Men Behind The Drag: A Look At Male Stars And Their Feminine Side

The recent “big reveal” of Jared Leto reaching for the make-up and getting his femininity on has caused many to discuss not only this male star but other men behind the drag that have unleashed their womanly side in the past.

In a spread from Candy magazine, we all looked over the pages and felt pretty impressed by how well Leto scrubbed up as a female.

Not only is he virtually unrecognizable, but he has also had many comment on his apparent similarity to Katy Perry, although that could be due to the pink wig he wears in some of the pictures.

Even though the male star has had “tongues wagging” about his alternate appearance, little mention has been given to the full details of the movie he’s starring in, Dallas Buyers Club. 

The only real information that has been given, in regards to his transsexual performance in this indie film, tends to focus on his dramatic weight loss.

Despite all the hype about his prettiness and girly side, the role he portrays in the above mentioned film is actually a lot more serious.

The story of the movie is based on a real-life experience of a HIV man who smuggled alternative medicine with the help from a HIV positive transsexual woman (that’s Leto’s role).

Furthermore, while Leto has definitely grabbed people’s attention, he isn’t the first male celeb to raid a vanity case, hence why our men behind the drag piece intends to bring other, possibly forgotten drag photographs, back to the fore.

After all, is it really fair for the media to allow Leto to have all the attention? Sure, he looks good, but so have many other men who have done the same thing.

James Franco also rocked the feminine look when he was pictured on the front of Candy magazine in 2010. Not to mention that he then later donned the make-up and female clothes once more, though this was apparently in the name of art:

“It raises awareness of the choices we make every minute of every day to be who we are.”

Not sure about the rest of you, but I think he’s look is rather good.

Alongside Franco’s convincing female transformation, Jude Law has also dressed in drag, though it seems that was a one-off occasion for a role in the film, Rage.

However, from the pictures of Law all dressed up, and his accounts of behind the scenes, it would appear that he wasn’t as comfortable as other actors have been:

“I’m a bit of a coward. I didn’t go for the waxing. I just shaved it.”

I have to say, that is a very moody look that Law seems to be pulling off – I just hope he had to look like a woman with an attitude problem. Yes, I’m not afraid to admit that I haven’t seen Rage.

Of course, you also have the contrast of more “serious” drag roles against the comical ones, such as when John Travolta went through over four hours of make-up for his performance in Hairspray. Nonetheless, it still gave viewers and news followers a reason to pause when they finally realized who was under all the special effects.

There is, of course, many more male stars that continue to “break out” of their traditional appearance to wow us, whether it be for a film role, or just because they can. After all, when you can wear what you want and pretty much do what you want, then why not experiment and have a play around with various looks?

Even when the male celebs are doing it in the name of awareness, it still has substantial impact of various degrees. However, I’m sure there could be an argument made about whether photographs, such as Leto’s, detract from the issues they’re portraying rather than adding to them.

Nevertheless, all the men behind the drag we’ve looked at in this post definitely continue to have our attention for better or for worse.

[Main Image via Digital Spy]