"The Drag Race queens out here get $5000 an appearance, and people like me often get $100 or less, and then tips – if people are feeling generous, that is," a friend of mine who is very active on the Brooklyn scene explained over email. That’s a terrifying prospect in many ways – that a budget that would usually be shared over five performers’ fees might be swallowed into one girl from Drag Race’s pocket. That’s not her fault of course, but intensifying the capitalist framework through which drag will most probably now have to exist can only mean loss of earnings for those who have just about struck a balance. For those who get booked less – which is often the case for the bodies we don’t see on the show – this could pose a real problem.