RuPaul’s Drag Race: Yvie Oddly Opens Up About Insecurities & Slow-Moving Career

RuPaul’s Drag Race season 11 winner Yvie Oddly was the featured queen in the latest episode of Werq the World: The Docu-Series season 2, where she opened up about her insecurities, slow-moving career, and the pressures that come with the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar. Yvie Oddly’s journey on Drag Race season 11 was, as her name would suggest, an odd one. Yvie was immediately dismissed by queens like Silky Nutmeg Ganache, who had a more traditional drag aesthetic and weren’t fond of Yvie’s “spooky” creative decisions. When it came to the finale, Yvie Oddly was the clear frontrunner in terms of fan support, even if her track record was slightly behind the other finalists. Like Sasha Velour two years before, Yvie delivered two spectacular Lip Sync For The Crown performances that showcased her mind-bending creativity and body-bending flexibility. In the end, Yvie was rightfully crowned season 11’s America’s Next Drag Superstar.

Ever since her time on Drag Race season 11, Yvie Oddly was cast on the franchise’s Las Vegas residency show RuPaul’s Drag Race Live – which was extended through the rest of 2020 after a successful first run, but has since been on a hiatus to coronavirus precautions. Yvie was also featured as a “Lip Sync Assassin” on the first episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 5, winning the Lip Sync For Your Legacy against India Ferrah. Yvie has also been touring all around the world with the Werq The World Tour, which was documented for the WOW Presents Plus original series Werq The World: The Docu-Series season 2. In the latest episode of the docu-series, which features Yvie, the queen opens up about her insecurities regarding her career and health, as well as the pressures of winning Drag Race.

Werq The World: The Docu-Series season 2 was filmed during the 2019 Werq The World Tour, which means that Yvie Oddly had just been crowned the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 11. On Episode 2, which spotlights Yvie, the queen gets very candid about her experience on the show and how life has been ever since. Yvie believes that her career has been moving slowly, saying, “So many other people who have won [Drag Race] have known exactly what they wanted to do. And I just worry that I might be moving a little too glacially with trying to get my bearings. So, I do feel pressure to figure it out.” Later in the episode, Yvie says that she was obviously competing to win RuPaul’s Drag Race, but that she hadn’t thought about the good and bad repercussions that came with the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar. Yvie says, “I kind of overlooked the fact that a winner does have a lot of responsibilities on their shoulders – whether or not it’s real, or tangible.”

Yvie jokes, “I cannot wait until they crown another [girl].” But then, more seriously, she adds, “And then I get to focus at least a little bit more (…) on my future and less on the whirlwind.” Jaida Essence Hall won Drag Race season 12 in 2020, but Yvie’s statement is reflective of a time when her reign was still very far from ending. During the episode, Yvie Oddly also opens up about fighting her inner demons – declaring that, even after winning RuPaul’s Drag Race, she is still her own harshest critic. Yvie states, “I’m afraid of being annoying, I’m afraid of being too weird, I’m afraid of nothing having anything to say. I just feel like I don’t always have a lot to contribute.” During one of the tour stops, Yvie also finds herself facing a lot of physical pain. The queen talks about her Hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (hEDS) diagnosis, which she first brought to attention on Drag Race season 11. Yvie mentions how, most days, she is able to just push through. However, she worries about how her career will look like when her body no longer has the same strength and flexibility.

Given the massive commercial and critical appeal of RuPaul’s Drag Race, it is always noteworthy when one of the winners of the franchise opens up about the struggles that come with the crown. Still, Yvie Oddly’s statements are not against the series at all. Instead, Yvie is clearly just reflective about what’s next for an artist who wins the most relevant drag competition in the world. With her hEDS diagnosis, Yvie also seems uneasy about the future of her career, given that most drag queens make money from performing live.

Werq The World: The Docu-Series season 2 airs every Tuesday on WOW Presents Plus.

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Bernardo Sim
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Bernardo Sim writes about TV shows, queer culture, & Brazilian media. Born and raised in the Amazon, he now lives in South Florida. he/him

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