Exclusive Interview - Skinny Minnie

Skinny Minnie! Hello my love, welcome to Spill the Tea.
Hello, love! Thank you so much for having me!

To kick this interview off I would like to start with how did you get into Drag?
I’d always been quite tangentially aware of drag, but my first real live experience of it was my Freshers week at University about four years ago, where Peppermint performed at my student union! She (and the local performers) completely blew my mind. There was a weekly show that used to run here called ‘Mothertucker’ that was themed (Comic Books, Crime and Punishment, Reality TV etc) that I would go to every week with my boyfriend and I’d always bore him on the way home after the show with what I’d do for each theme — if only I was a performer. Eventually, I realised there was nothing stopping me from becoming one!

How did you choose your drag name?
A friend of mine put me in full drag for the first time — I didn’t want to see it at all until she was finished so I could really feel the transformation. When she was done and I finally looked in the mirror, I had such ridiculously huge hair and the waist to hip ratio was crazy (for context, I am 5’2 and one of the smallest queens in Scotland — so my proportions looked bananas) that I just went, ‘Wow, I look like such a wee Skinny Minnie.’ and it just fit so perfectly.

Did you have any rejected names and if so, what were they?
Honestly, not really! It was one of the things that held me back from starting drag for a while, nothing I came up with or that was suggested to me worked until that moment in the mirror.

How would you describe your drag?

Skinny Minnie is the baby that got thrown out with the bubble bath-water! A pastel, pint-sized pop princess! A high energy explosion in a five foot frame and MOST IMPORTANTLY — the Glee Cast cover of drag! Skinny is the most popular girl in school that I never got to be. Don’t let the aesthetic fool you, though, I do capital D ‘DRAG’ and performance is always my #1.

I hope you don’t mind bringing this up, but you are a hairy queen and we love it! Two questions, the first, what made you decide to show your body hair with your drag?
Thank you for noticing! I always forget I’m a hairy queen because it’s just… there, permanently!

I think there’s a few reasons: obviously, the biggest, is that I think it’s a provocative (and hilarious!) foil to my aesthetic. Here you have this bubbly, cutesy drag queen with a full breastplate of chest hair! I think it makes my drag a bit more unique and memorable too.

Secondly, drag is all about deconstructing rules about gender. Don’t you know, some of the most gorgeous girls grow chest hair — you’re looking at one!! I think as a queer person getting to express elements of what is “traditionally” masculine and feminine at the same time is very liberating and affirming.

Finally, I’d say drag has been a really instrumental part of me finding peace within myself around the way that I look, and celebrating my body and all I’ve been able to accomplish inhabiting it. I’ve gotten to a place where I’m really proud of my body and I think if I sacrificed part of ‘me’ to create Skinny, I maybe wouldn’t feel that way as much.

How have you felt people have reacted to it when coming to see you live?
It does get quite a reaction from civilians of the non drag initiated world, and I have at times been groped or harassed over it, but ultimately I think the response is usually very positive.

Our audiences here are very aware drag exists across a wide spectrum and there are many incredible other hairy Scottish queens as well, so I think regular drag fans here are pretty caught on. I consider myself really lucky that I’ve never really felt that I’ve had to validate that part of my drag to bookers or the audience.

You are a Scottish Queen! What do you think makes Queens from Scotland stand out or different?
Scottish drag is incredibly wacky, bizarre and fabulous! We’re all really creative and original and there’s no two Scottish drag artists who do the same thing.

But, I think what makes Scotland stand out is that we’re one of the few scenes that really, really emphasise performance over looks. I’ve seen a lot of drag in my life, and I may sound biased, but Scottish performers are truly some of the best in the business.

For a very long time, as was mentioned on Drag Race, the booking fees in Scotland were very low, even for the most prolific queens in the scene and we don’t really have the same of catalogue of wig stylists or designers that other scenes benefit from — maybe because there was never that kind of money in drag. I think that bred a scene that is incredibly performance focused because all we had was charity shops and our own skills with a sewing machine or hairbrush.

I am probably the biggest fan of Scottish drag you’ll ever meet. I think we’re all tenacious, resourceful, thrifty, hardworking and still always down for a good freakin’ time!

You aren’t a stranger to a competition, what do you like about competing?
Oh, so you’ve noticed! Honestly, I find competing really hard emotionally because I am my own worst critic and don’t really settle for less than perfect from myself… which is what makes me a pretty formidable competitor! I’m also a really competitive person so I can never stay away from them for tooooooo long…

What I love is feeling creatively challenged, the camaraderie that forms with the other performers, and just that they’re a whole lot of fun! I’ve won some, I’ve lost some, but I’ve always learned a lot and regardless of how I do, I always like having a body of work tied to a specific moment in time. It feels like being a part of something significant!

What can people expect when coming to see you live?
Oh, girl, expect the unexpectable. You’re always gonna see some big hair and some bigger dance moves, but I’m pretty versatile in my shows — I love to perform comedy mixes, burlesque inspired routines, and even throw in a ballad once in a while to keep everyone on their toes! One thing is for certain though, at a Skinny Minnie show, you WILL get A SHOW.

Shout out time! What one other Queen, King or queer performer deserves a shout out from you?
I’ll give you one of each! Slutdrop Sally is an incredible up and coming talent in Scottish drag. She is so talented, I really think she is a wee superstar and can’t wait to see what she does next!

Asparagus is killing it locally in a way I’ve never really seen before. He’s absolutely unmatched on stage and a dream to work with. He’s not even an ’upcoming one to watch’, just WATCH HIM!