Yvie Oddly, the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 11, recently wrote that it’s selfish for fans to expect drag queens to take photos with them after they finish performing because it’s like asking a star chef for free food after they’ve run out of ingredients.
Here’s what Oddly wrote on Twitter:
Imagine that you’re a very passionate chef who landed your dream job at a prestigious restaurant. Imagine that you just spent a long day on your feet cooking for people who pay you because they appreciate how your food tastes.
Now imagine that you walk out of the restaurant and are met by a mob of people who love your food and ask you to cook for them… for free… and without any ingredients because you just used them all…
This is why I refuse to take pictures after I finish a show. Don’t be selfish.
I like to surround myself with passionate, and empathetic individuals, so in case this message ever gets misconstrued by those who would rather write me off as entitled than a human with human needs: I love my family and I love my FANS! P.s. The rest of you can go eat a baby!
Oddly is young (25), has only been Drag Race‘s reigning queen for a little over a month and has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a condition that results in a bodily shortage of collagen which can cause pain and joints to pop out of place. So it makes sense why Oddly would use an overwrought cooking metaphor to try and explain their fatigue.
Fans sometimes expect too much from their idols, and being mobbed by fans after you’ve just given your all can feel exhausting and even a little unfair, especially if you have a chronic illness.
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However, numerous Twitter users pointed out to Oddly that it’s an honor to have fans at all and that some fans can’t afford paid photo opportunities (let alone the $30 ticket they bought just to see Oddly).
Regardless on where you stand on this, Oddly issued the following apology after fan blowback:
My previous tweet caused quite the stir. I want to take the opportunity to have a conversation that is important for our community. First, we as queens need to listen when our fans feel disrespected. If anyone felt disrespected or unappreciated, I sincerely apologize.
I do truly love my fans and take it very seriously to show gratitude for their support and enjoy meeting them. I take responsibility in falling short in this, and I’m deeply sorry if it’s come off that I don’t care, or am not grateful.
Now, just as the queens have the responsibility to respect their fans, the fans have the responsibility to respect the queens’ boundaries, simple as that.
In other words, you can ask Oddly for a photo after a show, but she needs you to respect that she might say no because of her physical needs. She might say no, and if she does, please don’t get all salty about it.
You can catch Oddly’s new reality series, Yvie Oddly’s Oddities, after it premieres the week of Sept. 1 on World of Wonder’s streaming app. In it, Oddly will “create her unique brand of avant-garde drag on a broke queen budget” using “unique finds, thrift store throwaways and household items,” or as she likes to call them, “ingredients.”
Author’s note: The article above has been edited in light of comments made by Oddly.
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rikard_pearson
winning her season without learning the lesson she needed most. i’m a big fan, so seeing her flail like this is disappointing.
smartguyd
Try again, being a “fan” of anything or anyone doesn’t entitle you to anything. A performer’s currency is their time and talent and nobody is entitled to either for free. You can pay for it via meet and greets, or you can wait around after a show to say hi and hope they are gracious enough to offer it for free. But the second you start demanding they owe it to you as a fan you are just another bum demanding free things for nothing.
pharaon.em.joe
@smartguyd good reply.
Roan
Winning Drag Race or All Stars doesn’t change who you are, it reveals who you are.
ShiningSex
NOT EXACTLY. JUST ASK PHI PHI WHO IS ONE OF THE WORST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. THAT BITCH DIDN’T WIN. SHE’S STILL A LOSER.
Adam
“Her joints hurt, alright?” Yikes, Daniel. I love you, but it’s very uncool to mock someone born with a legitimate genetic disorder… and one that causes her consistent pain.
Daniel Villarreal
I’m not mocking her. I’ve seen the deathdrops and backbends she does and even made sure to ppoint out the syndrome she has and its effect on her stamina and chronic pain.
Brian
I get it. If you just had a bunch of people pay extra to get a photo with you, it’s not really fair to then go outside and give it away for free. This is their business, it’s smart to treat it as one. It’s quite possible to say no and not be a jerk about it
toddfashion
Message to Yvie – you are nothing without your fans taking a picture is NOT performing and shouldn’t e thought of like that. Patti LaBelle, Mariah Carey and P!nk are. All kind to their fans in this regard – have even taken the I tunes for fans when with them. So lose the tude or you will be surprised how quick those fans and gigs stop coming
pharaon.em.joe
A true fan will understand Yvie. You are obviously not a true fan. She doesn’t need you.
Brian
The concert of “true fan'” is stupid. It really means “unhealthily obsessed”. Being a fan isn’t a competition.
And sorry, Yvie needs casual fans just as much as stalker level fans. Moreso, actually. You can’t build a career off of the backs of a few hundred nutjobs.
ShiningSex
MARIAH CAREY NICE? GIRL WHAT YOU SMOKING? MARIAH IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST BITCHES AROUND. OPEN YOUR EYES. YES, FANS MAKE YOU BUT THEY ALSO BREAK YOU TOO.
Cam
An entertainers face and performance is their stock in trade. If I remember from the show, Yvie was raised with no money, has been broke for ages, has a genetic disorder that will eventually leave her unable to walk, and is prone to injury and very sore joints after a performance.
She does’t owe me a picture, most of the fans are going to post it and get a bit of second degree fame off of it, so give the girl a $5.00 and smile. Her years of being able to perform like she does are limited, let her make some bank while she can do all of those amazing tricks.
Charlie in Charge
Honestly, if you are really her fan just say to her “You’re fantastic, I loved your performance” and leave it at that. You don’t need a selfie to prove your love for her work, kind words will do.
nitejonboy
Never heard of her, can’t stand that show or most drag queens, so I wouldn’t want a pic with her anyway. Note that most Broadway actors come outside after their show and pose for pics with fans almost every night and you don’t hear them bitching. I don’t pay celebs for photos, as far as I’m concerned I’ve paid them enough already by paying them with every movie ticket I buy.
DarkZephyr
Well gee, nitejonboy, thanks for answering the questions we never asked you the answers to. (Translation: Nobody cares if you like Yvie or not or if you like drag or not).
kumagiri
Love how many people come here just to hate on the show or drag queens in general. I get it, you’re just a bro who happens to do bro stuff in your bed with other bros.
The article was great, and so was her follow up/apology. I just think she meant demanding fans, not fans in general. As the article cleverly points out, she does have a serious condition, and perhaps she needs some time to recover after dancing and splitting on stage. Also, she doesn’t have time for that, Karen. She doesn’t have time nor patience for that, so take your hen party someplace else.
Flmatthew99
They always apologize when they are afraid the money is going to stop. Fake, fake, fake.