RuPaul Turns 61: Looking Back At A Decade Of Drag

With almost three decades of carving out a niche for cross-dressers, gays, transgender people, and many more in pop culture under the umbrella of Drag, RuPaul is undoubtedly the Queen of Drag.

Easily considered the world's most famous drag queen, RuPaul has effortlessly carried the industry on his shoulders while never failing to look absolutely FAB!

Today, RuPaul turned 61, and we are looking back at his impressive career.

To mark the milestone of adding one year, RuPaul took a trip down memory lane. The "RuPaul's Drag Race" host uploaded a video mashup of him walking the runway in the past decade.

The clip began with the year 2009, and we get to see RuPaul looking glam in a dramatic red dress and a full blonde afro wig as she strutted the walkway.

As the years progress, the looks get better and better, with the inclusion of elements like feathers, leather, sequin, and of course, the most dramatic hairstyles. The video was compiled to RuPaul's hit song, "Just What They Want."

In the comments section, several celebrities wished the fashion icon a happy birthday. Bravo's Andy Cohen wrote, "WOWOWOWOWOW HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Drag queen Big Freedia wrote, "Happy birthday mother ❤️❤️❤️ @rupaulofficial love you" while Indian drag queen Alex Matthew gushed, "Happy Birthday Mama Ru."

Born in San Diego, California, RuPaul began experimenting with fashion and cross-dressing. As the only boy among three girls, RuPaul used their clothes to channel Hollywood stars like Jane Fonda and Diana Ross.

Although he couldn't graduate from the Northside School of Performing Arts, it gave him a headstart as a performer. He started with gogo bars and club performances before relocating to New York, searching for greener pastures.

In New York, he appeared on "The Gong Show" and had appearances in numerous small-screen projects. However, it wasn't until 1993 that he got his first major shot at fame.

After being signed to Tommy Boy Records, RuPaul released his debut album, "Supermodel of the World," which featured the hit song, "Supermodel (You Better Work)."

The hit song put RuPaul on a pedestal and made him a recognizable name. The track's success paved the way for him to star in movies and TV shows such as "Crooklyn," "The Brady Bunch Movie," "Julie Newmar," and "In The House."

However, the peak of his career didn't come until 2009 when the reality TV competition "RuPaul's Drag Race" was created, and as they say, the rest is history!

Since stepping his feet in the world of entertainment, RuPaul has done nothing but break records. Such was the case at the 2021 Emmy Awards in September.

As The Blast covered, RuPaul snagged his 11th Emmy Award for "RuPaul's Drag Race," making the black performer with the most Emmy wins in history.

The legendary entertainer celebrated the historic win to worldwide participants of the show and future drag queens hoping to make a mark in the world.