NightGowns

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NightGowns
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that NightGowns is a docuseries about a long-running Brooklyn drag show hosted by performer Sasha Velour (RuPaul's Drag Race). Performers are almost exclusively male and dress in women's clothing to perform. Sexual innuendo is common in drag circles, but this series focuses more on the meaning of queerness and drag than on sexuality. We see men in body stockings and padding, and they talk frequently about why they perform in drag and what they get out of it. Sasha is seen working tirelessly on her show; she and other performers exhibit teamwork and courage in living their lives openly and performing. Sasha has a long-term partner named Johnny who we see helping with all aspects of the show; we also see Johnny and Sasha hugging and kissing affectionately. Performers make references to being "jeered" at and criticized due to their unconventional gender presentation.
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What's the Story?
When NIGHTGOWNS' impresario Sasha Velour won the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, the Brooklyn drag show "Nightgowns" that she'd been producing since 2015 got famous along with her. In this series, Velour transforms "Nightgowns" into a full-blown stage show, working to turn her small and humble series into a spectacle worthy of a Broadway theater while she and her performers struggle to feel worthy of their new cultural prominence.
Is It Any Good?
Eye-catching and surprisingly deep, this docuseries about a long-running Brooklyn drag show digs underneath the makeup and outrageous costumes to entertain compelling questions about gender and queerness. Drag performances are a classic form of LGBTQ entertainment, and though outsiders may view it with suspicion and contempt, Velour and her fellow performers aren't putting on a show just to freak out the normals. Instead, Sasha calls her drag "a transformation, not a disguise." She's not mocking women or pretending to be one; her unconventional gender presentation is instead an artful performance that allows her to express herself and, the root of all powerful art, to form connections with other people.
The fact that she does the job lip-synching Stevie Nicks in flowing gold silk rather than writing a novel or painting a portrait is unimportant; the medium isn't the thing, the message is. And the message of NightGowns is ultimately that elaborate costumes and performances, as cool as they can be to watch (and these drag performances are indeed inspired), are ultimately less important than what they cover up: fragile, hopeful humans who wish to be accepted as they are, as well as applauded for what they can do onstage.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about stereotypes. Do the contestants in NightGowns reinforce or undermine stereotypes typically associated with the LGBTQ community? How are other communities stereotyped, both in the media and out of it?
Over the years, notable actors like Milton Berle, Tony Curtis, Tom Hanks, and Robin Williams have famously performed in drag in films and on TV. Do you think their characters and performances are looked at differently than the ones given by the contestants here? If so, why?
How do Sasha and other performers demonstrate courage and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths?
TV Details
- Premiere date: April 6, 2020
- Cast: Sasha Velour
- Network: Quibi
- Genre: Reality TV
- Character Strengths: Courage, Teamwork
- TV rating: NR
- Last updated: February 27, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
For kids who love LGBTQ TV
Character Strengths
Find more tv shows that help kids build character.
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