Who Is RuPaul's Drag Race's Rosé?
Who is RuPaul's Drag Race's Rose?
RuPaul's Drag Race's Rosé, self-described as "Planet Earth's official ambassador to the color pink" is as comfortable quoting Marilyn Monroe as she is Lindsey Lohan as she is Kylie Jenner as she is Oprah. The Scottish-born Ross Matthew McCorkell has always known how to dress up. She's gorgeous in a kilt. "I frown at the person who wears anything under a kilt," she told EW, "Unless it's like, a sexy garter, like a little secret. It should serve no supportive purpose whatsoever." But McCorkell only met her drag queen self in 2017 (via Fandom and Instagram ). Don't let that fool you though. She's in it to win it. As Rosé told VH1, "I didn't have to go the very treacherous Frodo Lord of the Rings-to-Mount Doom route that most queens had to, but I work very hard, and I'm proud of that."
The 31-year-old will do almost anything for a good performance opportunity. Remember that time, as she narrated on The Gram, when she put on a pair of fake Chanel earrings, had a bad allergic reaction, and waited to go to the hospital until she used her bleeding ears in a Halloween-style photo shoot? Rosé is nothing if not determined. Last season (12), it was her Stephanie's Child band sister, Jan, who competed on the show. Rosé tried out, but didn't make the cut. This season, it's Rosé who's gunning for the title of America's Next Drag Superstar, and the lifetime supply of makeup that comes with it.
Why Rosé does drag
"I don't do drag to look like a woman," Rosé once admitted on Instagram, "I do drag to make people think and laugh, and to blur the societal lines of gender while dropping jaws everywhere I go." Laughter is central to Rosé's raison d'être. As part of the Stephanie's Child girl-group trio, Rosé has had plenty of experience performing. (You may have seen her performing on The Voice or auditioning for America's Got Talent.)
And performance for Rosé means lightening up. "If you come to my show, you're going to laugh. That's my number-one thing," Rosé assured EW. "And also, I'm going to sweat," she promises. "If you're sitting in the front row, you're in the splash zone, baby. Of course, live vocals and sickening looks, but probably with a couple of nails hanging off for dear life."
She's a showgirl, and she knows it. But, when she's not on the stage, we like to imagine that you might find Rosé sipping on a glass of rosé wine (her namesake). Or maybe you'll find her enjoying a low-cal grapefruit margarita, while re-watching Gremlins and mooning over the female monster, Greta. Or, perhaps in the morning, she'd be eating some Special K, and preparing for a photo shoot by covering herself in glitter.