*Pic: Catechesis at the Palacio De Deportes with The Mass given by Cardinal George Pell Archbishop of Sydney for English speaking pilgrims. © Mazur/catholicchurch.org.uk
Undoubtedly the the prize for grownups wearing dressups must go to those fabulous Sydney Drag Queens.
When performing in full gear they are magnificent, silks satins, grand wigs, twirls whorls and steps that delight the eye in their extravagance. Witty and pretty, these guys out-do many gals. So the prize for best adult grownups in dressups should go to them.
But let’s look at the opposition. These groups interestingly belong to the better off socio-economic class.
So perhaps we start with the jolliest clique, namely the academics. To be fair to the university circles they don’t romp around in dressups that often. Graduation day sees everyone from the undergrads, post graduates to the academic staff and right up to the Vice Chancellor decked in academic drag. There appears to be an ordering in gold slashes on gowns and caps, mortarboards etc. This is not obvious to the uninitiated.
The arrival of the prize-givers is dramatic. Headed by the Vice Chancellor and in unformed grouping, they move merrily, swiftly, gowns flowing, towards the stage. Presenting academic credentials is a happy occasion. The most intelligent in our land handing batons to the next generation of most intelligent in the country. And exuberance lies in the air.
Regrettably the next grownups in dressups to assess have none of this charm but are very easy to identify, namely our military.
On the bottom, namely the rank and file very little glitter, they simply march in a toe-forwarding fashion, saluting, presenting arms, or whatever to the much more glittering elite, generals etc. The glitter folk, frequently blokes appear on raised surfaces, plinths we might suggest, above the colourless masses. Perhaps the message with all that gold style badging and stripes is simply obey. There is an old adage… old men [and women] send young men [and women] off to battle and death.
Anyway military drag is fairly hohum, and of course history provides us with some rather frightening images … Nazi Germany springs to mind. Not that our boys are like that of course.
The next grownups dressing up to examine are a rather pallid but elite bunch, namely the upper end of the legal system. When judges and barristers put on legal gear, either anarchist black or marxist red, sometimes with a faux fur trim [that surely must go…Santa Claus springs to mind here] and those strangely straw-like wigs, you simply have to wish that they visited the odd drag show to really understand to essence of power of flamboyance. Perhaps a little colour in the wig or at least a good body fitting robe. But then probably a wig covers a bald head and a saggy body is probably best left enshrouded!
However the next team for examination, do glitter rather well, namely the Catholic Church.
Again let’s only inspect the upper structure, bishops, cardinals and so on, the gold and glitter boys.
Romping around in silks and satins, flashy greens, sumptuous purple, divine pinks, incense burning they almost rival the drag queens.
However while the gear is good they fail completely in other areas.
Firstly movement, no spring in the step just an awkward shuffling from the cardinals.
Guess they have other matters on their minds! Body size… no no no too many bulging bellies under sagging satin. Not a good look.
Next musically a deficit, out of tune organs, no beat or rhythm, just doesn’t grab the audience.
However the incense is quite nice!
Prize definitely goes to the drag queens. Perhaps they should be offering consulting services!
*Josephine Zananiri lives in the Independent electorate of Indi in Germantown Vic and currently works in the manual labour arena tending native and exotic trees, so has plenty of time to think. Followed everywhere by her two dogs Percy and Fino who generally agree on all subjects, only occasionally deserting the conversation in the chase for samba deer! Slight differences in logic can therefore be attributed to the two woofers leaving their critical post!
