The Vixen (drag queen)
The Vixen is the stage name of Anthony Taylor,[2] an American drag performer, best known for competing on the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and placing seventh. Her appearance on the show was notable for raising a conversation around racial dynamics both among her fellow drag queens and in the show’s fandom.[3][4][5][6]
The Vixen | |
---|---|
Born | Anthony Taylor December 11, 1990[1] |
Education | Columbia College Chicago |
Occupation |
|
Years active | 2013–present |
Known for | RuPaul's Drag Race (season 10) |
Website | thevixensworld |
Early life
Taylor started doing drag at a local bar called the Jeffery Pub in April 2013. His drag mother is Savannah Westbrooke.[7] The drag name "The Vixen" comes from his love of 1920s vintage wear, and the word "vixen" comes in those searches.[8]
Career
The Vixen is known for blending political activism and queer advocacy into her drag performances.[9][10] She has been an outspoken critic about anti-black sentiment in America, including in white queer communities, stating, “you [often] have to choose between calling out racism or homophobia”.[10]
In November 2016, Taylor co-founded "Black Girl Magic", a drag show consisting of only African-American queens. Drag Race alumni Dida Ritz and Shea Couleé are part of this show.[11][12] Her fellow season ten contestants Asia O'Hara, Monét X Change and Monique Heart were added to the line-up of the "Black Girl Magic" cast in June 2018.[13][14]
The Vixen was announced as one of fourteen contestants for season ten of RuPaul's Drag Race on February 22, 2018.[15] She won the episode two main challenge.[16] In the third episode, she engaged in a verbal back-and-forth with fellow contestant Aquaria, which left Aquaria crying and The Vixen noting that the exchange “created the narrative [of] an angry black woman who has scared off the little white girl".[4] Although Aquaria eventually conceded the point and later came to her defense, the Vixen received online death threats from Drag Race fans afterwards.[17] She faced more backlash after quarreling with competitor Eureka O'Hara in multiple episodes, most notably in episode 4 of Untucked.[18][19][20] She was eliminated in seventh place after losing a lip sync to "Groove Is in the Heart" against Asia O'Hara.[21] During the final reunion episode, she walked offstage after feeling cornered by moderator RuPaul who kept pressing her to revisit past confrontations with Aquaria and Eureka.[22] Season six alum Courtney Act later criticized RuPaul for a lack of compassion during the exchange.[23][24]
Outside of Drag Race, The Vixen had a booth covered with the Black Girl Magic logo for the first annual Wakandacon in August 2018.[25]
She became a sponsor for Grindr's "Kindr" public service announcement in September 2018, in an effort to stop racial discrimination in the app.[26]
On March 5 and 6, 2020 Vixen performed alongside fellow drag race alum Bebe Zahara Benet, Bob The Drag Queen, Monique Heart, Peppermint, and Shea Couleé in Nubia tour, a live drag show featuring and produced by Black Drag Queens.[27][28]
In 2020 Taylor started a career in pornography, selling sexually explicit videos and images via OnlyFans.[29]
Music
Before her stint on Drag Race, The Vixen was a featured guest on Couleé's 2017 song "Cocky."[30] She released her first solo single, "Room pt. 1," in March 2018.[31] She released "Room pt. 2" on September 28, 2018, with Couleé featured on the track.[32] The Vixen was featured with other Chicago drag queens on the song "Drag" by Dorian Electra.[33] On October 17, 2018, she released the song "Demons, Witches & Bitches" with DJ Shilow and Aja. [34] The Vixen's single "Tea Party" was released on December 11, 2018.[1] She released her debut album, Commercial Break, on August 4, 2020. [35] [36]
Filmography
Movies
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Lipstick City[39] | Red Dancer | Short film by Shea Coulee |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | RuPaul's Drag Race (season 10) | Herself | Contestant (7th place) | [15] |
2018 | RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked (season 10) | Herself | ||
2018 | ABC 7 Chicago | Herself | Guest | [40] |
2018 | The Jam | Herself | Guest | [41] |
2019 | Empire | Drag queen | Episode: "Never Doubt I Love" | [42] |
Music videos
Year | Title | Artist |
---|---|---|
2017 | "Cocky" | Shea Couleé |
2017 | "Ride" | Shea Couleé |
Discography
Albums
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
2020 | Commercial Break | Featuring Lucy Stoole and Dida Ritz |
Lead artist
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
2018 | "Room pt. 1" | |
2018 | "Room pt. 2" | Featuring Shea Couleé |
2018 | "Tea Party" |
Featured artist
Year | Title | Artist |
---|---|---|
2017 | "Cocky" | Shea Couleé (featuring Lila Star and The Vixen) |
2018 | "Drag" | Dorian Electra (featuring Imp Queen, Lucy Stoole, Eva Young, The Vixen and London Jade) |
2018 | "Demons, Witches & Bitches" | Aja (featuring DJ Shilow and The Vixen) |
References
- Crowley, Patrick. "The Vixen Serves Scalding Hot Bars On 'Tea Party': Listen". Billboard (December 11, 2018). Retrieved December 12, 2018.
- Dazed (2018-04-24). "Vote for The Vixen on the #Dazed100". Dazed. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
- Nast, Condé. "How The Vixen Exposed the Racism of RuPaul's Drag Race". them. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
- "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Alum React to The Vixen Breaking Down Racial Narratives Created by Fans". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
- "INTO: A Digital Magazine for The Modern Queer World". www.intomore.com. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
- "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Reunion Put A Spotlight On The Show's Race Problem". NYLON. 2018-06-22. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
- Johnson, The TRiiBE, Tiffany Walden, Morgan Elise. "The Vixen revisits the starting line of her personal drag race". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
- "Queens for a Day: Fall Fashion Goes Drag". Chicago magazine. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
- Blanton, Kayla. "The Vixen Has Big Plans After 'RuPaul's Drag Race'". Bustle. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
- Tucker, KT Hawbaker, Sunshine. "Chicago's black drag queens are upholding a radical gender-bending tradition". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
- Morgano, Anthony. "That 'Black Girl Magic' has us in its spell". ChicagoPride.com. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
- Forman, Ross. "Black Girl Magic shows unite Queens of Color: 'We are stronger together'". ChicagoPride.com. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
- "Black Girl Magic with Asia O'Hara, Monét X Change, Monique Heart, the Vixen, Shea Coulee, Dida Ritz, Bambi Banks, Eva Styles, Lucy Stoole, and Sasha Love". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
- "Black Girl Magic". ShowClix. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
- "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 10: Meet the 14 fierce drag queens". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
- Koch, Drew. "Why The Vixen Could Absolutely Win 'RuPaul's Drag Race'". Bustle. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
- "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Queen Aquaria Calls Out Racist Fans for Threatening The Vixen: 'Jump Off the Aquaria Train'". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
- "Everyone Was In Love With Eureka's Snatch Game Performance as Honey Boo Boo...Except For The Vixen". VH1 News. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
- "'Drag Race' Exclusive: Monique Heart Takes a Side in Vixen/Eureka Feud". FANDOM. Wikia, Inc. 2018-05-04. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
- "'Drag Race:' The Vixen Sends Her Haters a Message: 'You're Uncomfortable Because I Am Creating Change'". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
- "Drag Race Season 10 Episode 8 Review: Cher The Rusical!". PopBuzz. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
- Swift, Andy (2018-06-22). "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 Reunion: Who Made Nice? And Who Walked Off?". TVLine. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
- "INTO: A Digital Magazine for The Modern Queer World". intomore.com. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
- "Courtney Act calls Drag Race a 'social experiment on unconscious bias'". Metro. 2018-08-01. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
- "The Vixen Showed Up and Showed Out at Chicago's First Ever Wakandacon Convention". VH1 News. Retrieved 2018-08-25.
- Wheeler, André (2018-09-11). "Can Grindr Make Itself Less Racist?". GQ. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
- Street, Mikelle (January 29, 2020). "Peppermint, Bob the Drag Queen, Shea Coulee Announce New Show". Out.com. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- Lindsay, Benjamin (March 9, 2020). "Nubia Proclaims 'Black Queens Matter' in Drag Race and Beyond". Vulture.com. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- https://www.cocktailsandcocktalk.com/2020/04/nsfw-drag-race-star-the-vixen-has-joined-onlyfans/
- Shea Couleé (2017-06-22), Shea Couleé - Cocky [ft. Lila Star + The Vixen], retrieved 2018-06-22
- Drag Music (2018-03-01), The Vixen - Room pt.1 (Official Audio), retrieved 2018-06-22
- "The Vixen and Shea Couleé Trade Rap Bars On Vogue-y 'Room Pt. 2': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
- Drag (feat. Imp Queen, Lucy Stoole, Eva Young, The Vixen & London Jade) - Single by Dorian Electra, 2016-12-05, retrieved 2018-08-03
- Bote, Joshua (2018-10-17). "Aja Links With The Vixen For Spooky, Nicki Minaj-Inspired Track: Listen". Billboard. Lynne Segall. Archived from the original on 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- https://open.spotify.com/album/7ipcntHPY56Ij63WT92jqN
- https://twitter.com/TheVixensworld/status/1290554375719587840
- "The Vixen: 'A Drag Queen Is Safer in This World Than a Black Man'". 2018-06-18. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
- "The Vixen on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
- Shea Couleé (2017-07-07), Open TV Presents: Lipstick City by Shea Couleé, retrieved 2019-05-22
- Chicago's Vixen talks about RuPaul's Drag Race. YouTube. April 3, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
- The Vixen Talks Chicago and Competing on 'RuPaul's Drag Race'. YouTube. April 19, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
- Luria Freeman (April 25, 2019). "Empire recap: Jamal gets hitched, the FBI seeks a snitch, and Andre can't catch a break". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
- VH1 (2016-08-15), Cooking with Drag Queens: The Vixen - Seafood Gumbo, retrieved 2019-08-21
- VH1 (2018-05-14), Whatcha Packin': The Vixen | Season 10 Episode 8 | RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10, retrieved 2019-06-13
- Cosmopolitan (2018-06-30), The Vixen & Monique: Off Camera Relationships & Regrets - Queen to Queen - RuPaul's Drag Race, retrieved 2019-07-09
- VH1 (2018-05-20), The Vixen | COSMO Queens | Cosmopolitan, retrieved 2019-06-13
- "Do You Believe in Aliens?" COUNTDOWN TO THE CROWN: RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10. YouTube. June 27, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- Hey Qween (2019-03-18), THE VIXEN on Hey Qween! with Jonny McGovern, retrieved 2019-06-13
- "Meet The Vixen, the fearless drag queen whose activism is revolutionizing drag". AOL.
- IMHO with Chan & Dixie (2019-09-23), Detailz w/ Dida Ritz: Drag Race Review S04E04, retrieved 2019-09-23
- Queen Labs Network (June 1, 2020), "What's Your Kinkiest Trait" | Queer Table | Season 1 - Episode 1, retrieved June 10, 2020