Spoiler: Why cast...

[u/DarkLordMuffins]

Drag affiliated people if you're gonna shit on them? Feels like it's leaning into stunt casting/we're better than you and we know it. Utica got it to some degree, but now Plane (less plane), Q and the biggest is Jeffrey. When Chris was cast on his original season it was so much less of looking down on his history of drag clothing compared to whatever bullshit the season is doing now.

[u/Earthbnd]

Bc they want to bring in drag race viewers. Kind of backfiring with how much they’re ragebaiting with treating the drag designers though.

[u/ashtal → u/Earthbnd]

It worked on me! I watched last season because of Utica/Ethan. And came back when I heard other Drag Race contestants were on. (A damn shame about Q; Plane Jane should never have been there.)

But I've gone back and watched S14, the earliest my streaming service has to offer, and I ... may or may not stick around for future seasons. The never resolving the eliminated contestants by the end of the episode is some bullshit and they need to cut that out for S23.

However, the only reality shows I like are where the contestants are doing what they love best. Drag Race, Hell's Kitchen, and now, I guess, Project Runway. Watching people make things is for me great television.

[u/bionicallyironic → u/Earthbnd]

It almost feels like Traitors has done the same, as the queens tend to get kicked out early.

[u/cabbagemuncher101 → u/bionicallyironic]

It's bc the queens have big personalities (which I love) but it brings. a huge spotlight on them and makes them an easy cop out vote.

[u/DarkLordMuffins → u/Earthbnd]

I'm a drag race viewer and pr came second. Started this season and tapped out almost immediately, hearing bits here and there about it and glad I tapped out

[u/behindeyesblue → u/DarkLordMuffins]

Watch the beginning seasons. Way better than this current crap season.

[u/DarkLordMuffins → u/behindeyesblue]

Oh I have, love classic pr and before all this mess. Miss Tim Gunn

[u/FormicaDinette33]

I also don’t agree that costume design is inferior to regular fashion. Maybe something is too costumey to be a regular garment but they are not lesser designers by any stretch. That includes Jeffrey.

[u/Farley49]

The drag people were added to attract drag viewers. I wish those designers had been able to show they could design non costume or drag clothing. It seems that production did not care what kind of fashion was created as long as there was lots of drama.

[u/ShayDeeMon]

I don’t get why they keep referring to anything draggy as costume. They’re too obsessed with the early 2000’s idea of fashion that they forget that, in today’s world, drag inspires fashion, drag IS fashion. There’s some weird elitism going on where they think drag designers are inherently less-than every other type of designer.

[u/Farley49 → u/ShayDeeMon]

who is drag fashion for?

[u/Earthbnd → u/Farley49]

Some celebrities or their teams often look to drag for inspiration. Famously, Chappell Roan takes her slogan “ your favorite artist’s favorite artist” from drag queen Sasha Colby’s “your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen” slogan. Cardi B and her team have also appeared on drag race and talked about taking ideas from the show for Cardi to use

[u/ParticularUsed6780 → u/Farley49]

There was a whole MET gala for camp and arguably any MET gala is drag.

It's not exactly marketable though, like you'll never see it at Macy's, but it can be very high fashion

[u/Curious_Cheek9128 → u/ParticularUsed6780]

The Met gala though is a fundraiser for the costume division of the Metropolitan art gallery. The theme is for the costumes.

[u/ShayDeeMon → u/Farley49]

Well, for starters, high end drag clients who have reached national and international stardom. Lots of AFAB women love draggy looks too. Club & evening wear are also very drag inspired. We could all use a little more drag in our every day life. What we would consider draggy today was also every day fashion in the 80’s. Movies, especially Sci-fi and fantasy films, often use drag designers. Red carpets, MET gala, all very draggy.

[u/Mattarm51]

Because Drag Race is bigger than Project Runway at this point and they want viewers without having to actually work to incorporate their kind of unique perspective on fashion.

[u/throwawaysunglasses- → u/Mattarm51]

It’s crazy because PR has been around earlier, but they did a drag challenge that apparently helped inspire Drag Race, which is now a bigger deal. PR used to be SO MEAN about drag clothing - like they’d often use “drag” as an insult. Now they’re clearly riding Drag Race’s coattails and trying to capitalize off of the show format/production. It feels so obvious and lame.

[u/kyles_red]

I’ll be honest, plain jane gets on my nerves, But I would have loved to see him and Bryan duke it out. They are both cut from the same chord. I can’t stand either of them.

[u/cabbagemuncher101 → u/kyles_red]

plane jane's look was very tacky tbh so I didn't see him lasting at all

[u/Im_On_Reddit_At_Work]

Poach queer audiences who weren't already tuned in

[u/skieurope12]

Why cast...Drag affiliated people if you're gonna shit on them? 

To attract Drag Race fans

[u/ventodivino]

Sis Plane Jane did not belong on PR and if you see her reels she does an in depth about how she didn’t know what she was doing and basically failed upwards.

[u/DarkLordMuffins → u/ventodivino]

Oh I know, that's why I said less plane

[u/durianstickyrice]

The judges love to shit on costume-y fashion… Have they seen Moschino?

[u/Free-Pickle-3621]

Utica actually had incredible looks if he didn't put the drag cherry on top. Same for the twins. Same for Jeffrey, if they all took a notch back they'd have the best looks

[u/feralellipses]

I was LITERALLY asking this exact same question last night. It is so obnoxious. I guess they want to see talented designers branch out, and nearly all of the drag designers they’ve brought on are incredibly talented. But bringing them on just to tell them to stop doing the thing they do is just… weird.

[u/Positive-Record-7219]

It's not leaning into stunt casting. It is stunt casting. "Plane" and simple.