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Drag Dolls, Dames & Divas
"Drag Dolls, Dames, & Divas" is a coffee table book of beautiful, amusing, and alluring photographs by celebrity, fashion and beauty photographer James Hicks. The ultra-fabulous Drag Dolls, Dames & Divas that grace the glossy pages are some of today's most popular female impersonators (including former contestants from RuPaul's Drag Race). This work of art includes many styles of drag ranging from the beauty queen to the campy queen, the fishy(realistic) girl to the gender bender and the celebrity impersonator to the girl next door. This fierce book is a must have for your coffee table. A portion of the proceeds from this fabulous book will be donated to the "It Gets Better Project".
160 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2014
32 people want to read
About the author
James Hicks
7 books2 followersJames Hicks was born in Annapolis Md and raised in Washington DC.
He attended Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School and went on to
earn a BA in Medical Illustration at Morehouse College in Atlanta Ga.
James took his first photography course during his matriculation at
Morehouse and that is where his passion for photography began.
Upon completion of his studies at Morehouse College ,James returned
to Washington DC. and began assisting photographers. He very soon
branched off on his own and began his freelance photography career.
James was very interested in fashion and beauty and was able to secure
a position as a frequent contributor to the fashion pages of the Baltimore
Sun Newspaper and Magazine.
As James' editorial career began to flourish, he was also able to photograph
fashion advertising for a local department store, as well as, national ads for
a large clothing company.
James decided it was time to explore other markets so he began to travel to
Miami, Paris and New York. It was New York that captured James' heart.
Soon after relocating to New York, James began shooting fashion & beauty editoral's for
several different publications which eventually led him to photographing celebrities.
He has worked with numerous icons and legends such as Smokey Robinson,
Pam Grier, The Sister Sledge ,as well as, notable entertainers such as Alicia Keys,
Erykah Badu, Usher, and Sean Puffy Combs.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 17, 2015
Drag Dolls, Dames & Divas isn’t just a glossy, hardcover, coffee table book, it’s an exploration of gender that very deliberately juxtaposes the glamorous nightlife of the drag scene with the rather ordinary drab surroundings of day-to-day life. The very contrast of images, which play against our expectations, really allows us to ‘see’ the performers behind all the makeup, sequins, and hairspray.
“For this work, says James Hicks, “I have taken Drag Queens out of the night-time element of nightclubs and bars and placed them directly in the light of day; photographing them in a variety of locations and situations (the beach, a mansion, a forest - even a golf course). I wanted to highlight amusing and satirical situations as well as their beauty and creativity.”
There’s one image in particular of Ophelia Bottoms, walking down a drab, dead-end city street, with just the edge of a subdivision encroaching on the right hand side, that provides for a powerful contrast. It’s an overcast day, but you still have the feeling that a young boy could come riding by on his bike at any moment, or an elderly woman turn the corner in her car, and happen upon this drag queen dressed in black leather, complete with a paddle over her shoulder. It’s so shocking, and she should look so out of place, but her presence dominates the image.
“What attracted me to drag was that I could whoever I wanted to be,” says Ophelia. “It's s chance to escape my current reality and create one where I don't have the same day to day problems. Everyone ignores the big boy in the corner, but everyone loves the big beauty that just walked in the room.”
Amid images like that, we also find softer, more intimate glamour style portraits of drag queens such as Shannel and Ba' Naka. With Shannel, it’s poses that remind one more of a classic femme fatale from the days of the old pulp adventure serials, an image that’s about as far from the drag state as one can imagine. In Ba' Naka’s case, it’s a Madonna-esque close-up that screams glamour and cries out with star power, but which is bright and powerful, like a still taken from a music video or album cover shoot.
In fact, Ms. Ophelia Bottoms comments on that very thing. “In terms of the book, I love the fact that it is all different kinds of girls doing different kinds of things. When most people see pictures of drag queens it's a picture of them on stage or in a bar, James took us out of that environment and turn fantasy into reality. Like stills from a music video he captured moments in time where you can almost hear the song in the back ground. I will pose for this man anytime anywhere because I know the end result will be magic.”
As for the starlet in question, Ba' Naka says, "I've loved drag queens since I was a little boy. I remember seeing movies like To Wong Foo and Priscilla and instantly being mesmerized! I would watch the RuPaul show on Vh1 and I knew that it was something that would be so much fun to try. I love the book, I'm glad that someone finally put together a great coffee table book with a wide selection of fabulous queens from all over. It was refreshing to see a spot light on other entertainers."
Other images play on that idea of being an entertainer as well, taking the art of drag out of the dark, smoky clubs and allowing it to shine against a very sort of Hollywood backdrop. Chanel Devereoux has some exquisite photos in the book that are as clean and fresh as they are glamorous. She looks like she should be strutting her way down a stage, emerging from the shadows, but Hicks photographs her in a bright, white light, free of shadows, allowing her to quite literally glow.
"What attracted me to doing drag,” says Chanel, “was the fact the queens looked like they had so much fun on stage. I love the concept because it shows the world the beauty and personality that all of us have. Some of us are thin, some are thick, some black, some white but all beautiful.”
Hicks takes his theme even further with such drag queens as Vickii Vox and Victoria Jaymes. The sight of a very elegantly coiffed black woman, dressed in a long evening gown, with a wash of pink ruffles surrounding her is very much the image of a drag queen, but placing Vickii atop a washing machine in a sun-lit public laundry is quite startling. Similarly, the image of a blonde in a long red evening gown, scooped low to reveal a hint of cleavage, with high heels beneath the hem is quite classic, but whereas we’d expect to see Victoria reclining on a piano, Hicks places her on a fallen log, amidst a sun-lit fall forest.
“In doing this,” says Hicks, “I chose to include a variety of looks and styles that exist among Drag entertainers; the title Drag Dolls, Dames and Divas encompasses these various styles. From Campy Queen to the Beauty Queen, the "Fishy" (realistic) Girl to the Cross Dresser, the Celebrity Impersonator to the "Girl Next Door" - all are represented.”
All are represented indeed, but not in the way – or in the settings – we might expect, and that contrast, that series of jarring (yet pleasant) surprises is what makes Drag Dolls, Dames & Divas such a powerful book.
Originally reviewed for Frock Magazine
“For this work, says James Hicks, “I have taken Drag Queens out of the night-time element of nightclubs and bars and placed them directly in the light of day; photographing them in a variety of locations and situations (the beach, a mansion, a forest - even a golf course). I wanted to highlight amusing and satirical situations as well as their beauty and creativity.”
There’s one image in particular of Ophelia Bottoms, walking down a drab, dead-end city street, with just the edge of a subdivision encroaching on the right hand side, that provides for a powerful contrast. It’s an overcast day, but you still have the feeling that a young boy could come riding by on his bike at any moment, or an elderly woman turn the corner in her car, and happen upon this drag queen dressed in black leather, complete with a paddle over her shoulder. It’s so shocking, and she should look so out of place, but her presence dominates the image.
“What attracted me to drag was that I could whoever I wanted to be,” says Ophelia. “It's s chance to escape my current reality and create one where I don't have the same day to day problems. Everyone ignores the big boy in the corner, but everyone loves the big beauty that just walked in the room.”
Amid images like that, we also find softer, more intimate glamour style portraits of drag queens such as Shannel and Ba' Naka. With Shannel, it’s poses that remind one more of a classic femme fatale from the days of the old pulp adventure serials, an image that’s about as far from the drag state as one can imagine. In Ba' Naka’s case, it’s a Madonna-esque close-up that screams glamour and cries out with star power, but which is bright and powerful, like a still taken from a music video or album cover shoot.
In fact, Ms. Ophelia Bottoms comments on that very thing. “In terms of the book, I love the fact that it is all different kinds of girls doing different kinds of things. When most people see pictures of drag queens it's a picture of them on stage or in a bar, James took us out of that environment and turn fantasy into reality. Like stills from a music video he captured moments in time where you can almost hear the song in the back ground. I will pose for this man anytime anywhere because I know the end result will be magic.”
As for the starlet in question, Ba' Naka says, "I've loved drag queens since I was a little boy. I remember seeing movies like To Wong Foo and Priscilla and instantly being mesmerized! I would watch the RuPaul show on Vh1 and I knew that it was something that would be so much fun to try. I love the book, I'm glad that someone finally put together a great coffee table book with a wide selection of fabulous queens from all over. It was refreshing to see a spot light on other entertainers."
Other images play on that idea of being an entertainer as well, taking the art of drag out of the dark, smoky clubs and allowing it to shine against a very sort of Hollywood backdrop. Chanel Devereoux has some exquisite photos in the book that are as clean and fresh as they are glamorous. She looks like she should be strutting her way down a stage, emerging from the shadows, but Hicks photographs her in a bright, white light, free of shadows, allowing her to quite literally glow.
"What attracted me to doing drag,” says Chanel, “was the fact the queens looked like they had so much fun on stage. I love the concept because it shows the world the beauty and personality that all of us have. Some of us are thin, some are thick, some black, some white but all beautiful.”
Hicks takes his theme even further with such drag queens as Vickii Vox and Victoria Jaymes. The sight of a very elegantly coiffed black woman, dressed in a long evening gown, with a wash of pink ruffles surrounding her is very much the image of a drag queen, but placing Vickii atop a washing machine in a sun-lit public laundry is quite startling. Similarly, the image of a blonde in a long red evening gown, scooped low to reveal a hint of cleavage, with high heels beneath the hem is quite classic, but whereas we’d expect to see Victoria reclining on a piano, Hicks places her on a fallen log, amidst a sun-lit fall forest.
“In doing this,” says Hicks, “I chose to include a variety of looks and styles that exist among Drag entertainers; the title Drag Dolls, Dames and Divas encompasses these various styles. From Campy Queen to the Beauty Queen, the "Fishy" (realistic) Girl to the Cross Dresser, the Celebrity Impersonator to the "Girl Next Door" - all are represented.”
All are represented indeed, but not in the way – or in the settings – we might expect, and that contrast, that series of jarring (yet pleasant) surprises is what makes Drag Dolls, Dames & Divas such a powerful book.
Originally reviewed for Frock Magazine
Displaying 1 of 1 review