PLASTIQUE TIARA MAKES IT ‘WERQ’ AFTER ‘RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE’
Plastique Tiara had an impressive pedigree even before she was cast on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The Dallas performer is part of the Haus of Edwards dynasty, a drag family overseen by Alyssa Edwards that includes Shangela, Laganja Estranja and Gia Gunn.
She also boasts gagworthy social-media numbers, including more than 1 million Instagram followers even before her TV debut. Tiara finished in eighth place during Season 11 and is on the road as part of the Werq the World Tour, a splashy production featuring several “Drag Race” alums. They perform Sunday at Wortham Center.
Before that, Tiara talked about her drag dreams and Asian representation.
Q: Playing big stages with Werq the World must feel very different from performing in bars.
A: We just performed for, I think, 3,000 people in Canada. It’s a lot more pressure than a club gig. It’s a way bigger production than a club gig, for sure. I love it because we get to set our own rules during each of our numbers, be in our own element and shine the way we wanna shine. We get to be the star that we’ve always wanted to be.
Q: Did you have dreams of performing when you were growing up?
A: I always wanted to please other people, please my parents. I always wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer, somebody who would make a lot of money and could help my family out. Now I’m doing that — but I’m a woman onstage every night. Just a little bit differently.
Q: When did you realize drag was what you wanted to do?
I was doing drag once a month, maybe, for fun. And then there was Instagram. It started snowballing into this online following, and somehow I made it onto the show in my first attempt. I never really knew that this would be my life. I was gonna go to photography school, but I didn’t have the money, so I went to beauty school instead. I would just dress up to take a picture. A true Instagram queen.
Q: Do you remember the first reactions to your Instagram photos?
A: I would be my own model most of the time, so I would do different makeup and lighting on myself. Drag was just something that involved everything together: makeup, hair, pictures. I remember buying a wig for the first time, this $40 shakeand-go wig. The first time I wanted to perform was for an amateur contest at the Rose Room in Dallas. Somehow, some way, she twirled her way into a win. From that day on, she was hooked.
Q: How has Texas influenced you as a performer?
A: Being a Texas queen taught me a lot. It taught me to be courteous to others. It taught me to do an eight count and a split. That’s the Texas-queen package. Other cities I feel are more about looks. Texas is more about performing and if you can turn a party. It’s that showgirl
vibe, which I love.
Q: “Drag Race” has cast just a handful of Asian queens. Do you feel the pressure to represent?
A: I can’t change the fact that I’m Asian. And I can’t change the fact that I’m an immigrant. It’s important because Vietnamese people are very underrepresented, especially first-generation immigrants. I do feel pressure to represent, but I think that’s how I got the following I have.
Q: Social media was key for you from the beginning, but it can be a double-edged sword.
A: The comments can be absolutely amazing, and the comments can also be ruthless. I think it’s human nature to gravitate toward the darkness. No matter how many compliments you get, if there’s one negative thing that is said, you zero in on it. It’s important to surround yourself with people that are honest and that have your back.
Q: What are three musthaves for any drag-queen hopeful?
A: Eyelash glue, superglue and a mirror.