The category is ‘ Hyper queens! MohDonna is one of the few afab greek drag queens, she’s young and beautiful, she’s not afraid to express her femme realness and claim body-positivity politics.
How did you choose to do drag? What are your core symbols for creating your persona?
Drag came to my life very suddenly. I came across it through my drag mother Marianah Grindr, as she was the first drag queen I’d ever met and I could say that she “opened my eyes”, by mentioning that my performativity out of drag is actually drag. Discovering more thoroughly all about it and attempting to define it, and by the guidance of my mother Marianah, I felt that it was about time I gave myself a chance to evolve my relationship with drag. More specifically, the reason that drove me to get involved with drag was the realization than drag is a form of art. It combines several elements that I love, like dancing, music, theatrality, extra makeup, extra dress-up, intense performance and, of course with all the political background behind all this, when in drag I feel that I have a lot to offer to the people and invite everyone to see the world through my perspective.
My persona is influenced by situations that I’m dealing with in my daily life. She could be influenced by a person who dances in the street, a person that wears yellow with red and blue with green clothes or a beautiful scenery that takes place in front of her eyes or in social media. She could be influenced by words or poems or makeup looks on instagram or runway looks.
Which representations and problematics would you wish to raise through your drag?
As Antonia (me out of drag), I felt ashamed and insecure about a lot of things, from not wanting to walk around my own house naked because I was unable to accept my body, to not finding the courage to wear peculiar accessories or shoes to match my indifferent clothing, in fear of being judged. When I participated an lgbtqi+ group, I managed to accept my image and my body with its flaws, my queerness, to believe in my capability to acquire life skills, and I developed my self-acceptance and self-worth in total. It was a long process and it’s still continuing as my life experiences progress. When it comes to this point, my drag sister UltraViolene (that completes our House of Grindr) has really helped me achieve my self-acceptance, and she’s still supporting me, alongside my mom Marianah.. All these aspects of Mohdonna have empowered her to show the world the importance of not being ashamed, of self-love, of embracing uniqueness and to live, to express emotions as these are felt, to share them and the beauty of sharing, to not perceive someone according to their gender spectrum, sexualities, nationalities, ages, bodies, but by their ability and willingness to fight for their life goals.
Are there specific challenges for an afab drag queen, and did you have to deal with any?
An afab queen is confronted with stereotypes that exclude afab women from drag, with the excuse that the part of “becoming a woman in her extravagant form to satirize the woman’s archetypical societal roles” is missing. Every person might experience some forms of oppression when it comes to self-expression like choice of clothing, acting, existing as they feel, because no one can fit the social norms absolutely, whatsoever. So, drag makes room for every person, who need to find the space for self-expression, whatever their gender might be. Personally, I’ve been in the place of explaining myself to someone out of the community “why do I get to do drag, since I’m not a man” and that what I do is far more than “a female singer who just sings playback”, according to him.
How do you experience your positionality as an afab drag queen within the greek drag community? Are there any differences? If so, how do you believe that equality could be achieved??
I’ve never been in a position where I must feel differently just because I’m standing as an afab drag queen, neither from myself, nor from any other queen. The only different thing that we have is that I can’t enter my pussy in an ass and that I have boobs, due to some hormones that I happen to have, in contradiction to the other queens. I also have big thighs (laughs), so I don’t need to pad!
Which are your goals about the progress of MohDonna?
My goal for MohDonna is to keep evolving. When she stops having things to say, you should be worried, as I will (laughs). I want to return to Athens from my studies in Patras, and start looking for places to perform my drag as often as possible, in order to release all this need for self-expression and to offer to people, even for a while, my point of view through MohDonna.
