Queen Of The Month: Kim Chi
Queen Of The Month. At PrideParade.net News , Washington, DC, Washington, DC. United states.
Monday November 1 2021, 12:00am until November 30 2021, 11:59pm
Queen Of The Month: Kim Chi
November 2021
Kim Chi is the stage name of Sang-Young Shin (Korean: 신상영; born August 8, 1987, a Korean-American drag queen, artist, entrepreneur, and television personality best known for competing on the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Kim Chi was the first Korean-American contestant on the show as well as the first Korean-American drag queen on American national television. In June 2019, a panel of judges from New York magazine placed her 17th on their list of "the most powerful drag queens in America", a ranking of 100 former Drag Race contestants. She owns the beauty brand Kim Chi Chic Cosmetics.
Shin started performing in drag as Kim Chi in Chicago in 2012. His drag name is a pun on "Kimchi", the Korean national dish and is also a valid Korean female name ("Kim" is the surname and "Chi" is the given name). Describing his drag aesthetic, Shin stated, "Kim Chi is a live-action anime character whose fashion aesthetic could be described as 'bionic doily.' I imagine my aura to be an array of ultraviolet colors that spews glitter. I celebrate all things cute, fun, weird, and exotic." Prior to joining RuPaul's Drag Race, Kim Chi befriended and helped season seven contestant Trixie Mattel get one of her first drag jobs in Chicago, as it was difficult for Mattel to find one in her hometown of Milwaukee.
Kim Chi was one of twelve drag queens accepted for the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, which started airing on March 7, 2016. Upon joining the show, she became "the first Korean drag queen to be featured on American national television. "Kim Chi won the first challenge, which came with a small cash prize. Shin sent the money to his mother, telling her he made it through makeup work. Eventually, Kim Chi made it to the top three along with Naomi Smalls but lost the title to Bob the Drag Queen. During the finale, she lip-synced a song specifically made for her called "Fat, Fem, & Asian", which was a commentary on negative stereotypes in the gay dating world.
Kim Chi in 2017
After Drag Race, Kim Chi partnered with Sugarpill Cosmetics to create different makeup items, including the Kim Chi Liquid Lip Color, a donut-scented lipstick described as a "Matte lavender mauve with a subtle, unique blend of transparent aqua and violet sparkles". Other items included the Kim Chi Electric Teal Eyeshadow.
Photos from Facebook page.
(Photo 1) (Photo 2) by Adam Ouahmane Photo.
