Plastique Tiara is back where she belongs: showing up and out on the runway of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
After her debut on Season 11, the TikTok savant has returned to the franchise to compete for her charity, The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), on Season 9 of All Stars. “I’m here to continue the Asian legacy and put Vietnamese drag onto the map,” Plastique tells Mashable of her time on the show. “I can only hope to continue what was done before me.”
Just three episodes in, Plastique has already delivered looks honoring the Vietnamese flag, Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, and the nine-tailed fox of Chinese and Japanese folklore.
We sat down with Plastique to chat about her recent watch history and her passion for “Asian excellence,” and in the process, she spills a few Season 9 secrets.
“The Pit Stop AS9 E01 🏁 Trixie Mattel & Shea Couleé For Good! | RuPaul’s Drag Race AS9”
As drag queens, we want to know what other drag queens think of us. And being on AS9, you have to watch the Pit Stop every time it comes out to see what Trixie [Mattel] and the other guests are saying about you. We are all just fans of Drag Race in general, and we’re also fans of drag queens. And so we want to see what’s the tea.
How did you feel about what they said about you on this episode?
I mean, they’re correct to say that I’m perfect and beautiful and stunning.
I think the exact quote from Trixie was, “I love you but also fuck you.”
That is literally the best compliment that you can get.
Tell us about your entrance look this season.
My first look I wanted to be very me, very crystaled, body, pageant. And in my entrance line, I wanted to pay homage to Asian pageants. Whenever [contestants walk] in, they scream their country very, very loud. I wanted it to be a nod to my culture and where I’m from.
[When designing an outfit] I see a silhouette first, and when I like a silhouette, then I choose the fabric. Most of the time, I choose the fabric myself, but if I don’t have time, my designer will go to the store and see if there’s anything to my liking. And when we saw this fabric, I immediately loved it right away. I didn’t want any fabric under it at all; I wanted the garment and the fabric to speak for itself. It was definitely a collaboration between me and my designer.
What other entrance look did you especially like?
I really loved Gottmik. The hair alone [by] Jean Baptiste… he did my promo look hair, so I think his work is just absolutely bomb. And then Roxy in all Balenciaga, my label queen, so I have to give it to her as well.
“From Head 2 Toe: RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars S9E1 (with Naomi Smalls)”
Naomi is like one of my best friends, so I really, really love just hearing her opinion to hear her voice in general. We’re very much alike in our opinions as well, so we’re those friends who can communicate in one look, and then we just laugh. So I love it when she reads the girls down. It makes me very happy. It is so her, she just gives no fucks. For Naomi Small to be out here giving her opinions for free? Ugh! They should be so lucky.
Tell us about your iconic winged signature look from Episode 1.
For the signature look, I knew I wanted to do wings because I always loved Victoria’s Secret. I loved the tiny, tiny girls who would wear the huge-ass wings. And me being an anime fan, that was always a fantasy for me. [And] if I’m gonna have wings on, I’m gonna wear nothing. [The wings] weighed about 50-something pounds. At the time, I think I was 130-something [pounds] in four-inch heels, so imagine that: me struggling and pressing a button at the bottom of my perfume bottle to open the wings. It was a very conceptual obstacle that I put upon myself to make happen. And I’m happy that we did the damn thing.
So the bottle was a remote control?
Yes. Exclusive! The remote was at the bottom of the perfume bottle. The back wings open in and out, and the front wings unfold. So when you want to close them, you have to [direct the inner wings to curl] back in and then close the back wings. So it’s one-two, and then two-one. Imagine having that in your brain as you’re walking down the runway. Because if I had them open, I could not exit because the wings are too big for the door on the runway. Girl, it’s mathematics, it’s engineering. And I really gave it to them.
Mashable Top Stories
Did the bottle also have a fan in it?
Yes, it was one of those aerosol things that blows when you press on it. I have a wonderful team behind me, and we have a list of who can make what and who is good at what. Marco Marco really popped off with this bottle. And these wings were made by an entirely different team. It was a four- or five-person project.
It turned out beautifully. Where will you store the wings?
Thank you. All my drag is in my loft right now, and I need to either move to a bigger space or get storage.
Or get a museum.
Or get a museum! You know, that might be the next step.
Monét X Change – “ROTATION (feat. @LondonHill)”
Monét is another one of my great friends. She does music videos, is a doll, and is living her superstar fantasy. And I just love it. I love to support the dolls. I love to see the vision.
I assume she’s watching the new season, has she said anything about your looks?
Yes, everyone has been raving and loving, so it feels very correct — 10s across the board. Beautiful, but fuck you.
Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso”
I love this — it’s my new walking song. It’s just such a feel-good song, and it’s such a good drag song for me to do. It’s definitely a bop. It’s been on repeat, and I’ve actually been trying to learn the words to it.
To the point where you could lip-sync it?
Yes, stay tuned! I went to Coachella, and Sabrina was glowing. I was like, “Oh, that’s a doll right there.”
Who else did you see a Coachella?
Gwen Stefani made her return. I saw Le Sserafim. I wish I’d seen ATEEZ but they looked bomb. They were naked, they were dancing, so I live [for that]. Coachella this year for me was my first time going, and I was like, “Oh my God, this shit is really dusty.” So I could only go for a little bit, and then I was like, “I have to go back to the hotel or go into a tent and eat some food because this is really crazy.” All my clothes were so dusty that I was like, “OK, this is done. Goodbye.”
What other K-pop groups are you into?
I love NewJeans. Miss Hanni, our Vietnamese queen. She’s such a baddie. Our Vietnamese sister really gave them the karaoke fantasy, she said I’m gonna be the vocals of this group.
I’m an XG girl. I’m also an IVE girl. Wonyoung is the “It” girl for me. I try to be like her every day of my life. And I live for the “HEYA” fantasy. It’s like traditional but modern but fantasy but anime but cunt at the same time.
I saw a live performance of [IVE’s recent single] “Accendio,” and they were wearing amazing custom hand accessories by Tomoya Nakagawa. I’ve had a few things done by him, and he’s just so talented.
I’d love a Plastique-K-Pop crossover.
Oh my gosh, can you imagine? It would be too powerful for the world. I’m working my way there, we’ll get there.
Minh Tuyết Vina House Remixes
Minh Tuyết is the pop princess of Vietnam. She’s been my obsession ever since I was little, she should have a restraining order on me, honestly. She’s like the Mariah Carey of Vietnam right now. She’s always serving cunt, when she was younger and even now, bodied out still in her 40s. She’s just everything to me. I remember listening to her when I was 8 years old. She was the pop star back in the day in Vietnam. Our neighbors would have CDs of her, and she would be on Paris by Night, and I would play the number of her dancing over and over. I would listen to it every day — well, I still do. She is my original idol of life.
What is Paris by Night?
Paris by Night is an amazing Vietnamese Cirque du Soleil-type variety show that features singers, dancers, cultural numbers, and pop numbers. It was like the Vietnamese show back in the day, and it’s still running. Watch Paris by Night, and you’re gonna be sucked in because it’s a whole new world. This was what I grew up on, and it made me go, “OK, I want to be a performer.”
Vietnamese TikTok features songs called “Vina House” remixes [like this one]. It’s house music but Vietnamese style.
I read that Minh Tuyết’s Vietnamese name translates to “morning snow” in English, which is like, are you kidding me?
Yes, it’s so cunt.
What does your Vietnamese name “Duc Tran” translate to in English?
“Duc” is like your consciousness or like your heart, you’re inside. And “Tran” is “clear.” So it’s like “clear soul” or “clear hearted.”
Before we wrap, are there any other Vietnamese drag queens you want to shout out?
Yes, oh my God. There’s a lotto show that is the key feature of Vietnamese drag right now. They sing out the lotto numbers and have performances by trans women and drag queens. It’s like the number one outlet for drag performers right now in Vietnam, other than gay clubs and bars. So if you happen to be in Vietnam, or if you go on TikTok, you can check them out.
Topics
YouTube