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Meet the 11-year-old drag queen
Meet the 11-year-old drag queen who loves dressing in elaborately colourful clothing and exaggerated makeup.
Bracken Hanke, from Vancouver, Canada, has been a dedicated drag queen for two years now, after being inspired by the TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Admitting she was fascinated by the show’s big outfits and larger than life personalities, the inspiring pre-teen said she knew “these were my people”.
Mum Dominque, 36, happily supports her decision to dress in drag — which involves a four-hour transformation from schoolgirl to ‘hyper-queen’.
Bracken proudly owns eight wigs, ten outfits and heaps of bright and bold makeup, that she practices applying up to twice a week.
However, her costumes don’t always attract a positive response, with Bracken revealing she has experienced “every kind of shocked face imaginable”.
“For my drag I take whatever society says ‘a girl should look like’ and then take that to one hundred instead of 10%,” she explained.
“I like different elements of each look I have made. Anytime that I stick sparkles, flowers, gems or whatever else to my face I love it.
“When I walk down the street wearing lipstick the reaction is funny, but when I’m in full drag people’s facial expressions are hilarious.”
Decribing herself as an “extrovert” Bracken said she has no intentions of slowing down and will continue to do drag as an adult.
“I love being the weirdo, I’m the weirdo at school and at home, I’m an extrovert, I like turning heads and people wondering ‘what’s up with that girl?’” she said.
Mum Dominque said she recognised her daughter was ‘different’ from other children at an early age.
Recalling an incident when she was five-years-old, she said Bracken cried watching Brazilian women on a beach exposing them bottoms, believing it to be “for men” and not for themselves.
“We never spoke about the sexualisation of women or anything like that,” she said. “It was something where she had these real ideas of equality at a young age.
“She has always been into quirky clothes and dressing up to take a different spin on life.”
Bracken started drag two-years-ago, initially taking cues from other drag queens and the stars she worships on RuPaul’s Drag Race, but now she’s finding her own style.
“I’m a hyper-queen,” the 11-year-old said. “It means I take the elements of your average female and I enhance it, making it 1,000% and a celebration of femininity.”
Most recently while Bracken was in full drag attire during a Pride parade this month, she was mobbed by fans who adored her look.
“I think it’s amazing and a great thing,” her mum said. “If she wanted to wear jeans and t-shirt I wouldn’t stop that either, but she likes wearing different colours, sparkles and all of these fun things.”
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