You get a job and the rest is drag: What drag can teach us about norms in the workplace

When I was brand new at IN-VISIBLE in 2022, our CEO Rea interviewed me for this blog. At the time, I told her about being a drag artist on the side, and we immediately agreed that some CEOs could benefit at least as much from a drag workshop as from an unconscious bias training. That may sound strange at first. But drag teaches us to change our perspective, to be brave and to question norms - skills that are essential at work and in life, not just for managers.

Wait a second, what is drag?

Let's take a step back: what is drag anyway? Many people have heard of drag queens by now, and usually think of them as men who perform as exaggerated stereotypes of women - with huge wigs, colorful make-up and lots of glitter. That is one type of drag, but this art form goes much further. Because when it comes down to it, drag just means consciously playing with gender stereotypes - and there are a lot of those. 

Which means that drag can be many things. There are, for example, female drag queens. There are drag kings who are inspired by male archetypes such as boy bands or old-fashioned gentlemen. There are drag quings who mix female and male elements however they please. There are drag artists who go beyond notions of human gender and perform as aliens or mythical creatures. What they all have in common: They show us how much of what we associate with gender is actually a performance. Clothing, gestures, behavior, even someone’s choice of drink or their favourite colour can supposedly indicate their gender - this is so deeply rooted in everyday life that we rarely question it. Drag, on the other hand, makes these invisible norms visible and asks: do they really make sense, or aren't they kind of silly if you look more closely?

Using drag to challenge norms in the workplace

This question can, of course, be extended far beyond gender. What does a CEO actually look like? How can you visually tell an HR manager from an architect? Or a male nurse from a female nurse? And more importantly, why? What may be a practical consideration in some cases (you would expect construction workers to wear safety gear, but a bank employee is unlikely to need it) often turns into a norm with no clear reason. People squeeze themselves into uncomfortable shoes and constricting ties, just as drag artists squeeze themselves into binders or platform heels, because it's “just part of the job”. It's not for nothing that we talk about “corporate drag”, the kind of outfit and styling that says: “Look, I'm professional and fit into a successful company.” But while in drag this performance is the whole point, in professional life it’s usually unnoticed and unquestioned.

But if you imagine the office as a drag show, you start to ask: What is actually behind my clothes, my gestures, my expressions or those of my colleagues? What do they express, what do they hide? Who can fulfill these norms of the working world and who can't? Once you are aware of these norms, you can deal with them more consciously and decide which role you want to play and where your self-determination may truly be limited by necessity.

Learn from drag: Imagine you have to represent your job in a drag show. How do you show the audience what your profession is? How can people recognize that you work in your company, specifically? What are important items of clothing, accessories, gestures? Then think about: Which of these are actually necessary to do your job? What is just an accessory and where does the feeling that it represents the job come from? You can also do this exercise as a team: First take time to answer these questions individually and then exchange your thoughts. This way, you can uncover unconscious assumptions and norms that have crept into your work culture and consciously decide whether they will help you move forward.

Look to drag to challenge norms in the workplace

What if we could be ourselves in the workplace?

Now it is one thing to recognize norms in the workplace - it is another to draw consequences from this realization. It takes courage and self-confidence, especially if you are the first person in your team to question established structures. Drag artists continue to be role models here: Gender roles are often taken very seriously in everyday life and not conforming to them, not just in private but in public, can be exhausting and, at worst, even dangerous. And yet we drag performers do it and show how colourful the world could be if we were all more relaxed instead of obsessing about what is “feminine” or “masculine”. 

Admittedly, it takes practice, but it's also a lot of fun. Whenever I give a drag workshop, there are always a few participants who are very shy at first and don't really dare to try it out. It's always great to see how they slowly become braver, come out of their shells more with every brushstroke and accessory, and find character traits they didn't even know they had. How great would it be if we could experiment with what feels good for us in the office, too? It's not impossible, someone just has to take the first step.

Learn from drag: Drag not only represents stereotypes, but also ideals. For many drag artists, their drag persona is a way to show sides of themselves that have no place in their everyday lives. What would your drag persona look like? What are items of clothing you've always wanted to wear or things you've always wanted to say? Pick one thing and try it out - if anyone asks, it's drag.

CEO in glitter lashes: playfully questioning norms

Last but not least, this playful approach to norms also trains something that is invaluable in working life, namely the ability to change perspective. We see this regularly in our consulting work: managers do not understand how their team members perceive them, employees disregard the human needs of their managers, blue-collar employees do not feel seen by HR, and so on. Avoidable conflicts arise because empathy fails.

And this is closely linked to rigid standards: We have an idea of what management, HR, factory workers or creative people should be like without realizing what that actually means. It's the same with drag: anyone who tries on full make-up for the first time or walks in high heels gains a completely different appreciation for people who are expected to do this every day. Conversely, many people don't even realize what it means to portray “masculinity” - trying it out and realizing how much work it is can also be very enlightening. Drag not only sharpens our understanding of our own identity, but also shines a light on what we don't know about other people. Those who manage to transfer this skill to different situations become more empathetic, more curious and therefore more inclusive in the long term. 

Learn from drag: Drag performance relies a lot on observation and imitation. Observe your colleagues and find something that someone does differently to you - the timing of their coffee break, maybe, or how they take notes. Try to do the same thing for a day. How does it feel? Alternatively, you can also assign each other characteristics to imitate within the team and then share what it was like for you. Be careful, though: This is not about judging how others work, but putting yourself into their shoes and trying to understand them better.

Let's have more fun!

Conclusion: All the world is a stage and in our working lives we’re always acting at least a little bit. That's not a bad thing as long as everyone feels comfortable with it - but too often we don’t realize that something is a performance and not an immutable law of nature. So dare to think like drag artists and playfully question what defines you, your profession and your organization, and whether the established performance really works for you.