Episode 19: How to Engineer a Drag Reveal with Vivica Vanity

Vivica Vanity's path to drag began with a childhood creating digital art, anime obsession, and fictional world-building.

As an "internet baby" who could type before writing, she spent years making animations and original characters while feeling like an outsider in school. Her drag career sparked in 2022 at Code Pink in Oxford, Mississippi after being inspired by Sasha Colby's reveal techniques. She reverse-engineered costume reveals by studying YouTube videos frame by frame, eventually mastering theater quick-release techniques. Her first performance came during a Jay Lee memorial night where she felt compelled to "embody the queer spirit," performing to Ayesha Erotica's "Literal Legend." Vivica describes her drag persona as "a spirit of sorts" that exists for three minutes at a time on stage, seamlessly merging her background in digital art and character creation with live performance.

We talk about her signature dress reveals that leave audiences screaming and her 2-3 hour makeup process fueled by My Chemical Romance. Vivica explains how drag taught her to use her voice and gain confidence as an autistic person who previously struggled socially. She shares competing in Hunny Blunt’s Assassins drag competition at Lamplighter Lounge, making the finale despite getting a concussion during a failed dip, and how she processes setbacks by crying privately before moving forward. Her alt aesthetic draws from Panic! At The Disco's vaudeville style, while her supportive family includes her proud mother who attends shows (except clown performances due to coulrophobia). Vivica learned drag skills through YouTube tutorials and maintains an anti-gatekeeping philosophy of sharing knowledge freely. Her dream project involves creating animated shows featuring her character concepts, including Vivica comics depicting her as a "Saturday morning cartoon villain" who wants to "take over the world in a good way."