Since February we have not gone a week without an episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, however, it took until 23rd July 2020 on Canada’s Drag Race for the show to finally introduce body positivity into the Pit Crew.
As any Drag Race fan knows, the Pit Crew are usually a group of buff muscular men who are both helpers and eye candy on the show. We usually expect to see a tall shredded male in tiny underwear helping the queens with challenges or even being the challenge themselves. But what the Pit Crew has lacked until recently is men of different sizes being the eye candy for the audience. The introduction of the model and activist Mina Gerges as a Pit Crew member on episode 4 of Canada’s Drag Race marks for the first plus-sized pit crew member and proves that beauty does not lie in size.
The media put muscled bodies on a pedestal over other body types so being able to see body diversity on a show as big as RuPaul’s Drag Race is a step in the right direction to improving the way we deem size. Gerges has openly discussed his battle with eating disorders to live up to an unrealistic body type and decided to audition for this role as a Pit Crew member to prove that every body type is desirable and attractive.
This is something we need to see more of especially in mainstream media and hopefully, with the Pit Crew looking towards increasing its body diversity, it will encourage other shows and mediums to follow suit!
