To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar is a drag queen comedy that focuses on transformation of the spirit underneath the transformation of gender. Her character is central to this theme, and the way her makeup progresses throughout the film provides a visual representation of how her character grows.
Chi Chi’s hair has small changes look to look, but over all starts out as a curly, frizzy, and unkempt. Her makeup look won’t start to evolve until around look six, after she has spent a day or two under Noxie and Vida’s mentorship. Overall, she starts the movie as “a boy in a dress,” or a “Drag Princess,” which is made clear in her makeup design. She chooses loud, unattractive or tacky lipstick and eyeshadow colors, which are often a single hue slapped onto her eyelids. Her eyeliner similarly implies lack of intentional makeup transformation. Similarly, she cannot seem to match her foundation to her skintone, and never uses a cheek color or contour. She is trying, but she doesn’t know how to control her passion.
The next few looks reflect the romantic side of Chi Chi as she goes through the Steps of Becoming a Drag Queen. She starts to learn how to control her eyeliner and choose flattering colors, though she still has yet to get the right foundation color or display the makeup mastery of The Aunties, Noxie and Vida.
The next stage of Chi Chi’s drag look comes after she has let go of her little romance with Bobby Rae and learns Step Number Three of Being A Drag Queen: “abide by the rules of love.” By the time we get to the Strawberry Social, her look finally starts to reflect the art of drag, as opposed to the “boy in a dress” aesthetic she has had up until this point. The eyeshadow look engages multiple hues and shades, but is still bright, vibrant, and passionate. Her hair is concealed in a say-something hairpiece and shows the intentional style and effort of a practiced drag queen. She even is starting to experiment with highlights on her cheekbones.
Her final look is Chi Chi fully realized as the Drag Queen of America. Her wig is completely different from her usual curly, crazy hair. It’s intricately styled to frame her face. Her eye look employs fine shading technique, her cheeks are subtly contoured, and she finally has found a foundation to match her skintone. She uses the vibrant pink lipstick to bring the look together with the pop of pink at her hemline, creating a complete head-to-toe look.
Her final look is Chi Chi fully realized as the Drag Queen of America. Her wig is completely different from her usual curly, crazy hair. It’s intricately styled to frame her face. Her eye look employs fine shading technique, her cheeks are subtly contoured, and she finally has found a foundation to match her skintone. She uses the vibrant pink lipstick to bring the look together with the pop of pink at her hemline, creating a complete head-to-toe look.
Regan Shaw Design 