Design & Style, Wellness
Proportion and Presentation
Lesson time 07:10 min
RuPaul gives practical tips that anyone can use to present their best selves. He explains how to lean into your strengths, how to use your proportions to dress better, and how to present yourself with confidence.
Students give MasterClass an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars
Topics include: Know Your Best Features · Strike a Pose
Preview
[00:00:00.00] [MUSIC PLAYING] [00:00:15.46] - I love clothes. I've always loved the textures and the colors, putting myself together. And I love how they make me feel. And I know when certain things can create magic. When I go outside in my everyday life-- and this is true always-- I dress as a way to affect other people. Whether it's to disappear, or whether it's to look together, or smart, or clever, or chic, there's always some thought behind what I'm wearing. [00:00:51.24] Zaldy told me many years ago, if you are a superstar, you do not wear things that everyday people can buy in a store. It has to be custom. It has to be so unique that only a superstar would wear it. You don't want to wear something that someone else has worn or can wear. [00:01:10.80] So I don't differentiate between going onstage, or going to the mall, or going to pick up my dry cleaning. It's all presentation. And it all depends on what effect I want to have on other people. And the effect I have on other people has to do with what I need to get out of the situation. [00:01:36.00] I've said for years to men that if you want to make more money, wear a suit. Doesn't take much. You don't have to wear a tie. Wear a suit. You want to make more money? You like money? Wear a suit. Same with women. You want to make more money? Wear a suit. Put yourself together. People respond to it. [00:01:54.27] Has nothing to do with you. It has to do with the narrative that's already implanted in people's consciousness. And that's true with so many things. You don't want to swim upstream. You want to work with what people already know. And you can use that tool to get what you want out of this life. [00:02:16.87] [MUSIC PLAYING] [00:02:23.25] I've always been interested in proportion. It's so important, because what you want to do as an artist, you want to conduct the way the viewer, the audience, sees you. And you can nudge that just like any illusion, just like any magic trick. So it's important. It was always important for me to correct my silhouette in drag. [00:02:50.31] I have very long legs. When I've high heels on, they're even longer. So I have to create more head space. Very rarely do I ever cover this part of my neck. Sometimes, there may be a choker or something there. But even if there is something there, the shoulder is exposed because I want to create some space here. [00:03:16.00] And you'll see that with a lot of Bob Mackie's creations, a lot of sketches that designers make. They fix the proportions. The reason clothes look so good on mannequins is because mannequins have perfect proportions. Even if mannequins are wearing something kind of awful, it still looks good. Their physical body proportions make clothes look good. [00:03:42.19] And for the viewer, when you see that, it looks good to you. You don't know why. You can't articulate it. But that's the reason sometimes really hideous clothes look good on the runway, you know. But not everybody can wear that. But ...
About the Instructor
RuPaul has transformed drag subculture into a mainstream phenomenon with devoted fans across the world. Now the Emmy-winning host, performer, and drag icon is sharing an intimate look at his personal journey to self-realization. From finding your inner truth to owning the room, RuPaul teaches you how to present your best self to the world. It’s your life’s work to shine—RuPaul shows you how.
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RuPaul
RuPaul teaches you how to find your inner truth to overcome hardship, gain confidence, and live your best life.
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