‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’: Symone’s Foxy Beast Look Was an Homage to the Furry Community
Symone won season 13 of RuPaul’s Drag Race and snatched the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar thanks to her undeniable stage presence and unique take on drag. Many of her runway looks will be remembered long after her reign is over, including her Beast Couture look — a foxy lady that resembled a furry costume more than a look one would expect on the Drag Race main stage.
Symone won ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ season 13
Symone shined at several points throughout the season. From her hilarious performance as a stuck-up flag factory owner to her Harriet Tubman impersonation on Snatch Game, Symone brought something different every time and showed she always had something else under her sleeve.
But despite winning four challenges before the finale, Symone stumbled during the competition as well and showed a more vulnerable side in those moments. She fell in the bottom two twice, but saved herself every time with her captivating performances.
Symone’s runway looks were inventive and innovative
Every week, Symone dazzled the judges and the viewers with her unique looks, many of which became instantly iconic. As the proud Ebony Enchantress, Symone incorporates Black culture and her love of everything it entails in her drag. While every other queen did a variation of a dress for the trains category, for example, Symone pounded the runway wearing a durag that stretched several feet behind her.
One look that caught many people’s attention, though, was her costume for the “Beast Couture” runway.
Symone’s intent behind her beast couture look
Symone spoke about her foxy lady character from the beast couture runway in an interview with Vulture. “I made a joke about the furry thing, but actually it was meant to be more of an actualized cartoon,” the Arkansas-bred queen revealed. “When I did it, I was like, ‘They’re gonna lose their sh*t, I know it.’ But it was all me.”
“That was another point with the runway,” she continued, “I wanted to make sure that it didn’t look like a costume, like when you saw it you’d be like, ‘Oh, of course that’s what Symone would wear, if she was putting on a beast outfit.'”
Symone went on to shout out the furry community for enjoying her look and for remaining authentically themselves. “I knew people from that community, the furry community, would just love it. Which I love, because I knew people would never think I would do something like that. This was the first time I’d ever done anything like that,” she said.
Ultimately, Symone looks back on the beast couture runway with nothing but admiration and happiness for the concept she executed. “I was just so happy it went off very well, because that was one of my top-three favorites I brought to the show,” she admitted. “I love all my babies, but that was definitely up there for me.”
