Stupid Mall Names and a Sad Reality

So for all you newcomers to the blog, you must think that all I talk about is RuPaul’s Drag Race. And while that may be true while Season 5 is on the air, there’s other things I like discussing, including some really mundane crap that enters my mind that makes me question humanity. Like this:

Shopping malls. Due to the employment I’ve been finding myself in the past few years, shopping malls are a big part of my life, and I find myself in them almost daily. Add on the fact that New Jersey has the most malls of any state and probably any region of the world, and it creates a complicated love/hate relationship between us.

Malls are an interesting entity in the building world. One giant building that holds dozens of smaller buildings inside it, mostly dedicated to either shopping (mostly clothing) or food (but rarely grocery). These malls design themselves to be community centers where regional and out-of-towners come together with a common interest of consumption. Even though all malls serve the same purpose, and many include the same stores/restaurants inside them, not every mall is created equal. (Unless they’re part of the Simon Property Group, which has a notorious habit of creating McMalls.) To further expand each mall’s uniqueness they are given (usually pompous) names. Let’s discuss some of the more memorable names I’ve come across in my research.

These malls just follow what Simon Says. Makes sense, actually.

To start, not every mall is called a ‘mall’. Malls in New Jersey are generally referred to as such, and as we move into upstate New York, Pennsylvania and beyond we come across more regional adjectives. Let’s begin with ‘Galleria’, such as the Poughkeepsie Galleria (NY). What a word if I ever heard one. No, we’re not going to the mall, we’re going to the galleria! What, like it’s a gallery of stores but instead of calling that we’re going to make it sound fake-foreign? Come on, now. It doesn’t even make sense, since things in a gallery are things that are seen but not touched, experienced, and especially not walked into.

Don't mistake it for the Louvre!

A relative of the galleria is the ‘collection’, as in the Somerset Collection (MI). Now we’re not even referring to it as a building! At least a galleria implies it’s an actual place. Collection… collection of what? Usually the super-upscale wannabes that call their malls Collections also refer to their stores as boutiques, just to up the ante. I’ve even heard of stores referred to as concepts, as in they’re trying to figure out if the store is even necessary. It especially backfires if the mall is dead or dying, because then we are left with an empty collection of crap.

The only thing this is a 'collection' of is natural sunlight.

A lesser-known deviation is the ‘commons’, most popularly the Bridgewater Commons (NJ). What exactly is a commons? I mean, galleria we could figure out, and a collection is self-explanatory, but commons is one of those words where you think you know what it means until you try to define it. Oh well. I’ve come across this adjective too infrequently to consider it a true part of the mall name epidemic.

Apparently this is a 'commons'.

Then there’s the malls that call themselves ‘The Mall at ____’, as in this is the one and only. That may be true but it still ranks high on the arrogance scale. Take for example The Mall at Short Hills (NJ). It’s actually in the mall’s style guide that it is not to be referred to as the Short Hills Mall, even though that’s exactly what it is (and what everyone calls it anyway). Seriously what is the point of the wordplay? If they wanted it to stand out from the crowd, then they should have given it a badass name, like The Mall at the Source (NY) or The Mall at Millennia (FL). Thank god they didn’t cave and call it The Short Hills Galleria, or The Collection At Short Hills, because that would have rocketed the snobbery into the stratosphere.

The Mall at Short Hills. Don't you DARE call it by any other name.

So although malls go by a million different names and clarifications, it mustn’t be ignored that malls themselves are a dying breed. Year after year malls are being de-malled and turned into generic big-box plazas. What once held fountain displays, neon signage and about a hundred different stores are now gutted out and turned into a single Walmart or Best Buy. Even sadder are the malls that are held up in legal limbo and are literally rotting into the ground. Picture if you will:

Fashion Center (NJ)'s directory before it was de-malled. How did the graphic designer keep a straight face when making this?! You probably can't read it, but that's ok because no one was there to read it in the first place.

There stands a mall that everyone used to go to back in the 80s and 90s. It was *the* place to be. After years of decline it now stands with no marked entrance. The parking lot is slowly being overtaken by weeds and where the lines are is anyone’s guess. The anchors lay vacant, as the mall’s mother Macy and father Sears have long since abandoned it (along with its Aunt JC Penney and Uncle Boscov). The interior is looking as drab as the exterior, with half-lit chandeliers barely making up for the oxidized skylights. It has about 5 or 6 stores still open inside them that haven’t been evicted yet, and it’s a wonder how they stay in business. Usually they consist of a shoe store (Payless-style), a hair salon (privately owned and barely operated), a really bad pizzeria (where pizza is microwaved to order), a comic book shop (overweight owner and all), and a democratic party headquarters that still has a banner saying ‘VOTE DUKAKIS’ in the window. In between these stores are empty spaces bearing the labelscars of Caldor, Waldenbooks, KB Toys, and a dentist that was sued for malpractice. Besides the 10 total employees of the existing stores, the only other people in the mall are 80-year-old mall walkers, one-off shoppers who are in denial, dead mall enthusiasts (they do exist), and some guy sitting on a bench who can’t remember how he got there.

Some random dead mall. And look behind the column, a shoe store. Told you.

As much as I make fun of malls (and will continue to), a part of me has always loved them. Stories like the made-up one above are becoming all too common, and it breaks my heart when I read about how grand these gallerias, collections, commons and ‘The Mall’s used to be. Do us all a favor, shop at a mall today. Take in the climate control, dated architecture and fake plants, pick up a few knickknacks (if anything to help bolster the economy), and top it all off with a Cinnabon. For some reason, you’ll be glad you did.

Drag Race S5 E03 - Runway Recap

We’re just rolling right along with Season 5, kids! This week was another team challenge: to create a children’s TV show filled with double entendres and undertones. Due to some really bad performances by certain people in both groups (i.e. Monica and Coco), neither team outright won, as I think Ru intended to decide. Instead everyone was judged individually. Anyway, if you want to know more about the main challenge, watch the episode because all we’re concerned with here is the runway. Unfortunately this has to be one of the worst runways this show has ever seen. First take a look at RuPaul:

Whoever told him he could go out with that dress and that hair deserves to be shot. Dislike, dislike, DISLIKE!! The only thing saving him is his consistently flawless makeup. And despite wearing neon green, this week’s runway theme was ‘pretty in pink’. Yes, some racers turned it out really well, but as for the others… get ready to cringe.

COMMENCE… SHAKE… DOWN.

Oh Alaska, what an unfortunate departure from last week’s beautiful look.

Ok I get it, she’s not trying to look pretty. Slight resemblance to Lady Gaga aside, I still do like this look. It’s so sloppy it’s couture, and the pink rifle adds to it wonderfully in ways I can’t explain. I don’t understand this look but I do at the same time, and it really takes an artist to conceive something like this and execute it so profoundly. It just works, end of story.

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For someone who let out a major secret last episode that didn’t have a negative impact at all, you’d think she’d be glowing. But no, she looks like she’s doing this with a gun to her head.

I never liked anything you brought to this runway or to this show. Just go home. Best of luck to your transition.

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There’s that mouth again, still trying to look like a darling. And it’s still not working.

I will admit though that Alyssa looks the best that we’ve ever seen her, and I love the jewelry and hair. She also seems to love holding things in her hands, and it’s coming off as more of a distraction than a cohesive look. I’m also still getting this overpowering feeling of arrogance from her, and it’s getting tiring. Just loosen up, girl!
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Same hairstyle, same cutesy smile, same simplicity in the outfit. Third strike: YOU’RE DONE.

Over the past 3 weeks now I’m sure you’ve been able to pick up some personality from these queens, just from the pictures alone. Have you been able to get anything from Vivienne at all?? Me neither. You’ve seen one picture of her and you’ve seen them all. Her performances in challenges (even her cutaways!) are just as hollow and uninteresting. You’re off my good list, and this is from someone who favors pretty contestants.

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Similarly to Roxxxy last week, it looks like Detox decided to barely wear anything at all.

What a sucky runway so far; even Detox’s look isn’t that hot this week. Though I like the hair and face, the one-two punch of the breastplate and ruffled neck look like they’re choking her. Somehow I am picking up a little Chad Michaels vibe, which is always a nice thing but it’s no life saver here. I don’t even know if I’m bothered enough to continue… fine I’ll keep going >_>. Surely someone’s gotta be able to make me smile.

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Well, that someone isn’t Roxxxy. Though it’s a noticeable improvement from what we’ve seen so far.

I do like the dress and I do like the hair (color). However I do not like the eyes. False eyelashes are very tricky: ones that are too big (especially on the bottom) make you look cartoonish. And false eyelashes + extensive eye makeup = a mess. You can tell she’s trying to do too much up there and it just swirls together into black puddles, especially from a distance. I also dislike when drag queens show their full forehead, because it becomes too easy to find a flaw in the hairline or the makeup blending. Not that Roxxxy has either problem here, but it opens the door for issues.

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Maybe it’s just me but Lineysha is starting to go down the boredom trail too.

Pretty but uninteresting. This is why America’s Next Top Model should also include drag queens, because ones like Lineysha and Vivienne would thrive there. Look pretty, get paid, move on. I’m just not getting anything from her. I’m not waiting with bated breath to see what she delivers next week, as I am about Alaska and Jade Jolie to name a few. It doesn’t have to be over the top, nor does it even have to be gorgeous, but it has to be something and I’m really struggling to keep Ms Sparx in my thoughts.

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Well here’s where things get interesting. Remember Prince Poppycock from that season of America’s Got Talent? I didn’t know he had a sister!

Jinkx Monsoon is just plain bizarre, and I mean that in the nicest possible way. And when I say she never wears the same thing twice, that also includes her face. Jinkx seems to have the ability (?) to make herself look completely unrecognizable from previous looks. It’s kinda a good thing but it’s a little nerve-wracking too. What exactly is her drag? We know what Vivienne’s is, for example, because it’s always the same thing. We even know what Detox’s is, even though she mixes it up a lot more. But Jinkx just transforms from one distinct look to another, and each look is so completely thought out and detailed. As long as she stays true to herself and doesn’t completely lose her mind, Ms Monsoon may make it much farther in this competition than we might think.

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One of the judges summed it up perfectly: Shirley Temple Black.

What we have here is a man in his later 30s dressed up as a 4-year-old girl in a time warp. This is something I’d expect from Jinkx, to be honest. Somehow though, it all comes together. Yeah it’s borderline creepy and should never be worn outside, but within the confines of the runway criteria I really like it. Or maybe it’s just the teddy bear I like. I do want to mention that it was very hard to get screenshots of Coco that weren’t blurred, because she was so manic and hyperactive on this runway, as a 4-year-old girl cracked out on pixy stix would be. You can just feel the motion from these still shots, another sign of a good performance artist.

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One of the showgirls escaped from the Stardust! In the year 1983!

Ivy Winters is another one who knows how to look the part. It’s way too easy to go from showgirl to busted mess, but Ivy knows how much is enough while still being a spectacle. She looks great this week, and I would order a drink from her on a casino floor and not think twice about it. Ivy is pretty much cemented on my good list, though there’s one thing about her I hate. RuPaul calls her name like he’s a circus barker every single time, and he does it in a nasally and demeaning way as if she’s a sideshow freak. He goes ‘Ivyyyy Winterrrrssshhh!!’ WHY?! Yes, she has roots in the circus, and yes it’s funny the first time you hear it, but by now it’s just annoying and it really cheapens her image.

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Honey takes something from a previous runway and uses it on the next. She took that pink throw from last week and made a full dress out of it here!

I couldn’t avoid that hashtag during Honey’s splitscreen, but it gives me a reason to bring this up: I can’t freaking stand social media. What started as a good thing has become a swollen and overused cliche that I can’t wait to crash and burn to the ground. More on that in a different post, but this season the show decided to turn any ‘funny’ phrase it comes across into a Twitter hashtag. Why, so all the busted drag queens at home can use it and think they’re being fierce? And so people like me can feel like we’re really being a part of something? Don’t insult me.

And saving one of the best for last, this pitiful runway ended with the beautiful Jade Jolie. Though it looks like if you stare into that smile for too long she may devour your soul.

The smiles in the other pictures are much better, so look at those instead. I want to say thank you to Jade for trying to redeem this runway, because I’m loving the hair, the dress, the extras, and the overall face (all except for that first one). Again to Vivienne and Lineysha: if you want to look interesting and still look really pretty, TAKE NOTES!!

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Winner: Detox
High-Ranking: Jinkx Monsoon, Roxxxy Andrews
Low-Ranking: Alaska, Lineysha Sparx, Vivienne Pinay
Bottom Two: Coco Montrese, Monica Beverly Hillz
Eliminated: Monica Beverly Hillz =)

Once again the rankings were based mostly on challenge performance, not runway. Detox won for her great impression as an anthropomorphic chicken (and would you believe this was not the first time someone dressed up as a chicken on Drag Race?). Alaska was criticized for being a boy in their skit, albeit still wearing makeup and looking like a character. Seriously I thought Alaska did a great job and was still in drag, though not as a queen. (Then again so was Detox! He wasn’t even human!) Lineysha was only safe because she had immunity from last week’s challenge (she really sucked this week) and Vivienne got a strong warning to stop being boring. Coco and Monica really threw their performances away, though during the lip sync Coco became as alive as her runway and was deemed safe.

Monica was rightfully eliminated. She psyched herself out during this whole competition, and even after she admitted to being transgendered she never fully came out of her shell. Her runway looks were horrible and her challenge performances were half-hearted. I feel like this was a bad time for her in her personal life to do something like this. (But maybe she figured it’s now or never before the MTF transitioning went too far for her to qualify for the show.) Even that! Last season a contestant was disqualified for having outside contact during the show, but this whole transgender issue (not to mention the lying to RuPaul and the show itself) had a blind eye turned to it. Maybe Ru didn’t want the criticism of disqualifying someone transgendered, bringing more negativity to an already scorned community, but I would be more angry about the dishonesty over anything else. Willam was completely honest when his rule-breaking was questioned. Plus Willam was a fierce and serious contender who always had his head in the game. Monica was neither.

I hope Drag Race never does a pink runway again, because this one was just bad. Next to go will be either Vivienne or Lineysha, unless they both really amp it up. Start clearing some of these girls out, RuPaul, and bring back Penny Tration! =)

The Pope's Resignation: Don't Be Worried

This blog is mostly a fun atmosphere of satire (and Drag Race, at the moment), but as a follower of Catholic beliefs I feel the need to address something very serious. (Oh and by the way, happy birthday to me!)

Pope Benedict XVI announced his decision to resign his position due to lack of physical strength and advanced age, more or less. He was already 80 when he was ordained pope, so Benedict certainly is an old man. But if we look at his predecessor, the beloved John Paul II, he reigned until his death and continued to do his job even when he couldn’t literally hold his head up anymore. So for Benedict to end on a high note is a bit strange, especially considering that the job is expected to be held until death. Though resignations are allowed in the doctrine, it’s one of those ‘but why would you want to?’ things. You’re the pope. You’re the man. You are the spiritual descendant of St Peter himself. You don’t just quit… but you can, and Benedict is.

Atheists, scorned religions, and otherwise wise-asses are going to have a field day about this. They will be the first ones jumping in asking those bitchy questions ‘Where is your leader now?’ and ‘So much for a person chosen by God himself!’ and otherwise religion-is-full-of-shit remarks. There’s no stopping them, and it’s going to be an uphill tread trying to keep these people at bay. The ultra-pious Catholics may also take this news to the extreme, either by challenging their beliefs or becoming so blindly faithful they will take no logic into question. They might even panic and start making a mountain out of a molehill.

Here’s my take on this situation: God knows what he’s doing.

There is a reason Benedict is retiring now. Something is going to happen, or arise, where we will need a certain person as pope to handle it or make the right decision. Simply put, Benedict is not that person. We don’t know what that happening is, and maybe even the pope doesn’t know what it is, but it will happen within the next few years where Benedict will still be alive. By getting Benedict out of the way and having the ‘chosen one’ as pope for a bit, when this situation arises it will be handled properly. 

There’s been so many sociological changes in the world lately, with the pro-choice/pro-life debate still fiercely unresolved, gay marriage becoming more and more legit =), and a general lack of piousness among people in general. It’s going to come to a head, and soon. The Church will have to make a super-major decision and God feels the pope to make that decision correctly is not Benedict. Sorry, bro.

So I say to all of you that even feel a touch affected by this papal shakeup: it’s ok. Don’t worry. This isn’t a bad thing, and it doesn’t mean that Catholicism will collapse or someone/something evil will take over. God is just executing some preliminary procedures, which translates into Benedict realizing his health is being compromised and a new pope will get settled in his new role. Benedict did what he had to do during his reign, and none of that will be rendered moot now. See? It’s possible to rationalize spiritual speculation!

Everyone just take a deep breath, keep doing what you’re doing, and have faith. Choose wisely, cardinals!

Drag Race S5 E02 - Runway Recap

I think it’s time I catch up with this show. First thing to note is that they *finally* somewhat updated the intro of the episode! After the previous episode recap, the queens immediately go see their fallen comrade’s farewell message and discuss the elimination. Then comes the CG intro sequence but with RuPaul announcing the grand prizes over it. There’s no more preview of Ru’s outfit anymore. =(

Though I completely agree the the intro needed to be tweaked, they didn’t go about it the right way. What they needed to do instead was revamp the CG intro. With 5 seasons of material to slap in the background in monochrome while the Drag Race logo formed, I’m really surprised they haven’t done something like that yet.

Episode 2 was another one of the lower-budget challenges, where the racers had to lip-sync to classic altercations from Drag Races past. The mini-challenge split the contestants into 3 teams led by Ivy Winters, Serena ChaCha and Detox, who each did a scene from Drag Race 2, 3, and 4. Watch the episode if you want to see how that all went down (as well as Alaska and Detox making out), because in these posts all we’re interested in is the

RUNWAY!!

It’s RuPaul in surround! I’m liking the dress and the hair is classic Ru, and even though the white ruffles try to add something more to it, it doesn’t quite elevate the look to the next level. In episodes where the challenge doesn’t involve making a garment, the girls just wear what they want. I love these episodes the most because you really get to see what these racers have in their closets and what they know makes them look their best. Let’s get started!

COMMENCE... SHAKE... DOWN.

This episode opened with Lin-AY-sha. Once again we get the bitch face; I’d love to see this queen smiling.

Hey! A smile!! Yay!!! I like Lineysha so much more now. Now that that’s out of the way, we can talk about her dress. Just like last week, her outfit is detailed and interesting, and she’s in charge of all of it. Pretty good tuck, too. Makeup is also lovely, as is the hair. To me I see a cross between Shangela and Jessica Wild.

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Thank goodness she’s got that pink thing swirled around her, otherwise she’d blend into herself and into the walls again.

Wait a minute. Is Honey wearing the same dress as last week?! I think she is!! She just took off that shoulder piece and the skirt, and smeared a pink thing around her. She even did the same makeup! I mean yeah, it looks good, but this was your chance to pull out anything from your wardrobe and you choose a look that is so close to last week’s? At least she put a wig on, though, and it makes her look leagues better.

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WHOA!! O_O

What an entrance! What a runway! What a… uh… STILTS! It’s so funny how the cameras are trying to keep her in the shot. Makeup is once again on point, and even the dress is super-detailed even though it’s not what we’re supposed to be looking at. I wonder if Ivy figured how much clearance her head would have before she put on the stilts. Anyway, here’s an instance where visuals speak louder than words.

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Here’s another one that re-used a look we’ve already seen… from the first episode… and the stock photo… 

Pretty girl, pretty simple dress, yeah yeah… I need to see and hear more from you Vivienne. I’m not saying go out on stilts, but I need a little more to work with in order to know where you stand with the rest of the contestants. There’s no denying the amazing beauty captured in these screenshots, but Ms Pinay is dangerously close to becoming boring.

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DUHHHHHHHH.

Oh Alyssa… let’s start with that puffball on a chain. I’m sorry that no one told you this yet, but that’s not a dog. I know that’s what you want us to think it is, but it’s not. Maybe if it was on a ‘magic leash’ (those novelty rigid leashes) it would’ve worked, but it’s on a limp chain and even Ru clocked you when she said it looked like you were dragging your pet behind you. Besides that half-baked dog analogy, the dress is meh and the hair is decent. And about the mouth… keep it closed more often.

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Bravo! That hair and makeup is vastly improved, Serena, I didn’t know you had it in you!

Serena traces her heritage to Panama, which explains this spectacle from Carnivale. Everything this week completely makes up for last week… almost. Serena committed two major Drag Race sins here. First is in the pocket-sized Panama flag. For everything else to be so over-the-top and then to wave around this little herp-derp 50-cent flag is beyond awkward, and one of the guest judges completely crucified Serena for it. The other sin you can’t see, and I didn’t want to waste bandwidth by showing a picture of it. There’s no back to this outfit, and it reveals that she’s wearing these hideous granny panties, with barely any effort to hide them. She did know that she leaves the runway by turning her back to the judges, right?? She should have walked backwards towards the exit. It would’ve been odd but anything would be better than that sight we were treated to.

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No headpiece this week. Now we can see Jade Jolie’s beautiful head in its entirety, and I’m glad because Jade is hot!

The circus is back in town, and Jade Jolie is the lion tamer. I would have cranked the shoulder pads back a few notches personally, but everything else looks great. The whip was a great touch, and I love how it was real (unlike Alyssa who tried to make a dog out of something it wasn’t). Too bad she never cracked it. See Vivienne? Here’s how you look fishy and beautiful while also keeping it fresh and interesting.

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Roxxxy, where did your dress go?

Yes, Ms Andrews’ outfit is made entirely out of a breastplate and some cloth strips. There’s no dress here to speak of. I’m surprised Carmen Carrera didn’t think of wearing something like this!  That said, I’m not loving it. It’d be one thing if this was a full dress at one time and it was turned into this (especially on accident through a dry cleaning mishap) to try and recycle it, but that’s not the case. She just has some strings attached to her, and drag is supposed to be no strings attached.

(Yeah I hope that wordplay made sense, I honestly wrote it because it sounded cool.)

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I think Jinkx mistook this episode for the Hollywood one. She always seems to be a challenge behind in her runway. =P

Ms Monsoon is always bringing some major face to the competition. It’s not necessarily a, uh… pretty one… (I’m sorry!)… but it’s trademark and it’s toothy. Look I’m not saying she’s ugly, just distinct. There, that sounds better. On a less cynical note, I really like her wig and hairstyle this week, it’s very realistic and it plays well with her makeup. Jinkx is definitely no amateur, and she knows what makes her look like her. And I say keep on keeping on.

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Same hair and makeup as her stock photo. NEXT.

Monica says her face is her moneymaker. If she keeps doing her lips like that then she’s bound to make about 30 cents. There’s still nothing of interest to see here, but what she admitted to was extremely interesting. After her runway she confessed to RuPaul that she is a transgendered woman. And instead of making Monica the second disqualified contestant in Drag Race history, she allowed her to keep competing and gave her a nod of encouragement. I was under the impression you had to be 100% male to be a contestant. WHAT THE HELL. Monica better start doing better, because she’s got a very unfair advantage and she’s not using it.

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THIS. Favorite look of the night by far, even beating out Ivy’s butterfly.

Yes you get four shots of Alaska today because I couldn’t decide which of the last two I liked better. I’m getting a very strong shiksa/Gina Gershon vibe this week from Ms Thunderf*ck, and that’s a kind of woman I have a severe soft spot for. My god I can’t stop looking at these pics of her, she’s so pretty!! Like I would seriously take her/him for a night on the town if she was dressed like this. Sharon Needles you are a lucky man.

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It looks like Coco bedazzled a set of football shoulder pads, doesn’t it?

Coco has been showing her talents more and more with each runway. The reds coordinate, the silver is there but not too much, and she makes some great faces. At this rate Coco will make it on my good list faster than Alyssa will.

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Last but not least is my girl Detox, dressed in black.

I’m loving the dress and the matching headpiece, and all the darkness is broken up successfully by her standout makeup. Look at those sharp, defined corners of her eyes. And those lips! If she keeps it up she’ll have nothing to worry about in this competition.

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Winner: Lineysha Sparx
High-Ranking: Honey Mahogany, Vivienne Pinay, Ivy Winters
Low-Ranking: didn’t work that way
Bottom Two: Serena ChaCha, Monica Beverly Hillz
Eliminated: Serena ChaCha =)

Keep in mind that they were not evaluated by their runway looks for this episode, as it stemmed purely from the challenge itself. Ivy Winters led the winning team and Lineysha was deemed the best of the four, so that explains that. The other two teams were not considered ‘high’ or ‘low’ and Monica/Serena were called out singularly for their horrendous performances during the challenge.

Serena pulled the same stunts as in her last lip-sync for her life, while Monica fared much better. Monica was spared and Serena rightfully packed her bags. It’s too bad Penny left when she did, because it’s clear that Serena was meant to leave from the start. As for Monica’s little secret, please understand my stance is nothing against transgendered persons. I just feel it’s a bit unbalanced in this competition because all the other men are going to such lengths to look like women; Monica doesn’t have to go as far. Though considering my scathing critiques of Monica in the first place, maybe it’s not as balance-threatening as I’m making it out to be. And maybe RuPaul knows this also.