Yvie Oddly | You, Over There! Kneel Down and Kiss the Ring!
by Charlie Ryan
GUCCI dress and talent’s own tights and shoes
Crowned winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 11, Yvie Oddly is arguably the most eccentric queen ever to have competed on the über-successful series. As she slithered her way onto the first episode, dressed head-to-toe in green with a black-feathered tail led by a Matchbox car, the returning contestant, Miss Vanjie, muttered, “Girl, what the –,” followed by NYC queen Honey Davenport quipping, “I’m really confused as to why Hot Wheels needs to make an appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race.” These veiled sentiments would continue from week to week as Yvie Oddly drew the ire of her fellow competitors—those that are a more typical ilk of drag queen, or, as she puts it, “Out here looking cheap.” Dripping in gold and hissing like a snake, her first spoken line on the show was, “Move over ladies, this race just took an ODD turn.” And girl, was she right.
Oddly’s win earlier this year was one for freaks everywhere. Now, she’s using her newfound platform to help others accept themselves and fly their flags with pride—but that doesn’t mean fame has gotten to her head. Even after forging a new echelon of drag on an international platform like Drag Race, and going on to win the title, she still believes she’s runner-up. “Weird isn’t even that weird anymore,” she says. “I feel like Tammie Brown really takes the cake.” Her homage to one of the show’s inaugural members, still seen today as one of its most outlandish characters, shows her understanding of the overarching appeal and continued importance of the show in the cultural zeitgeist. “I’m hoping it can reflect a lot better for our whole country,” she shares.
These days, she’s indeed a busy queen. With a show of her own in the works, wrapping up RuPaul’s Werq the World Tour, slaying her own appearances, all whilst keeping it as ODD as possible, 2020 will undoubtedly be a stellar year for Yvie Oddly. To celebrate her inclusion in Flaunt’s Voyage Issue, we ventured deep.
KENZO coat, dress, and talent’s tights and shoes
As we’re talking about voyages in this month’s issue, let’s start off with what that means to you. If you could voyage anywhere – to another country, to another planet, to another place and time – where would you go?
Oooh, that’s a deep-ass first question. I feel like I’d probably choose the bottom of the sea; it’s one of the most unknown places. We know as much about space as we know about the bottom of the sea, which is right here, and tangible for us. I also have an extreme phobia of fish.
Are we talking about goldfish here or Jaws?
Fish in general. I don’t know what it is. I have a philosophy that you shouldn’t go places you’re not meant to survive. Humans are not meant to move in water, we can’t breathe underwater. Like, the fact that I could be outswam by something a quarter of my size is just terrifying. Especially if I can’t see.
So now that we’ve got a physical place – what about a specific place in time. Which moment in your life has been the most self-realized?
For me, it was making it on Drag Race. Winning was a dream come true; some part of me never wanted to believe it was possible. But making it onto Drag Race was just a sign that I had the power to start influencing my life in whatever direction I wanted. I still didn’t have anything, no one knew my name, and I was able to convince a casting team, and then RuPaul herself, that I was one of the best drag queens in America vying for the crown.
I imagine a lot has changed since beginning the show. During the first episode, you called yourself “a conceptual queen.” Tell me more about any issues you have encountered by not being an archetypal drag queen. Was there any pushback from within the community?
Honestly, I’ve received almost nothing but positivity, even from plenty of queens who do very opposite ends of the spectrum of drag that I do. The only place where I’ve ever gotten any sort of pushback from people about my style and choices is online, where everyone has an opinion anyway. It’s just funny, though, because I feel like I thrive off of people not enjoying what I do.
Speaking of looking your best, you cite Thierry Mugler and Alexander McQueen as inspirations. Are there any new names to add to that list that you’ve come across since traveling across the country and gaining access to more things?
I’ve finally had the amazing blessing of being able to work with multiple designers and see what some of the people out in the community are doing. But my favorite people to work with has actually been my little team—my Odd Squad—that came together to help me put some of the looks on for the show, definitely for the finale. It’s just a really talented collective of artists who I’ve always enjoyed working with, who I not only give a little bit of a bigger platform to, but who I’m also challenging to try crazier things, and who help me learn how to push the boundaries.
I’m sure that you’ve gotten to experience so many new places since winning the Drag Race crown and going on the subsequent tour. What are the most bizarre places you’ve come across in the U.S.?
They’re actually at opposite ends of the country. The one that I expected to be really odd was Portland, Oregon. I got to go there for Pride, and the artistry I saw from not only their queens, but just the people who were coming into the club to have a good time, was just out of this world. It is the queerest place I’ve been. My close second to that would actually be Atlanta, which I wasn’t expecting. But when I got there, I also got to see a really beautiful, creative, queer, progressive place, not only in drag, but environmentally in general. I’ve always heard about how Atlanta is the gay capital of the South, but I don’t think I was prepared to see the crazy amount of diversity and really, really kind people.
KENZO coat and talent’s tights and shoes
As Drag Race champion, the world is pretty much your oyster. With your own series involving thrifting in the works, what are we to expect coming out this month?
It’s a project I came up with to give a peek into my creative processes, but also to show people how they can tap into that energy themselves and think a little more out of the box—learn how to train your mind to create something from nothing. We initially worked through a few ideas because I didn’t know exactly what kind of content I wanted to put out there that would not only be helpful, but also be kind of a continuation of my journey and what I stood for on the show. We decided to work out something that would be equal parts informative and entertaining, giving people a more in-depth view of who I am and how I think.
Having watched Season 11 of Drag Race, followed you on social media, and listened to/watched your past interviews, I feel like I’ve watched your own personal growth. Is there anything that you have yet to do that maybe you’re still too afraid to try?
Oh wow, you know, I actually don’t know if I have a really good answer for that. Now that I’ve started working towards conquering my own dreams and building a world around me that fits—really creating my own destiny—there’s not a whole lot that I’m afraid of or that I feel incapable of taking on.
To expound on that further, what would you tell your younger self?
Keep fighting and start exploring your truths instead of trying to change them. Start exploring what it means to be yourself instead of running away. Even though I think ultimately it was helpful to learn a little bit about what identity is and how important it is or isn’t—don’t run away from your truths. That’s the best I have for me, then. We live in a world where everyone is able to speak to their story. Our generation, and younger generations, have been able to be somebody without needing to be born into the right family, or in the right city, or even the right skin.
What does the future look like for Miss Yvie Oddly? For all of us.
There’s this place where I want to live where I’d like to think that we still have things to fight for—I think that’s an important part of being human, having something to fight for. But I also hope that we’re the same people who are willing to listen.
Photographed by: Nicholas Pollack.
Styled by: Noah Diaz.
Location: The Ice Palace Nightclub At The Grove Hotel, Fire Island.