season 11 of RuPaul's Drag Race, where she placed 14th and 5th respectively.

In the drag community, 'Vanessa Vanjie Mateo' signifies her drag lineage and persona. Her drag mother, Alexis Mateo, named her 'Vanessa' due to her resemblance to 'Ursula's' human form in Disney's 'The Little Mermaid'. 'Vanjie' is a modification of 'Banjee' *, reflecting her 'banjee attitude', while 'Mateo' denotes her membership in the 'Mateo Empire', Alexis Mateo's drag family.

Provided by: Fandom

Vanessa then appeared in RuPaul's Drag Race Vegas Revue where she was followed, alongside other Drag Race alumni, as she prepared to lead the "RuPaul's Drag Race Live!" show in Las Vegas.

Vanessa would later return to compete on the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. She is representing ASPCA for a chance of $200,000 being donated to their cause. She finished as a Runner-Up alongside Roxxxy Andrews."...
-snip-
* Here's an excerpt from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banjee about the Drag culture word "banjee":
"Banjee (as in: "banjee boy" or "banjee girl") is a term from ball culture describing a person embodying an urban, tough swagger. The term is mostly associated with New York City and may be Nuyorican in origin.[a][1][b] Attitude, clothing, ethnicity, masculinity, physique, and youth are all elements of what has been called "banjee realness".

History

According to The Village Voice, "banjee boy categories have been a part of vogue balls since at least the early 1980s".[2] The 1990 documentary film Paris Is Burning featured "banjee realness" as one of the categories in which contestants competed for trophies."...

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR EMBEDDED VIDEO #1
From https://youtube.com/shorts/unOUPUyAWZ0?si=lGGD9evHA4j9BV__
These comments are given in relative chronological order based on the year that they were published in that discussion thread. 

Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

2022

1. @stuartpounds7715
"The most iconic 10 seconds of television to ever exist!"

**
Reply
2. @ivanvalenzuela932, 2023
"YAAASSS!!!! Jajajajaja"

**

3. @Sweetumskitty1789
"I feel like that moment really showed that Vanjie was Alexis’s daughter. Who else could teach their child the power of a memorable catchphrase!"

**
4. @abstractfriends6722, 2024
"yesssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!"

**
5. @woinalemeshete8654
"What's this show about tho? I never understand them"

**
Reply
6. @Sweetumskitty1789
"Well it’s drag queen reality competition show. Specifically the first episode of season 10. Vanjie was sent home first because she did badly designing her outfit, did poorly in the photoshoot, and lost the lipsync competition to stay."

**
7. @FloraWest
"I remember seeing this in real time and thinking it might be a club thing I didn't know about because it was so odd it couldn't possibly be just a random thing she was doing. Little did I know...."

**
8. @gianna.8670
"miss🤭vanjie😟miss😹..😶‍🌫️vanjiee😡vanjie😇miss😳vanjie👺"

**
9. @akshays3
"She literally stole everything with that EXIT!!! 😍❤️ ICON!!!!!"

**
10. @STACEYXRENEE
"Legend has it she’s still walking backwards saying miss vanjie"

**
11. @the_pseudo_nim
" "I didn't get the name. What was it?"

-Me being snarky on the literal daily"

**
12. @sunshinechica6626
"Ms. Vanjie, you will remember my name.

Fame 🤣🤭"

**

13. @ebonimom6964
"And a legend was born. That's how you go home first!"

**
14. @mr.kofeek
"Miss VAAAaaaaaaAaaAaaangi"

**
15. @Watertype637
"Everyone going “WORK sister!!!! Yesssss” as she leaves 😂"

**

Reply
16. @percevalmahpouyas9933
"It's the unconditional support for me 🤭✨"

**
17. Reply
@Raacelavigne
"As should be <3"

**
18. @tatianagranger2427
"Timeless, epic, forever! Thank you Vanje!!!"

**
19. @GlowlightBae
"You can see Ru tryin so hard not to laugh while she was doing it."

**
20. @DiMagnolia
"My mom and I say this to each other far too often"

**
21. @Amazingness1234
"Bye girl"

****
2023

22. @ultimatefangirl1663
"She was the first to go home but had everyone screaming her name"

**
23. @OrNaurItsKat
"I do this every time I leave work. No one ever gets it but that's show business BABYYY!"

**
24. @Lps_lover25
"ruPaul: I didn’t get the name what was the name?🤭🤭🤭"

**
25. @mathildeperron5874
"Is there something more to it? Im halfway through season 10 no spoilers pls"

**
Reply
26. @FloraWest
"@mathildeperron5874  Nope! Just a really weird thing she did in the pressure of the moment that made her an international star.. : )"

****
2024

27. @EllieLynnCollins
"You know Ru lives for moments like this 😂"

**
28. @SentonioLuke-qu3qt
"It reminded me of the good witch of wizard of oz when she was leaving away lol 😂 in the bubble"

****
ADDENDUM- HOW I HAPPENED UPON THIS RU PAUL DRAG RACE VIDEO MORE THAN SIX YEARS AFTER IT WAS TELEVISED
I used to be a avid watcher of RuPaul Drag Race, and then I dropped my cable account and didn't have a way of watching that series except on the Internet. But by that time, I had moved on to other interests.

However, when I was compiling numbers for my annual blog report on the twenty-five pancocojams posts with the highest number of views since this blog started, I noticed that one of the videos that is embedded in the second highest blog post-"The Origins And Meanings Of "Shante You Stay" & "Sashay Away"- was no longer available.*  I embedded another copy of that videoin that post.

At the same time, my daughter was watching an episode of Ru Paul's Dray Race Season 10. She shared with me that the term "Vangie" had become viral due to the iconic exit of that season's first contestant, and she encouraged me to look up that video on YouTube. Both of these incidents made me realize that it had been a long time since I had published a post on pancocojams about Ru Paul Drag Race. So here's one post and I'm sure others will shortly follow.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-origins-and-meanings-of-shante-you.html for the 2014 pancocojams post "The Origins And Meanings Of Shante You Stay And Sashay Away".. 

As of January 5, 2025 at 2:21 PM ET, that post has a total of  270,179 pancocojams views from the beginning of this pancocojams blog in 2011 to to January 5, 2025 at 2:30 PM ET. (These numbers don't include my views.) This is the pancocojams post with second highest number of pancocojams views. 

The pancocojams post with the highest number of views in that same time period is   http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/08/what-hit-quan-really-means.html "What Hit The Quan REALLY Means" which has 309,687 total views from 2011 to January 5, 2025.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/12/links-to-twenty-five-pancocojams-posts.html for December 30, 2024 pancocojams post "Links To The Twenty-Five Pancocojams Posts With The Highest Number Of Views (From 2011-2024)".

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

What "She Snatched My Edges" And "Her Edges Are Snatches" REALLY Mean

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post quotes various online entries that provide vernacular definitions for  the term "edges" and the term "snatched" (as in the sentences "She snatched my edges" and "Her edges are snatched".)

The content of this post is presented for linguistic and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/06/videos-and-article-excerpts-about-doing.html for the closely related pancocojams post entitled "Videos And Article Excerpts About "Doing Your Baby Hairs" ("Laying Your Edges")."

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/06/examples-of-comments-from-youtube.html for another closely related 2019 pancocojams post entitled "Comments About Wigs Being Snatched (From The YouTube Discussion Thread Of Todrick Hall's Video "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels")."

****
VERNACULAR MEANING OF THE WORD "EDGES"
From https://medium.com/@uhaihair/baby-hairs-the-history-of-edges-edge-control-9e5b2d2ee006
"Baby Hairs: The History of Edges & Edge Control"; August 11, 2020 [no author cited]

"If you pay any attention to trends and fashion, you can see black influences everywhere — including hair styles. Laying down edges is a unique staple in black hair style and culture...

... baby hairs are the short hairs growing at the edges of a woman’s hairline (particularly women of color). Laying down edges is the act of styling these baby hairs and gelling them down.

****
VERNACULAR MEANINGS OF THE WORD "SNATCHED"

The American slang word "snatched" is used as a verb or as an adjective.
Verb Example:  She snatched my edges.

Adjective Example. Her edges are snatched.

My guess is that the verb form of "snatched" came before the adjective form. I also think that the phrases "snatched my weave" and "snatched my wig" were used before the phrase "snatched my edges".

It seems to me that the verb form "snatched my edges" or snatched my wigs or snatched my weaves" and the adjective form "snatched" aren't used as much now (2021) in African American Vernacular English. This may be a result of the fact that those terms began to be used by mainstream (i.e. "White") American culture in 2018 and 2019. (African Americans often move on to new venacular terms when White Americans start using vernacular terms that we [African Americans] adapted or created.) 

****
ONLINE QUOTES ABOUT THE VERB FORM OF "SNATCHED MY EDGES"
These quotes are given in no particular order. Numbers are given for referencing purposes only.

Source #1:
From https://www.shondaland.com/live/beauty/a20079041/snatched-edges-natural-hair-hollywood/ 
"Snatched Edges

I learned the hard way that Hollywood still needs to learn how to style natural hair." By Danielle Pinnock, May 2, 2018
..."Edges, a term born in the black community*, are the baby-hairs that grow on the perimeter of one’s forehead. Slayed edges are like a soft-kiss from God, and styling them is truly an art form. Like any craft, it requires the right tools and training. Traditionally, an old toothbrush, boar-bristle brush, or small comb can be used in the shaping process. When I was child, my mother would style my edges with Jam (not the one you put on sandwiches) while we listened to Luther Vandross on our record player.

[…]

In the black community*, we have a lot of phrases that have double meanings. When edges are snatched, it doesn’t mean someone literally stole them from your forehead. "Snatched edges" is used as a metaphor for true excellence and a job well done. With the rise of Black Twitter memes and "RuPaul’s Drag Race," the term has resurfaced in all its glory; e.g., Beychella snatched my edges; my Aunt Winsome’s mac and cheese snatched my edges; the crossover episodes of "Scandal" and "How to Get Away With Murder" SNATCHED my EDGES.
-snip-
*"black community" in this article refers to the Black Americans (African Americans)

****
Source #2
From https://hinative.com/en-US/questions/3462616
1. "milymilanga23,  Jun 2017

Question about English (UK)

What does snatching edges mean?"

**
Reply
2. Deleted user, 23 Jun 2017
"As in: 'She snatched my edges with that performance'??

 It's like when something amazing happens or you're really surprised (positively) . I don't really know how to explain it but I hear drag queens say it a lot lol"

Edges is also used by black people* to talk about their hair (I've only heard females use this though so Idk about men ) and I think this is where the phrase originated from ^^
-snip-
*“black people” in this quote refers to Black Americans (African Americans).

****
Source #3
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ04gPb4LlY
Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels by Todrick Hall, Todrickhall, May 23, 2019 [Comments]
1. themadusacascadeguy, 2019

"Breaking news:

Reports of wigs and edges launching into the atmosphere all around the world has suddenly escalated at an alarming rate. We'll keep you updayed"

**
3. Jazmine, 2019
"Hunty I just grew my edges back why did you snatch them back off Todrick? Lmbooo"

****
Source #4
From https://www.theodysseyonline.com/12-times-beyonce-snatched-my-edges-and-wig 
12 Times Beyoncé SNATCHED My Edges And Wig, Alexis Gardner, Feb 06, 2017
..."Ok, let’s do this. You read the headline, so you already know what this is about. 12 Times Beyoncé SNATCHED my edges and wig. And yes, SNATCHED has to capitalized because she didn’t just snatch it, she SNATCHED it. There’s a difference. Do I even wear a wig? No. But did that prevent her SNATCHING it? No. So let’s look at this very small list because we all know Beyoncé stays SNATCHING edges and wigs all day. These are also in no particular order because it would take me 21,345,960,386 years to think of what order to put these in. Here we go."...

****
Source #5
From https://www.news24.com/parent/Family/Parenting/78-ways-to-speak-your-gen-z-childs-language-20190118 This IS it, chief: 79 Gen Z slang phrases you need to know
Jesse Jade Turner, 18 Jan 2019
…."Snatched edges

The term "my edges are snatched" is used to acknowledge excellence or admiration; when someone is looking so good or does something so excellent it "snatches your edges", meaning you figuratively lose your hair, or your wig goes flying.

For example, when you see a really good picture of someone, you say "my edges are snatched."...

****
Source #6
From https://www.quora.com/What-does-snatch-my-wig-mean-I-know-that-its-an-Instagram-slang-but-what-does-it-mean-exactly What does Snatch My Wig Mean

"Jani, former Art Director (2018-2019)

Answered August 5, 2018

it means something shocks you, blows you away or amazes you. all in a good way!" 

****
Source #7
From https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/wig
" "Wig" is a slang term which is shorthand for doing something so incredibly it causes another's wig to fly off. The phrase originated in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and became associated with Stan culture as fans of artists and celebrities would respond "wig" to actions of their idols. The term reached mainstream culture after Katy Perry used the term on American Idol in 2018.”…

****
Source #8
From https://twitter.com/gagasalerts/status/1239569545616121859?lang=en

"Lady Gaga Alerts 🌟

@GagasAlerts

Mar 16, 2020

OH MY GOD. WIG SNATCHED, FLEW TO MARS AND DISAPPEARED. COROMAVIRUS, DEPRESSION AND ACNE CURED. LADY GAGA HAS FED US ONCE AGAIN WITH THE SERVE OF THE CENTURY. WELCOME TO #Chromatica 😭"
-snip-
“Coromavirus” = Coronavirus

****
ONLINE QUOTES ABOUT THE ADJECTIVE FORM OF "SNATCHED"

Source #1
From https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/snatched/
"snatched

[snacht]

 WHAT DOES SNATCHED MEAN?

Is your wig still on, queen? In drag slang, snatched is "fierce" or "on point," i.e., excellent, especially when it comes to personal appearance.

 WHERE DOES SNATCHED COME FROM?

 We can thank New York City drag culture in the 1990s for slang like hunty, slay, yaas, and snatched. Snatched specifically comes from black drag culture, where performers wear artificial hair called weaves. If something is absolutely amazing (snatched), it might just snatch your weave off, à la knock one’s socks off.

After slang like on fleek, a word with a similar nod towards perfection, fell out of favor, as slang terms do, snatched picked up steam, especially in 2016. This may have been boosted by the growing prominence of drag culture in the mainstream, thanks in part to reality TV shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race.

****
Source #2
From https://www.popsugar.com/tech/photo-gallery/37912438/image/37912458/Snatched "11 Slang Terms to Memorize If You Want to Stay Cool" by Jessica Chassin, First Published: July 16, 2015, updated June 8, 2018

"Snatched

Snatched is the new fleek. It's used to describe anything that looks really good or on point. Anything from your eyebrows to your outfit can be snatched. If your eyebrows are slaying, they're snatched. If your outfit is slaying, it's snatched."

****
Source #3
From https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=snatched
1. "snatched [top definition]

Used to take the place of 'on fleek', 'perfect', 'on point' or 'fashionable'.

Girl your outfit is snatched. Your make-up snatched huny. They just hatin cause im always snatched.

by plumcoco January 31, 2016"

**
2. "snatched

a popular term in the gay community referring to good looks, fierceness, or something good.

"that wig is snatched hunny! is it real or synthetic?"

by flipandtwist2x September 11, 2011"

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Comments About Wigs Being Snatched (From The YouTube Discussion Thread Of Todrick Hall's Video "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels")

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Revision: June 11, 2021 (title change & additional comments from 2019) 

This is Part III of a four part pancocojams series on Todrick Hall's "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels" song and video.

This post provides a definition of the phrase "wigs snatched" in Gay cultures, and presents some examples of comments from the discussion thread for Todrick Hall's song ""Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels" that refer to "wigs being snatched".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/06/todrick-hall-nails-hair-hips-heels.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents an excerpt of an interview with Todrick Hall and showcases the official YouTube video of "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels". Selected general comments from the discussion thread for this video are also included in this post along with a link to this song's lyrics and a link to another video published by Todrick Hall entitled "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels - Behind The Scenes".

WARNING: This song contains profanity and other language that may be considered inappropriate for children.

Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4nJgsNllTM for a clean audio version of this video.  

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/06/online-definitions-of-article-excerpts.html for Part II of this series. Part II presents online definitions of, article excerpts, & comments about some of the gay lingo that is found in Todrick Hall's song "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels".

**
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/06/examples-of-internet-jokes-question-how.html for Part IV of this pancocojams series. Part IV presents some examples of the "Question - How many ___? Answer - Yes" jokes from the discussion thread for the official music video for Todrick Hall's "Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels". Some comments that are part of these exchanges are also included in this post.

****
The content of this post is provided for cultural and entertainment purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Todrick Hall and all those who are associated with this video. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/06/what-she-snatched-my-edges-and-her.html for the closely related pancocojams post entitled "What "She Snatched My Edges" And "Her Edges Are Snatches" REALLY Mean."

****
DRAG CULTURE'S MEANING OF THE PHRASE "WIGS SNATCHED" (and similar phrases*)
From https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Wig%20Snatching
"Wig Snatching
A term used mainly by gay men and women to express extreme happiness or excitement when their diva has done something amazing, shocking, or gives life by any means

See also wig scalped
"Beyoncé out here wig snatching with that Bowl Performance!"

"Did you see how Mariah came for Demi Lovato on Watch What Happens Live? I died! Wig snatched."
#wig#wig snatched#wig snatching#scalped#i live#gives life
by User_nombre April 15, 2017"
-snip-
*Similar phrases include "weave snatched" and "edges snatched".

The American slang word "snatched" is used as a verb or as an adjective.
Verb:  She snatched my wig.

Adjective. Her wig is snatched.  

Here's an entry from urban dictionary about the adjectival form of the slang term "snatched"

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=snatched

snatched

Used to take the place of 'on fleek', 'perfect', 'on point' or 'fashionable'.

Girl your outfit is snatched. Your make-up snatched huny. They just hatin cause im always snatched.

by plumcoco January 31, 2016

This post refers to the verb form of the slang word "snatched".

My guess is that the verb form of "snatched" came before the adjective form. I also think that the phrases "snatched my weave" and "snatched my wig" were used before the phrase "snatched my edges".

It seems to me that the verb form "snatched my edges" or snatched my wigs or snatched my weaves" and the adjective form "snatched" aren't used as much now (2021) in African American Vernacular English. This may be a result of the fact that those terms began to be used by mainstream (i.e. "White") American culture in 2018 and 2019. (African Americans often move on to new venacular terms when White Americans start using vernacular terms that we [African Americans] adapted or created.) 

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR TODRICK HALL'S "NAILS, HAIR, HIPS, HEELS"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ04gPb4LlY
Numbers are added for referencing purposes only. 

All of these comments are from 2019

1. Miguel Pérez
"Literally NASA is developing a space program to recover my wig"

**
REPLY
2. Kenyan Bunnie
"Miguel Pérez Can you give them a memo from me? My 4c curls might be on their way to Wakanda right now."
-snip-
"4c" = refers to one of the categories of hair texture that mostly refers to Black people's hair. https://www.curlcentric.com/hair-typing-system/

**
REPLY
3. xnono 95
"Could they recover mine too?"

**
REPLY
4. Cat Tricks
"I'd ask you to get mine too, but it would be kind of sad for Saturn to be without rings tbh"

**
REPLY
5. Harriet B
"Omg comment of the year goes to you 🏆I'm doonnnneeee!! Lmfho"

**
REPLY
6. IcyExclipse
"Grab mine while you’re at it"

**
REPLY
7. Romane Knight
"THIS COMMENT..... I'M deaddd!!"

**
REPLY
8. Daeyoung Ha
"This comment. Yass"

**
REPLY
9. Azizah Ishak
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH HAHAHA!!!"

**
REPLY
10. G Reacts
"LMAO I LOVE YOU BRUH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

**
REPLY
11. Healthy Life, Happy Wife
"🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣"

**
REPLY
12. I have no creative username ideas.
"They were going to do that for me, but it flew too close to the sun and burned to a crisp."

**
REPLY
13. Markoh Cruz
"Wig snatched to the outer space YASSSSSSS!!!!"

**
REPLY
14. Andy Archer
"Yes!"

**
REPLY
15. Spartacus Ani
"Dead. This my ghost typing 😂🤣"

**
REPLY
16. Innocent OMEI
"BEYOND dead."

**
REPLY
17. Random Creative Taco 》!-//《
"I wish I thought of this but I don't have that kind of creative mind"

**
REPLY
18. Miguel Pérez
"Random Creative Taco 》!-//《 it was a bit of luck. Before I watched this I was watching a video where NASA explained that they had plans to go to the moon again (2020-2025 I think) and then I just linked this video with the NASA thing 🤷🏽‍♂️😅"

**
REPLY
19. AaronEmeliano
"My wig is past andromeda now"

**
REPLY
20. Danish
"Miguel Pérez best thing ever HAHAHA"

**
REPLY
21. Josy Ct
"🤣IM WHEEZING 😭🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣"

**
REPLY
22. themadusacascadeguy
"Breaking news:
Reports of wigs and edges launching into the atmosphere all around the world has suddenly escalated at an alarming rate. We'll keep you updayed"

**
REPLY
23. Amelia Rae
"You can see my weave in orbit"

**
24. 10,000 subscribers with no vids?
"I paid good money for my wig and I want a refund."

**
25. upchuckles
""Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it" - Galadriel when asked about the whereabouts of her wig after seeing this."

**
26. Jazmine
"Hunty I just grew my edges back why did you snatch them back off Todrick? Lmbooo"

**
27. Andy Archer
"I was about to throw shade and hit the dislike. BUT THEN STARTED DANCING AND HAD TO SLIP MY WIG BACK ON AND TAKE SEVERAL SEATS!"

**
28. Andre Voges
"The gays anthem for June. Happy pride month....go snatch some wigs"

**
29. Queen GrimmZin
"I need to buy a wig just to take it off. I found this by accident."

**
30. bubbles
"who wanna join the search party for my weave because it has been sNATCHED and LOST"
-snip-
This is how this comment was written in that discussion thread.

**
31. nursinggirl 1219
"this is the LGBT national anthem wig FLEWWWWW whew"

**
32. G
"The summer anthem we needed. My wig has been snatched. Thank you for this beat Todrick❤️🌈💓✨"

**
33. Hannah Dudley
"Viewer: my wig can't be snatched. All these YouTubers are no fun


Todrick: hold my heels"

**
34. Broken Doorbell
"I went out and bought a wig for them to snatch"

**
35. Ken Kaneki
"My wig has been sent back in time so that it never existed"

**
36. Mustache Baby
"Mind?Shook
Wig?Snatched
Hotel?Trivago"

**
37. Kristen Huck
"Producers: how many wigs do you want snatched?

 

Todrick: yes"

**
REPLY
38. AntariRoyale
"Mr. Clean - E X A C T L Y"

**
39. zevenix
"RUPAUL WAS FOUND WIGLESS IN THE CORNER OF TACO BELL"
-snip-
This comment is written in bold font in that discussion thread.

**
Reply
40. Coley Moley
"Underrated comment 💙😂😅"

**
Reply
41. Anjail Robinson
"BwahahahHa 🤣🤣🤣🤣"

**
Reply
42. Ioannis
"ugh stop comparing people already. it's toxic"

**
Reply
43. josh plunkett
"I laughed way to hard at this! Well played!"

**
Reply
44. Delt∆Sa√es
"The best part is it's in a Taco Bell of all places."

**
Reply
45. fjordsi
"@Delt∆Sa√es  😂😂😂"

**
Reply
46. Coley Moley
" @Ioannis  who were they comparing???"

**
Reply
47. zevenix
" @Ioannis  it's a joke calm down..."

**
Reply
48. monikaaa ceee
"Not in the corner of taco bell 😂😂😂"

**
Reply
49. I'M GoneWithTheWind! FABULOUS!!
"zevenix RAPUNZEL WAS FOUND BALD NEAR NEPTUNE"

**
Reply
50. Sophie J.
" @Ioannis  I wouldnt say it's comparing, when you say wig snatched it's not comparing you to them, it's about been shooketh."

**
Reply
51. Danielle
"😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣😂🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂🤣🤣😂"

**
Reply
52. Userface4
"🤣🤣🤣 DYING"

**
Reply
53. Konstancja
"When I read this I was laughing so hard😂😂"

**
Reply
54. Miguel Schäfer
" @Ioannis  Your comment is the real toxic one. No one here is comparing no other and nothing is being done maliciously. Enjoy life a little and don't take things so seriously or you'll become a damn Mary Poppins."

**
Reply
55. Golden Grande
"But...isn’t Rupaul bald?"

**
Reply
56. Zoe Clay
"i love you so mochi he’s bald yes, but he has millions of wigs 😂"

 ****

This concludes Part III of this four part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

What Does "Boots" Mean In Drag Culture Slang

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides drag slang definitions of the word "boots". Addendum #1 of this post includes my comments about those definitions and what I believe is the similar way that the slang word "boom" is used in some sentences. Addendum #2 of this post includes links to two online discussions about whether the use of drag terms by people outside of those communities is appropriate. Two excerpts from those discussions are included in that Addendum.

Added May 16, 2015- Drag definitions and examples of "toot"and "boot" and "top toot".

This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series that showcases the creativity of Gay cultures, including drag culture. Posts in that series can be assessed by clicking the "Gay culture" tag and the "drag culture" tag given below. This post is also related to an ongoing pancocojams series of posts on African American Vernacular English [AAVE]. Those posts can be assessed by clicking on the African American Vernacular English tag given below.

The content of this post is provided for historical, etymological, and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

WARNING: Although the excerpts including in this post are profanity free and include no sexually explicit content, profanity and sexually explicit content may be included in some of the articles and blog posts whose links are given below.

****
FEATURED QUOTES
The following definitions and examples of the drag meaning/s of "boots" that I found through searching the Internet are presented in no order of preference.

From http://brotherhassans.blogspot.com/2011/10/when-lights-go-out-glossary-of-terms.html
Monday, October 3, 2011 "When The Lights Go Out: Glossary of Terms"
"So as not to have the heterosexual men and women that read this book be COMPLETELY lost in the sea of slang terminology used particularly by the Black gay male inmates, I have added a glossary to help guide you to interpret each term in the context of the interviews provided. Here goes:

Boots: A Black gay slang term typically used at the end of a sentence to add emphasis to the intensity of the subject of the sentence itself. For example, “Girl, I was drunk boots!” means that the individual was highly intoxicated. Derived from the phrase, “to boot,” an old idiom to describe “in addition to,” or “besides” the verb highlighted in the sentence."
-snip-
Notice that this post identifies the word "boots" and other words and phrases in its glossary as "slang terminology used particularly by the Black gay male inmates". That does not necessarily mean that any or all of those terms with those particular meanings were first coined by Black gay inmates (rather than other black gays, for instance, in the ballroom/voguing scenes). However, some of that slang -and some other slang- was undoubtedly created by gay men who were incarcerated.

****
[Note: All of the following comments are from March 6, 2014. They are numbered for references purposes. I've included brief explanatory comments under certain quotes. I've noted the racial identity of the Ru Paul Drag Race contestants who are mentioned in these comments, in part to demonstrate that the use of these terms isn't limited to or about African Americans.]

From http://www.reddit.com/r/rupaulsdragrace/comments/1zpy2z/drag_terminology_explained_for_the_newbies_like_me/ "Drag terminology explained - for the newbies (like me!)"

1. [–]omgclassicI
I'm still trying to figure out what "Boots" means! Phoenix wrote it on the mirror in S3, and Manila says it in "Hot Couture"... anyone have any idea?!
-snip-
Phoenix is an Anglo-American contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 3; Manila is an Asian-American contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 3.

****
2. [–][deleted]
In my experience, boots is used to add emphasis to your sentence, or to say somebody is ugly in drag ("She's a pretty man, but as a girl? BOOTS!").
-snip-
The slang meaning of "boots" being a person who is unattractive is also given as one of the definitions in this online dictionary entries for the word "boot" [Notice there's no "s" at the end of that word.] http://onlineslangdictionary.com/meaning-definition-of/boot, Last edited on Jan 17 2000. Submitted by James K. from Calgary, AB, Canada on Jan 17 2000. That definition doesn't mention drag.

****
3. [–]alextyrian
Manila said somewhere that she uses "the house down" and "boots" as exclamation points, sometimes together. In Hot Couture, I think the line is simply, "Manila's got it. Boots!"
“She's painted the house down. Boots!"
-snip-
[Creating a] "Hot Couture" was a challenge that was given to the contestants in that episode.
-snip-
That discussion thread continues with other comments about drag terms. Including in those comments was this explanation from cottonbiscuit about the term "the house down":
"The House Down- Emphasis usually used at the end of a sentence. "They read me the house down" "My makeup was flawless the house down".
-end of quote-
In addition, there was an exchange about whether the term "toot it and boot it" was related to the term "boots". Several commenters indicated that they didn't believe those terms were related.

****
From http://www.reddit.com/r/rupaulsdragrace/comments/29osud/tammie_brown_serving_banjee_girl_realness_the/ “Tammie Brown serving Banjee Girl realness. the house down. boots. “
-snip-
Here's my translation" of that discussion title into standard American English: "Tammie Brown's Banjee Girl realness look was excellent. People really loved it."
-snip-
That discussion didn't include any examples of the word "boots" [as of 6 AM 7/5/2014]. However, it does contain a link to a definition of "Banjee girl".

****
From http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=boot
"boots
extra, used instead of mad

instead of "That shirt is mad hot."
"That shirt is hot boots."
by cutie boots July 23, 2005
120 thumbs up, 70 thumbs down
-snip-
The thumbs up or thumbs down system is a way that site has of recording what readers think of that reader submitted definition (thumbs up = consider that definition to be accurate; thumbs down = don't consider that definition to be accurate).

**
In standard American English "That shirt is mad hot" = "That shirt is very stylish." and/or "That shirt looks very attractive (on you.)"
-snip-
Here's the urban dictionary definition for "mad" whose hyperlink was given in that comment"
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=mad
"mad
Most predominantly used in the greater New York area, "mad" is an appropriate replacement for Northern California's "hella" and Boston's "wicked." In the common vernacular, it translates into "a lot" or "extremely." Can be used almost interchangeably with any of the above listed words.

For the most part, it means angry.
It's mad hot today.

She has mad problems.
by SVex January 17, 2005
-snip-
The sentence "For the most part it means angry" probably means that when the word "mad" is used in the United States and elsewhere, it usually means "angry".

****
ADDENDUM #1: MY EDITORIAL COMMENTS
Here are several comments that I have about the slang word "boots":

Apart from that urban dictionary entry given above, as of this date/time [July 5, 2014 6 A/M/] there's no urban dictionary entry for the word "boots" at the end of a sentence or given as the only word in a sentence as it is used in drag culture/s. However, I believe that an urban dictionary entry that I found for the slang word "boom" can also be applied to the drag meaning of the word "boots" - which is not to say that "boom" and "boots" mean the same thing.

"Boom
Exclamation: Used as an oral exclamation mark but in a purely conversational context. Its function is not as heightened as the afore mentioned symbol so its impact is designed to simply reinforce ones point or statement. Generally found in light hearted, but not overtly humorous, situations.
Dinner's ready.... Boom.

Just quit my job... Boom.
by M. A. Larkin March 27, 2009
-snip-
Notice that the slang word "boom" is found at the end of a sentence or as its own sentence> The slang word "boots" is used the same way.
**
Here's what I think that portions of that entry mean: The second sentence of that entry probably means that "the exclamatory function of the word "boom" isn't as strong as the same function of the exclamation mark. Instead the word boom used this way is designed to simply reinforce one’s point or statement".

**
Also, I believe that M. A. Larkin wrote that the word "boom" is "Generally found in light hearted, but not overtly humorous, situations". My friendly re-write of that would be that the word "boom" is usually used informally. The same point applies to the word "boots".

Note that the words "boom" and "boots" are used as oral exclamation marks. However, those words aren't always written with exclamation marks.

Also, for what it's worth, I've never read or heard the slang word "boom" being used or spelled with a "s" at the end as is the case with the word "boots".

****
ADDENDUM: DISCUSSION ABOUT CULTURAL APPROPRIATION OF DRAG LANGUAGE
These online excerpts are presented in chronological order with the oldest comment given first:

From http://www.out.com/entertainment/2012/04/23/drag-queen-rupaul-race-language-slang "Mopping Drag Slang" 4.23.2012 By Mark Blankenship
..."Consider this: When he was researching a recent project, queer filmmaker and artist Wu Tsang encountered a Tumblr post that read, “99% of gay white males misuse 99% of the dialog from the film Paris is Burning. Stop saying Realness. #OccupyBallroom.” That underlines the frustration in ballroom drag--typically a queer community of color. They create a world, and then other people twist it...

Learning and repeating "real-world" drag language makes me feel connected to a purely queer universe--a universe that doesn't stop to see if straight people have caught up. Even in 2012, even as an out gay man who lives New York City and works in the theatre, I don't inhabit that space very often, but when I say "serving" and "fish,” I feel a little more connected to the queer community and the series that celebrates it. My slang confirms my citizenship in queer culture, and when other people understand it, we can look at each other and feel connected.

...However, even as I’m appropriating and being appropriated, I can be aware of what’s happening. Staying mindful of where my slang comes from can remind me to respect any culture whose language is so strong that I want to learn it. Meanwhile, accepting that other people will borrow from me can remind me I’m not a loner, but a participant whose identity is constantly reforming. If I pick up “sickening” with gratitude and pass it on with respect, then maybe I’ll feel more sickening as I make my voice heard."

****
From http://thoughtcatalog.com/madison-moore/2012/11/black-gay-slang-explained-to-suburban-white-people/ November 29, 2012 "Black Gay Slang, Explained To Suburban White People" by Madison Moore

[two comments that were written in response to that article]

El, 2012
"Black slang is not for white consumption it is racist and presumptuous to think otherwise & to even think that Black & LGBT individuals would want you to co-opt their language in the first place. This article is absolutely ridiculous and shows how clueless the author is to nuance and context within a culture that she herself does not share. If thought-catalog had any integrity they would remove this drivel and apologize. White people you need to realize everything is not for your consumption."

**
Bennett Schneider > El, 2013
"I hope not to diminish your experience and cultural integrity, but language is fluid. It cross pollinates always and has for as long as we have spoken. African and African American language has a hallmark of wonderful fluidity and redefinition. That improvisational poetry has long influenced all language types in American English; it is a gift for which all should be grateful. I don't know how one could make language used so widely, exclusive, esp. in this day and age of instant communication.

Gay male slang has also been one of the more fluid and improvisatory languages - for example, in England there is an actual Gay dialect form the early 20th Century now studied in colleges.

To the claim that black LGBT slang should remain spoken and written only by bona fide black gay male practitioners of a certain sub-set, how would we regulate that? Should gay men not say "Gurl!" if they are white, Asian, and Latino? What about black gay men you do not consider of the correct sub-set; how will they know? Or does their being in the black community make that automatically OK, even if they have not spoken it much before? Can Black women say it? because they has been enormous cross over between black gay slang and black female slang.

We could, forgive me for suggesting, look at the marvelous inventions of language coming from black gay men, as a gift to the whole community. It could be a shining source of pride that these valued members of our community keep us alive and creative and smiling with better turns of phrase than we might have had in a community of exclusivity. (of course this begs the awareness of White Privilege and the loooong denial of white culture's "gifts" to black people and others... like, opportunity, freedom, money, and access)."

****
Added May 16, 2015: DEFINITIONS AND EXAMPLE OF "TOOT" AND "BOOT" AND "TOP TOOT"
"Toot" and "boot" are two determinations that are used in the YouTube video series "RuPaul's Drag Race Fashion Photo RuView". In those videos two previous contestants from the RuPaul's Drag Race television series (usually Raja and Raven) rate whether the runway fashions worn by that season's contestants are good (toot) or not good (boot). At the end of those ratings, one drag queen's fashions is judged to be the best (top toot).

In "RuPaul's Drag Race Fashion Photo RuView with Raja and Raven - Episode 5", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlRChkIsnHw Mar 26, 2014, Raja explains the terms "toot" and "boot". [Note: Profanity is included in that video and in most of those videos. Paraphrasing Raja's explanation, "toot" is good because that word is associated with snorting cocaine and "boot" is bad because of the colloquial saying "giving someone the boot (kicking a person out.)

Although Raja didn't say this, the word "toot" has long been associated with praising oneself (i.e. "tooting one's own horn.) That colloquial meaning probably influences Drag culture's use of "toot" and "top toot".

In the beginning of many of the episodes that I watched, Raja and Raven use the familiar "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" gestures to explain what "toot" and "boots" mean. The fact that these terms have to be explained suggests that these are relatively new meanings for those terms in Drag societies as well as in non-Drag societies.

**
EXAMPLES OF THESE TERMS
From
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlRChkIsnHw Mar 26, 2014
"Raja and Raven TOOT and BOOT the runway looks from episode five of RuPaul's Drag Race!"

**
From http://www.reddit.com/r/rupaulsdragrace/comments/360kg4/love_like_or_loathe_episode_6_death_becomes_her/ Love, Like, or Loathe - Episode 6 [RuPaul's Drag Race Season 7] - Death Becomes Her (youtube.com) May 13, 2015
[This discussion thread is about a YouTube video review of Episode 6 which is hosted by Patricia.]

Jambeards
"Ginger top toot? The apocalypse is nigh"
-snip-
Raja and Raven gave "top toot" to Season 7 contestant Ginger who isn't known for great runway fashion. Hence the statement that "the apocalypse is nigh (The world is coming to an end.)

**
truggledug
"Lol after the meltdown from Ginger getting Top toot in the bear suit, I couldn't help but cackle when Patricia did the same."
-snip-
"The meltdown" refers to the uproar when Raja and Raven gave Ginger top toot for her bear suit. [In Episode 9 the contestants had to design and wear an animal kingdom couture].

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

"Hunty" And The African American Vernacular English Custom Involving The Letter "T"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides an excerpt from a reddit online discussion about drag terminology that has been popularized by the American television series RuPaul's Drag Race.

UPDATED March 10, 2015
This excerpt focuses on the meaning of the word" "hunty" and the custom that some African Americans and (by extension) some other people have of consciously or unconsciously using the letter "t" in the pronunciation and the spelling of certain words. For example, the letter "t" is purposely added to the word "honey". In this explanation, the word "hunty" retains the same meaning as "honey" but evokes African American cultural flavor [a sense of "soulful-ness", to coin a word].

An alternate explanation for the word "hunty" as used on RuPaul's Drag Race and elsewhere is given in the comment section of http://www.realitynation.com/tv-shows/rupauls-drag-race/drag-queen-lingo-dictionary/23856/#_is=1rx2f3e2hydduzo92799qhupja by Ukme, 2012
"Hunty is a combination of C**t and Honey. It's a cleaner version of the word C***y !"

****
This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series that showcases the creativity of Gay cultures, including drag culture. Posts in that series can be assessed by clicking on the "Gay culture" tag and the "drag culture"tag that are given below. This post is also related to an ongoing pancocojams series on African American Vernacular English [AAVE]. Those posts can be assessed by clicking on the African American Vernacular English tag given below.

The content of this post is provided for historical, etymological, and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
From http://www.reddit.com/r/rupaulsdragrace/comments/1zpy2z/drag_terminology_explained_for_the_newbies_like_me/ "Drag terminology explained - for the newbies (like me!)"

[Note: all of these comments were published on March 6, 2014. The comments are numbered for referencing purposes. I've included brief explanatory comments under certain quotes. I've included the racial identity of the contestants who are mentioned in these comments, in part to demonstrate that the use of these terms isn't limited to or about African Americans- it's part of drag culture.]

... 1. [–]lilmonstahm
"Hunty - a term of endearment formed by mixing honey and cunty!"

****
2. [–]JCizleScruff
"I always side-eye the definition of that term. It feels a little retcon-y to me. I've heard the T replaced in a lot of words for the N to give it a more... ghetto effect. Hunty is just the one we hear the most. I say "Good MornTing" to my friends all the time (and I'm pretty sure Raven said it on the show once or twice).

We need some for reals drag etymologists to get to the bottom of this mystery.
-snip-
Definition of side eye from http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=side+eye:
"A facial expression expressing one's criticism, disapproval, animosity, or scorn of varying levels of intensity towards another person. Defined by one person looking at the other out of the corner of their eye(s) with a scowl, as their head is turned in a different direction. Often an invitation for a fight or confrontation of some sort. Synonymous expression: "cuttin' your eyes" (at someone). Popular expression (and common occurrence) among urban American populations.

"Girl, you see that heffa over there givin' me the side eye? She MUST be tryin' to start somethin'."
by B.T. December 06, 2007
-snip-
Raven - an Anglo-American contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 2.
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_RuPaul's_Drag_Race_contestants for a list of the contestants for this television show up to and including Season 6.

**
"heffa" = "heifer", a derogatory term for a female

**
Definition of "retcon" retcon from http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=retcon
"(shortened form of RETroactive CONtinuity; first made popular in the comic book world)

1. (original meaning) Adding information to the back story of a fictional character or world, without invalidating that which had gone before.

2. (more common usage) Adding or altering information regarding the back story of a fictional character or world, regardless of whether the change contradicts what was said before...

by R David Francis July 08, 2003

****
3.[–]lilmonstahm
"Oooh right. Like the girls used to call Monica, MonTica!"
-snip-
Girls here refer to contestants on RuPaul's Drag Race. Monica Beverly Hillz, an Anglo-American contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race contestant,Season 5.

****
4. [–]myusernameonreddit
"I've always wondered about this because I've heard Willam say something to the effect of "this is not for you to be making moneTy (money) off of" in an episode of Beatdown. I've also heard Ru use it in an episode or two and I think it's one of my favorite dragisms just because it's kind of subtle but effective.
-snip-
William, an Anglo-American contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 4.

Ru = RuPaul, African American, renown drag queen, recording star, producer/host of RuPaul's Drag Race.

****
5. [–]JCizle
"My guess is that it all comes from that stereotypical black church mother that reads the announcements during the service... I know... it seems like a deep reference but what drag slang isn't? They are very well known in black culture for mispronouncing and adding things on to words. Think sigh of how Tyler Perry's Madea ugh talks basically.
This is where you get your "Hellerrrrrrr" and your extended "Hallelooooooos" from even if drag queens have appropriated them."
-snip-
Tyler Perry, African American movie producer and actor; "Madea", an oldish Black mother figure, n is one of Tyler Perry's iconic characters. Madea= a combination of the words "mother" and "dear"

**
"Hellerrrrrrr"- greeting some RuPaul's Drag Race contestants use on that show.

"Hallelo" is the catchphrase of Shangela Laquifa Wadley, an African American contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 2 and Season 3. That form of the word "Hallelujah" is found in the African American Spiritual "Praise Ye The Lord" (Hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah/ Praise ye the Lord".

****
6.-[deleted]
"Adding that t is definitely common. We rename divas as "Madonn-ta," "Tin-ta Turn-ter," etc."
-snip-
Madonna, famous Anglo-American Pop singer; Tina Turner, famous African (African American) famous Rhythm and Blues singer.

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

What "Sissy That Walk" Means (with video examples)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post presents a definition of and information about the saying "Sissy that walk!" This post also includes six video examples of people "sissying their walk".

The content of this post is provided for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured on these videos and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
WHAT "SISSY THAT WALK" MEANS
"Sissy that walk" is a saying that means "to walk with a very noticeable or an exaggerated switch or strut".

The word "sissy" is a diminutive form of the word "sister". In its capitalized form it has been used as a nickname for a female sibling - i.e. American actress "Sissy Spacek".

The word "sissy" has also been used as a taunting referent to a male who some believe acts feminine. While that switching style of walking is most closely associated with female catwalk fashion models, the saying "Sissy that walk" is probably most closely associated with drag queens. In that sense, "Sissy that walk" means to walk like a female, but not just any female- a self-confident female catwalk model who isn't afraid of strutting her stuff.

"Sissy that walk!" may be voiced as an imperative sentence (a command) or as a statement of approval for the way that the person being addressed is already walking.

The saying "sissy that walk" is being popularized in 2014 by recording artist, producer, and enteprenuer, RuPaul Charles in his American television show RuPaul's Drag Race, in his recorded song "Sissy That Walk" and elsewhere. Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4d20Tyzlv0 for a link to the official music video of that song. (Warning: That song includes mild profanity and some comments on that discussion thread also contain profanity.)

Here are two comments from that YouTube discussion thread:
Suzy Hernandez, May 2014
"I haven't loved a new pop song in a very long time... I hear this in my head when walking around town and it makes me Sissy That Walk. Gotta love trends being set by a 53 year old man dressing up in women's clothing."
**
Arnold S, May 2014
"That is now my daily affirmation "If I fly or if I fall, I gave it my all. Now, SISSY THAT WALK!""
-snip-
Here's information about how RuPaul came to use that saying:
From http://www.billboard.com/articles/6084802/rupaul-sissy-that-walk-video-premiere-drag-race-exclusive
RuPaul, 'Sissy That Walk': Exclusive Video Premiere By Keith Caulfield | May 12, 2014 2:15 PM EDT
“Fun fact: the phrase "Sissy That Walk" came to RuPaul by way of his friend, writer Rich Juzwiak, who heard a parent screaming the line at their kid in a child beauty pageant.”
-snip-
Given the fact that most of the children who compete in beauty pageants are female, it's likely that the parent who screamed "Sissy that walk" directed that comment to his daughter because he wanted her to walk "harder" (with more verve).
-snip-
Here's a brief clip of RuPaul on the Queen Latifah talk show using that "Sissy that walk" saying:

"Sissy That Walk" With RuPaul and Queen Latifah



Queen Latifah Published on Mar 31, 2014

RuPaul notices a fierce pair of shoes in the audience and tells her to "sissy that walk.".
-snip-
RuPaul incorporates some voguing hand movements when he demonstrates how to "sissy that walk". Cleo, the audience member with the sylish shoes does that hand movement while seated. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/03/waacking-and-voguing-street-dances-part_5.html for Part II of a pancocojams series on voguing.

****
EDITORIAL COMMENT
The word "sissy" has long been a pejorative referent for males who are gay or males who are said to "act gay". However, when it is used by drag queens, the "sissy that walk" saying is a positive command or encouragement that means that that the person is "strutting" his (or her) stuff" . In other words, a person who is "sissying that walk" is really "walking that walk", "working it ("werking it"), "shaking his or her thing- with "thing" meaning "butt". In that sense, the saying "sissy that walk" may be an indication that - at least to some extent - members of the gay community are reclaiming the word "sissy", removing the pejorative connotations from that word. That said, I believe that it is still usually very hurtful for boys to be called a sissy.

****
FEATURED VIDEOS THAT SHOWCASE PEOPLE "SISSYING THEIR WALK"
These videos are posted in chronological order based on their posting date on YouTube with the oldest dated videos presented first.

Example #1: Briannet Borrego'model,niña modelando,modelaje,hna actriz Liannet Borrego



montana1664 Uploaded on Mar 10, 2009

La graduacion del primer curso de modelaje de Briannet Borrego(4 añitos)
-snip-
I think the English translation for this Italian sentence is "The graduation for the first class [course?} of Briannet Borrego school of modeling (children age four years).

****
Example #2: Diva Davanna walk at the "So you think you can walk modeling competition"

.

Joe Clarke, Uploaded on May 18, 2010

Diva Davanna struts her stuff at this modeling competition. The models her needed to take some real lessons from this Diva as she delivers the cutting edge moves needed to represent any brand.

****
Example #3: ORPHEE BLACK FEMALE MODELS RUNWAY & SWIMWEAR SHOW, produced by ORPHEE!



ORPHEUSS100, Uploaded on Mar 23, 2011

****
Example #4: Raja Runway Season 3

.
art pop, Published on Sep 23, 2012
-snip-
Raja is the winner of RuPaul Drag Race, Season #3.
-snip-
Warning: One of the songs played in this compilation contains mild profanity.

****
Example #5: Rupaul's Drag Race Season 6 looks - Sissy That Walk



locoreptilectric, Published on Apr 28, 2014

****
UPDATE: June 4, 2014
Click http://abc.go.com/shows/sing-your-face-off/video/most-recent/VDKA0_xbteoq0o for a recent video of RuPaul showing how he "sissies that walk" on the ABC television show "Sing Your Face Off". Rupaul was serving as a celebrity judge for that competition.

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

The Changing Meaning Of "Banji" (Banjee) - From "Paris Is Burning" to Sharaya J's "Banji" Record

Edited by Azizi Powell

In Episode 11 Season 6 of the American television show RuPaul's Drag Race the contestants had to prepare and model a banjee girl outfit. I had never heard the word "banjee" or the term "banjee girl" prior to watching that show. And even after that episode ended, I still wasn't exactly sure what "banjee" meant.

This post provides information about the term Banji (Banjee) that I found online.
UPDATE: May 5, 2014 - As a somewhat related subject, I'm including in the Addendum a link to a discussion & excerpt of a comment in that discussion about the difference between a female impersonator and a drag queen.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and who are featured in the videos in this post. Thanks also to publishers of these videos on YouTube.

****
1980S/1990S BANJI (BANJEE) DEFINITION
http://thisisbanji.tumblr.com/post/91953914/what-is-banji
1 April 09
"What is Banji?

Banji Realness is a category in which men dress in drag and attempt to look not like a man in drag, but in fact like a real Banji Girl or Banji Boy. What is a Banji Girl? In simplest terms, a Banji Girl is a hoot* [sic] rat. In the documentary Paris is Burning, an inside look at Drag Ball culture of 1980’s New York, the following definitions are given:

"Banji. Looking like the boy that robbed you a few minutes before you came to Paris’ ball."

"This is Banji, you know, the girls that be on the corner talkin’ about ‘Yo, man.’"

"Ones that can hang out with the [sic] Rough and the [sic] Tough."...

In other words, ghetto...."
-snip-
"Hoot" in this article is probably a typo for "hood".
"hood rat" — African American Vernacular English noun (derogatory) = a young woman from a poor urban area.
Note that unlike "hood rat" or "(wearing) ghetto styles", "banjee"/"banji" and "banji realness" are largely considered to be complimentary terms.

****
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banjee
Banjee or banjee boy is a term from the 1980s or earlier that describes a certain type of young Latino or African American man who has sex with men and who dresses in stereotypical masculine urban fashion for reasons which may include expressing masculinity, hiding his sexual orientation and attracting male partners. The term is mostly associated with New York City and may be Nuyorican in origin*.[1][2][3] Attitude, clothing, ethnicity, masculinity, physique and youth are all elements of what has been called "banjee realness".

...The 1990 documentary film Paris is Burning featured "banjee realness" as one of the categories in which contestants competed for trophies. According to the Village Voice "banjee boy categories have been a part of vogue balls since at least the early 1980s."[4]

The word "banjee" never entered mainstream pop culture, but it had currency as gay slang throughout the 1990s. In 1998, a report in the medical journal AIDS Patient Care and STDs regarding safer sex practices among young Black and Latino men was entitled "Banjee Boys Are Down" ("down", in this vernacular, meaning "supportive of it").[5]...

Several examples of the use of the term "Banjee girl" exist in the blogosphere but it has rarely, if ever, made it into print or mass media.** An exception is the Billboard charting single "Back to My Roots" [1993] by RuPaul, which states the phrase in a list of hair fashions. In the film Paris is Burning, the term itself is used in comparable frequency with its male counterpart, "banjee boy", which coupled with the film's focus on the inextricably connected transgender and drag culture of 1980s NYC, lends itself to a contextual definition of those performers impersonating females and attempting to exhibit the ultimately judged quality of holistic visual verisimilitude—"realness".
-snip-
*Nuyorican = slang for a Puerto Rican living in New York City

**This was apparently written before the RuPaul's Drag Race episode that I mentioned in the beginning of this post.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Realness (Paris is Burning)



Ursus malayanus Published on Aug 8, 2013

All footage edited from Paris is Burning, a 1990 film on the gay ball scene in the 80s and 90s New York City.
-snip-
Paris Is Burning is a 1990 American documentary film directed by Jennie Livingston. Filmed in the mid-to-late 1980s, it chronicles the ball culture of New York City and the African-American, Latino, gay, and transgender communities involved in it...

The film explores the elaborately-structured ball competitions in which contestants, adhering to a very specific category or theme, must "walk" (much like a fashion model's runway) and subsequently be judged on criteria including the "realness" of their drag, the beauty of their clothing and their dancing ability."
-snip-
I believe that the title Paris Is Burning is a way of bragging that the Ballroom scene has taken the place of the fashion scene in Paris, France.

****
"BANJI REALNESS" CLOTHING STYLES
In the 1990s, the clothing styles that are associated with young men from "the hood" were loose fitting, baggy (often sagging) pants (often the brand name "Dickies" which are khaki in color), or jogging pant suits, checkered shirts, athletic sports team shirts, "wife beaters" (a sleeveless white t-shirt), and tight fitted black leather jacket. Other clothing styles from those decades are a baseball cap worn backwards, or a black knitted cap, wearing a (blue or red depending on their gang color) scarf over your hair, and wearing your tennis shoes (sneakers) unlaced. Those clothing styles are shown in the videos found below.

Females living in "the hood" were associated with the following clothing styles: baggy (often sagging) pants, or "hoochie mama" shorts (very small tight shorts that are often made by cutting off long jeans (often over tight black stocking pants), a baseball caps worn backwards, [the brand name] "Cross Colors" jackets, "belly shirts" (shirts tied below their breast), clunky necklaces, and large earrings (called "door knockers").

It seems to me that the 2013 "banji realness" style is an old school (retro) 1990s style that to a large extent is typified by the 1990s female singer Aliyah and the female rappers "Salt N Pepa". Notice the clothing in this Salt N Pepa video:

Salt-n-Pepa - "Shoop" Live (1994)



KlassicThrowbackTV, Published on Jan 10, 2013

Performed @ NBA All Star Weekend (1994)
-snip-
*A "hoochie mama" is another term for a promiscuous woman. People outside of the hood largely considered these female hood rats to be dirty (i.e. promiscuous, sleeping with anyone like rats do) simply because they hung around those streets (those neighborhood corners and areas) where males "thugs" associated.

****
POSSIBLE ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD "BANJI" ("BANJEE")
I'm not sure what the etymology is for the word "banji" ("banjee"). It might come from the African American slang word "banging" (as in "gang bangin" (meaning urban gang fighting). The African American word "banging" also means engaging in sexual intercourse. "Banging" can also be used as an adjective for someone or something that is very good.

Note that in that Paris Is Burning clip the narrator said that "realness" is looking like your straight [not gay] counterpart. The narrator also said that "realness is looking like a real woman or a real man". I believe that that statement is outdated because homosexual men are also real men and lesbians are also real women. However, that wording reflected the sentiments of those times.

****
2000s "BANJI"/"BANJEE" AND "BANJI CERTIFIED" DEFINITIONS
In the 2000s "banji/banjee" and related terms such as "banji certified", "banji bash", and "banji movement" have been largely separated from any reference to LBGT people. Instead, "banji" is a (usually complimentary) referent to certain styles of urban fashion.

A person is "banji certified" if he or she is really (acting like or dressing like a) "banji". Two related terms that are probably also of recent coinage are "Banji bash" (an event where people dressed in banji styles") and "Banji movement" (a catch all term for all things "banji)

From http://style.mtv.com/2012/10/19/le1f-interview/
Le1f Talks Style Evolution, Fashion Ambitions, And Defining 'Banjee'
Posted 10/19/12 3:42 pm EST by Maud Deitch in Dudes, Interviews
[Gay rapper Le1f asked to explain “Banjee”]
"I guess to someone’s parents gay friends it might mean someone who is in the closet, like a gay black or latino person who is straight-acting, or particularly wearing that fashion from the early 90’s, like Aaliyah in her tomboy look from Tommy Hilfiger, that was very banjee. It’s been re-appropriated by masculine men who aren’t afraid of being out of the closet to describe a style of dress. Like a mix of streetwear—archetypal things like Timberlands and jerseys and things that I actually do like—with things like harem pants and bomber jackets. It’s a masculine but androgynous approach to fashion."
-snip-
I believe that the 'Be Authentic Never Jeopardise Individuality' acronym is a recent coinage that was probably created by rapper/producer Missy Elliot or her protégé Sharaya J. While I applaud the sentiments of that acronym, it wasn't what the Paris Is Burning participants meant by "realness". To quote LHarkins in the introduction to a discussion thread about Ru Paul's Drag Race's Episode 11, Season 6: "Realness in terms of ball culture means being able to pass convincingly as that certain criteria". http://www.reddit.com/r/rupaulsdragrace/comments/24b9mn/psa_to_future_rpdr_ball_contestants_realness/ [Warning: Some of the comments on that thread include profanity.]

****
Sharaya J - Banji [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]



ALLFEMALERAP, Published on Mar 8, 2013

Missy Elliott's new Artist Sharaya J
-snip-
From ="http://www.sazrah.co.uk/1/post/2013/04/are-you-banjicertified-meet-sharaya-j-missy-elliotts-new-artist.htm
"B.A.N.J.I stands for 'Be Authentic Never Jeopardise Individuality' which is a strong and powerful message that I feel is much needed in the media driven world we live in today. Constantly we are being fed information leading us to believe we need to look or act a certain way to fit into society. However Sharaya J - a rising star mentored by Missy Elliott is having none of this, creating a breath of fresh air in the current music world. Her debut single 'Banji' spreads the word about embracing your unique qualities and not changing for anybody"...
-snip-
This comment was included in the discussion thread to another video of this same song [Warning: Some comments in that thread include profanity]:
ABC Dance Crew, 2014
"SHE REALLY NEED TO PAY RESPECT TO DA LGBT COMMUNITY CUZ DA WORD BANGI CAME FROM DA GAY COMMUNITY N SHE REALLY ACT LIKE SHE CREATED THAT WORD SMH)"
-snip-
"SMH" means "shake my head" a gesture that indicates scorn.

I should note that a commenter in the discussion thread of one YouTube video of Sharaya J's "Banji" record shared that he or she believed that Missy Elliot is well aware of the origin of the term "banji" since she is friends with people who were associated with that gay ballroom scene.

****
ADDENDUM
Click http://www.reddit.com/r/rupaulsdragrace/comments/24pnip/is_there_any_straight_drag_queens/to read a discussion about the difference between female impersonator and drag queens.
Here's an excerpt from the comment posted by wtroffaducksback, May 4, 2014
..."one thing to remember is there is a difference between female impersonator and drag queens. A drag queen must have a developed alter ego that is separate from their male counterpart. Ben dela creme is the best example of this because the queen's boy identity is shy and introspective wheras dela's "terminally delightful" personality is the part of ben that feels like he has overcome his depression. Impersonators are moreso just playing a role. examples of female impersonators are: Shakespearian actors, some like it hot and Madea. Tyler perry is not a drag queen because madea is not his alter ego or even someone he identifies with.

SO BASICALLY: people who think that drag is a performance art for gay men to express their feminine side and challenge societies roles, they would call a straight drag queen ( even if they work at drag clubs) a female impersonator or a boy in a dress. I think that this attitude is changing because fishy queens are becoming more popular. Unlike low camp, high camp, underground, clubkid and dragball styles of drag, fishy is the least politically and socially consious; if you look like a girl your in. A straight person could do this type of drag."
-snip-
"Madea" (a contraction of the words "Ma [Mama] dear)= the character of an old-ish, no nonsense African American mother that was developed and is portrayed by Tyler Perry in many of his lucrative movies.
"fishy" = a very feminine looking drag queen

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.