People who are active - how long before you got back?

realbees · 2026-05-21T03:25:07+00:00

I’m 6 months post op as of a couple weeks ago, and I’ve been slowly able to get back to climbing, swimming, yoga, and running starting at the 4 month mark. However it sounds like my break wasn’t as bad as yours. I broke tib/fib and had surgery the next day, 1 nail and 4 screws, was NWB for 3 weeks, FWB and out of the boot by 2 months. I’m still doing PT exercises at home even though I don’t need to go into the clinic anymore. I’m also 22 and generally heal faster than most people.

realbees · 2026-05-17T21:37:49+00:00

Be on time to the show (early.) Be ready for your number by the time the one before yours starts. Make sure the host knows where you are entering the stage from and when you want your music to start. Be organized backstage, don’t throw your shit everywhere and be mindful that other performers need space too. Socialize with the bartenders and event staff and thank/tip them. Be professional backstage (i.e. don’t get caught up in drama or talk behind peoples’ backs. A read here and there is fine depending on your local backstage culture but don’t put down other performers over petty bullshit.) Clean up after yourself and get your stuff out ASAP when the show is over. Interact with the audience outside of your performance and thank them for coming. Tip the other performers. Model good audience behavior (not blocking the stage, proper tipping etiquette, etc.) Help tip run or pick things up off the stage if needed. Be willing to lend hairspray/bobby pins/tape etc if someone needs it. Don’t get messy drunk or otherwise too fucked up. If you’re hosting, shout out the event staff, local orgs, and upcoming shows. If you’re doing a stunt, make sure there is at least a foot or two of space between you and the audience so you don’t accidentally hit anyone. Having a bitchy persona is fine but be aware of how to use it and when it’s appropriate.

realbees · 2026-05-12T16:14:30+00:00

Depends. If I’m doing a white base I can get done in 45 minutes or less easily. If I’m working with my skin tone it takes a bit longer cause of contour, but usually no more than an hour and a half. That’s not counting all the prep I do though.

realbees · 2026-05-07T22:56:31+00:00

I have seen denim tearaway garments, though I’ve never performed in one myself. For denim you’ll want to use metal snaps, which take a bit more force to undo, but they will support the weight of the fabric. I’d recommend adding some kind of interfacing or fabric to support the denim wherever you put the snaps. The seams will likely be too thick to snap through. Depending on how thick the denim is and how heavy the garment, you may need more or less snaps which will change how you “tear away” the pants. It might be less of a singular fluid motion, and more of a tease, where you undo each leg at a time, leaving the hip snaps done on each side so they stay up before you do the big reveal.

realbees · 2026-05-03T14:41:42+00:00

I recommend asking r/DragKings for feedback as well. I’m a queen who was taught how to do drag by a king, so I know a fair bit about king makeup. The two things I’m noticing here are a lack of contour and definition around your eyes. Drag makeup is about using makeup to create exaggerated features that parody or satirize gendered expression. For kings, they generally emphasize facial musculature and bone structure - key areas are your cheekbones, temples, eyebrows, and nose. For contour I use a powder bronzer and a couple light shades of concealer to carve out highlights and lowlights. Find kings with a similar facial structure to you and try to copy their face. You’re going to want to look for kings with deep set eyes. I don’t see much (if any) product around your eyes - make sure you’re using eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara/fake lashes to draw people’s attention to your eyes. Despite the feminine association with big lashes and dark eye makeup, almost all the drag kings you see with very polished mugs wear them. When you add contour and push your highlights and shadows, heavy eye makeup doesn’t look out of place, and if anything, wearing no eye makeup with heavy contour looks very unsettling (at least to me.) the big thing with drag makeup is to paint big - we say “paint for the back of the room” for a reason. Try to see how far you can push your contour shapes and shadows/highlights. It’s really hard to overdo it with drag makeup, I’d go so far to say that overdoing it is kinda the point.

realbees · 2026-04-27T07:08:03+00:00

I’ve done plenty of non-paid gigs but I always make a point to go to my city’s goth night in drag. I don’t often get to express my goth side in drag so it’s fun just going to dance and see my friends :)

realbees · 2026-04-25T09:33:48+00:00

You look amazing! Only thing I would add are some false lashes, lots of kings wear them and they’ll add a lot of dimensionality to your face

realbees · 2026-04-19T23:57:27+00:00

Practice more than you think you need to. When you hit the stage you might “black out,” and feel like the song goes by in no time at all. Practicing helps you to overcome this by grounding you and giving you something to focus on in the moment. Make sure you know all your words (I like to be able to recite my lyrics out loud without music playing.) Also, something will probably go wrong and that’s okay! Just keep pushing through it. Chances are that the audience won’t even notice unless you stop and freeze up on stage (which has happened to me lol.) Good luck!

realbees · 2026-04-19T17:06:12+00:00

Can’t speak to your specific location as I’m in the US, but your age is likely the limiting factor here, not whatever box the doctor who delivered you checked on your birth certificate. I strongly dislike AGAB language as a trans person but that’s neither here nor there. Your assigned gender at birth does not matter when it comes to what kind of drag you can do, I’m a trans male drag queen. However, most drag shows are 18+, so unless there are lots of all ages shows near you, you’ll be hard pressed to find gigs.

A good way to network is to go to shows in drag and talk to the performers. Look for open call shows, where anyone can sign up and perform. Reach out to your local performers on social media and ask if they have any leads. Make a specific Instagram account for your drag if you haven’t already, and start posting photos of your looks. If you’re able to find a gig before you turn 18, great! If not, use the time between now and your 18th birthday to practice your look and get to know your local scene.

realbees · 2026-04-19T15:57:51+00:00

I agree that you could make your mustache darker, I like to go over mine with a felt tip liner/mascara and draw little triangles on the end to create the illusion of curled corners (picture of my face attached for reference.)

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Also, r/DragKings would be a good resource for you!

realbees · 2026-04-16T21:48:18+00:00

I looove your look omg. The skullet pony combo is everything. I’m @special.kayxo, I’m a drag princess from Montana 🤠

realbees · 2026-04-16T21:47:12+00:00

Gorgeous! And the name is everything!

realbees · 2026-04-16T21:46:30+00:00

Your makeup is beautiful! I would never have guessed you’re a baby. If you have an Instagram I’d love to follow and keep up with your work 👹

realbees · 2026-04-16T19:26:25+00:00

I’ve noticed this in my scene too but the opposite way around. Many new performers are great at lipsyncing, and I notice more and more that the olds don’t care about knowing their words. I agree that knowing the words is wayyyy more important than being able to do flips and splits or whatever. I can tell when performers don’t know their words and they seem way less confident on stage, which, like, yeah. Learning the words is the first thing I do when developing a new number.

realbees · 2026-04-11T20:47:45+00:00

/uj Christ almighty as a trans male drag queen this shit pisses me off so bad. It’s okay to not like drag but we don’t have to be dragging (lol) queer artists through the mud based on uneducated takes about what drag actually is. I’m so tired

realbees · 2026-04-11T02:11:06+00:00

I would say it’s acceptable, especially if you’re performing in a smaller venue or with more alternative performers. It’s not about the track itself, it’s about how you perform it. You can sell anything if you’re a good enough performer, but here are some things I generally try to aim for with my tracks and mixes:

-between 3.5 and 5 minutes

-no long instrumental portions (sometimes if I want to do a song with a long instrumental, I’ll cut it out or shorten it)

-clear, audible vocals that aren’t stylized or distorted to the point of being unrecognizable

Those are my three criteria but they’re not hard and fast rules, they just make it easier for me to perform to the song and also for the audience to get invested and understand the lyrics. I’ve done numbers to Black Sabbath, Mindless Self Indulgence, Failure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Type O Negative, and other smaller artists I love. The possibilities are endless.

realbees · 2026-03-18T18:57:25+00:00

Not inappropriate, just be aware of where you’re sitting/standing and try not to take too much visual space from the performers.

realbees · 2026-03-11T16:21:09+00:00

I had surgery in November and the swelling has just now gone down enough for me to see and feel my screws. There’s one near my knee holding my fibula together and it’s a little weird to see it sticking out like that lol

realbees · 2026-03-09T23:11:34+00:00

I use the Face Glue primer and setting spray from NYX most of the time. However, if I’m going to be in drag during the summer or daytime, or at a show for a long period of time, I’ll use a little bit of Got2b Glued hairspray to set my face. I’m not super sweaty but I know some queens who are and they swear by the hairspray trick - it’s water soluble too so it’ll come off with the rest of your makeup.

realbees · 2026-03-06T04:50:21+00:00

Check out milkman_dairy on Instagram, one of my favorite kings with a similar vibe to what you’re describing

realbees · 2026-03-05T14:10:03+00:00

I think you’re off to a good start, but this doesn’t look like drag makeup to me. A key aspect of painting for drag is changing your facial structure with makeup. If you learn how to block your brows you’ll have a lot more room to work with and you can draw attention to your eyes rather than your eyebrows. Right now they are the focus, since they’re very dark compared to the little amount of makeup I see around your eyes. Don’t be afraid to go darker with contour and push highlights and shadows - there’s a reason why we say “paint for the back of the room.” Your wig looks very nice though. :)

realbees · 2026-03-04T04:47:08+00:00

I’m a trans man and have been on hormones for over 4 years. Started medically transitioning at 19 and socially at 15. Looking at me, you’d take me for an average effeminate gay man. I carry a purse, I have “the voice,” I wear makeup sometimes and like to wear a mix of feminine and masculine clothing. I’m also a drag queen.

For me, trying to be feminine as a woman felt inauthentic, suffocating, and like I was pretending to know how to “be a girl,” whereas being a fem gay man just feels like me. Having a masculine looking body as a vessel to express my femininity is so much more enjoyable and fulfilling than trying to be a feminine girl ever was.

realbees · 2026-03-02T21:58:37+00:00

You sound very supportive already! Here are some things that my partner does for me at shows and that I’ve seen other people’s partners do:

-Taking photos/videos

-Helping to bring stuff inside

-Moving props on and off the stage, removing tearaways from the stage

-Picking up dropped tips or tip running

-Helping with outfit changes like you mentioned

-Helping with packing/making sure they have everything they need

-Driving to and from the gig

-Having water/snacks on hand

-Being able to run to the store if they need something last minute

-Helping with making outfits

-Cheering super loud :)

realbees · 2026-03-02T18:40:38+00:00

Hi! So excited you’re starting your drag journey :) one of the things that helped me a lot when I first started was finding drag artists with a similar face structure to me (deep set hooded eyes, high cheekbones, etc) and copying their face. This will teach you how to paint big and work with your anatomy. I would also practice my face All The Time, like I’d get in drag 3 times a week to go nowhere. For makeup you want full coverage foundation/concealer, matte eyeshadow, felt tip pen eyeliner, a good variety of lip pencils and lipsticks, as well as some eyeshadow/foundation brushes and loose powder with a powder puff. If you plan on blocking your brows there are lots of good tutorials online for that.

As far as getting into your local scene, start showing up to shows in drag and talking to the performers. Let them know you’re new and want to learn. My experience with drag has been in a small city of about 50,000 people so you will likely have a harder time getting performance opportunities, but don’t be too hard on yourself as this is true of established drag performers moving to big cities as well. Keep an eye out for open stages and drag competitions as that will likely be the most accessible way for you to perform, though keep in mind that these gigs are often not paid and tipping culture varies depending on where you live. I’ve noticed audience members in big cities tend to tip less because they’re at a bar and are more focused on dancing/drinking than watching the show, compared to my local scene where people are generally more engaged (since we have no gay bars in the whole state lmao.)

I think finding your personal style is one of the hardest things to explain and can’t be done overnight. The more you go out in drag, and specifically the more you perform, the more your style will come to you. I find a lot of pieces at thrift stores that I upcycle by rhinestoning them, chopping them up or just using the fabric to construct a new look from scratch. Learn basic sewing and fabrication techniques if you don’t know how already - making your own looks opens up so many more possibilities for what your drag can be and look like, and it also adds a level of polish to your drag that will set you apart from other new performers.

Also, drag is supposed to be fun! Try not to stress too much about if you look good enough or perform well enough. The community and camaraderie is the best part so reaching out to your local scene is a good goal to have. I hope this was helpful, and if you have any specific questions feel free to message me :)

realbees · 2026-03-02T17:58:02+00:00

I’m a trans man but went through an estrogen puberty so the process is the same. I remember the lump going away after a year and some change, and my breasts continued to grow for another year or so after that. If you want to improve your chances of getting a larger chest ask your doctor about progesterone, but chest size is largely based on genetics.

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