Shea Couleé Comments on the Double Standards of the ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Judges
Shea Couleé may be here to slay, but not all of her runway looks were well-received. In fact, this artist commented on the double standard of the judges panel, where some queens are considered “crafty” while others are considered “artsy,” especially during RuPaul’s Drag Race: All-Stars 5.
[This article contains spoilers from the finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race: All-Stars 5. Read at your own risk, squirrel friends!]
Shea Couleé was one of the contestants on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’
During June and July of 2020, fan-favorite contestants re-entered the Werk Room for another chance at the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar.” This was for RuPaul’s Drag Race: All-Stars 5 and, from week one, season 9’s Shea Couleé was one of the top contenders for the crown.
Over the course of a few weeks, Shea Couleé stunned fans with her “I’m In Love” verse, her talent show performance, her challenge-winning Snatch Game performance as Flavor Flav, and her charisma. Eventually, she won this season of All-Stars.
Shea Couleé won ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race: All-Stars 5’
Even though she was (somehow) in the bottom a few weeks, Shea Couleé managed to fight her way to the Top Three of this season, along with performers Jujubee and Miz Cracker. RuPaul then crowned Shea Couleé as the winner, resulting in a positive reaction from fans across the globe.
Still, some fans were shocked that Shea Couleé didn’t win the RuPaul Backyard Barbeque Ball challenge, while others were shocked that Ross Matthews called Shea Couleé’s moth runway “a little crafty.”
‘Crafty’ versus ‘artsy’ — Shea Couleé commented on the judge’s ‘double standard’
The judge’s panel definitely had some questionable critiques this season. For one interview with Vulture, Shea Couleé was asked about the judge’s critiques. Particularly, how some queens and their looks are considered “crafty” while others are considered “artsy.” That, of course, applied to the drag performer’s moth transformation look.
“It’s definitely a hard pill for me to swallow, because I put so much thought and time into making that look,” Shea Couleé said. “It was covered in Swarovski stones, I invested time and money, it was custom airbrushed. I had to reconcile the fact that the way that I feel about something is not necessarily the way the judges are going to view it.”
“So I had to take the critiques in stride, because what somebody perceives as their truth, they perceived it as crafty,” she continued. “I perceived them as wrong. But that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. We don’t always agree on things. But I was really, really happy to know the fans liked it as well.”
Fans can learn more about Shea Couleé from her social media platforms. Episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race: All-Stars 5 are available on VH1.com, by providing login information from your cable network.
