Mail your "What Would Peaches Do?" questions to: peaches@peacheschrist.com

Hey Campus Queers,

I got some great questions from a bunch of you and most of them related to sharing makeup secrets and tips. One of the questions really seemed to sum it all up:

Dear Peaches,

I'm a student at Ohio State University and I really want to give drag a try but I'm afraid I'll look bad. I see terrible drag wannabes on Halloween and I worry that's what I'll look like because I don't know what I'm doing. How do you get good at doing makeup? Is there a book? I want my first time to be perfect and impress my friends. Help!

-Virgin Mary Makeup

OK, so my first bit of advice is to learn to do your own makeup and practice. I can't emphasize this enough. Many first-time queens have other people paint their faces and I'm not a fan of this. If there's one thing you've just gotta do to be a successful queen, it is to know how to beat your own face. You've just gotta! You don't want to be dependent on someone else for this. Trust me. And the best way to get good at applying makeup to yourself is to practice. So, don't wait until your big debut to get started. Sit at home, alone, in front of a mirror and start putting it on. Try different things, techniques, colors, styles, and more. Take pictures. Watch the thousands of YouTube clips of queens putting on their makeup and take their suggestions. Figure out what works for you and what doesn't. Everyone's face is different and you'll really want to create a unique look, one that's all your own. Once you've mastered your "look", then schedule your debut. You'll know when you're ready. I like to think of my particular look as Bozo the clown meets old Hollywood glamour.

Also, I figure that since one of the readers here mentioned a virtual makeup tutorial I appeared in that I'd share it with you all. Check out the LIPSTIQUE music video and watch as a bunch of us queens apply our makeup. I have to admit that when I was approached to do this video, I wasn't that into the idea of appearing without any makeup whatsoever and giving away some of the "fog and mirror" illusion we create. However, I'm really proud of the way the video turned out and perhaps you too will be inspired to apply monstrous amounts of makeup to your face, reinventing yourself, giving birth to the glamour inside.

Also, practice doing drag at class. Dress up for your next lecture! Think of your classrooms as theaters, and the students as your captive audience. Arrive a minute late so that your audience is sure to catch each entrance. Sashay across the room, and think of the aisle between desks as a runway. Work different looks and gauge the various reactions. Remember, a positive reaction isn't always good. An indifferent reaction is the worst. And if you're effective enough to inspire fear and intimidation, just know that you're onto something. Drag does not need to be family friendly. In fact, it shouldn't be. I'd say that if you can create mass panic in the classroom, you're ready to give the club scene a shot. Let me know how it goes.

Oh- and while we're on the subject of today's campus fashions, can I just say I'm appalled by the trend of wearing pajamas to class? Are you fucking kidding? You look like an idiot. Is that too harsh? But really, it's like you forgot that you left the house or something. I've even seen this at airports! As Peaches, I get to go out and visit college campuses, speak in classes and at assembly halls and I'm just shocked by the number of people wearing their pajamas. It's as if they forgot to take a shower, do their hair, or put on real clothes. I don't get it!

So, just know that by dressing in drag for class- you'll be doing your part to off-set this tragic pajama trend.

OK, campus queers. Send me your next "What Would Peaches Do?" questions!!!

Fiercely Yours,

Peaches