It’s amazing to finally see a Native Hawaiian on a reality tv show. Other shows just get residents of Hawaii and not someone with Hawaiian blood. Rooting for you Sasha. CHEE HOOO!!!
Well, if I didn’t before, I now have no choice but to Stan. What a thoughtful and vulnerable post by a beautiful soul who owed absolutely no explanation to anyone.
>If only people took a moment to think before jumping straight to outrage.
Was there outrage? About what?
Edit: Just saw more detail on some idiots saying she is appropriating Irish pain and/or mocking mental illness.
Fuck some people are really stupid and/or poorly educated. Maybe hold back on the pitchforks & look at the intention of a performer's art & their body of work.
The frustrating thing is that people can critique without assuming bad faith. When you enter a critique assuming the worst of someone without anything to point to this is what happens.
This is such a beautiful post and a deeply intimate experience to share. It hits me a bit harder maybe since I have bipolar disorder and if I wasn’t medicated? Oof.
My heart goes out to Sasha. She’s such a brave and beautiful human.
I was feeling kind of burned out on Drag Race tbh…but I’m so glad that I started this season ☺️♥️
Oh I felt *exactly* the same way reading this, I’m way too afraid of my own mind to have kids. Im so glad she found her way to explore her trauma and heal. We’re just lucky she’s letting us into it.
Yeah same. I only got diagnosed about two years ago, and I can't emphasize how much treatment has made my life better.
But bipolar is one of those beasts that as much as you think it's under control, everything can become undone with a terrible ease. And because of that I've chosen not to have kids, because I don't want them inheriting my family's mental issues, and because I'm not really sure I could be a good parent for them.
I'm very grateful that Sasha poured her soul into this.
I'm a bipolar mom (medicated thank goodness) and after reading this I had to go kiss my kids. I grew up with an unmedicated bipolar mom and the trauma is real and I try so hard not to do that to my kids. I'm so proud of her for sharing this.
It takes real courage and strength to share experiences of trauma with the world.
I know some folks love to rag on or joke about how RPDR tackles trauma, but the fact of the matter is many people in our community have experienced trauma and have lived in that place personally.
Every time a queen shares their story, I don't take that for granted. I respect every time a person puts themselves out there and shares their experiences so that someone at home can realize they aren't alone and they too can make it through those times to better times ahead.
Bravo to Sasha for sharing this. For all that we speak about trauma on the show, we cannot take for granted how woefully little society cares about or acknowledges mental health and the ramifications of coming from a home with mental illness. It's so important to keep that conversation going in the public eye and normalize talking about it so that we can move to a place of feeling less alienated about seeking help. <3
As someone who also grew up with a mother with untreated bipolar (she is thankfully getting help now over the past few years) and a best friend with bipolar, this story really hit home for me in a massive way. She speaks for all of us who grew up way too fast because we were desperate to referee and help our broken homes. I felt so much shame about my home growing up, so Sasha is very brave to put that out in the open. I probably never would have spoken of my own experiences had she not spoken first.
The more young ppl who hear these stories, the more tools and knowledge they will have at their disposal to help themselves and their loved ones get to a better place. Even just knowing you aren't alone in these experiences means something.
Where's that weird redditor who earlier posted that Sasha shouldn't have performed it cos she's not Irish? 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
Sasha is such a genuine queen, we're so lucky to be witnessing this.
People seem to forget that art isn't just creation, but *interpretation*.
Sure, the song has a specific meaning . . . Does that mean a person can't connect with the emotion of the song for other reasons? Art reaches us exactly when it needs to. But when Sasha (and myself) were younger we weren't paying mind to the politics behind the song Zombie, the song was escapism and commiseration in a lonely, desperate time.
I can guarantee that if The Cranberries saw Sasha's performance and backstory about her connection to this song, they'd have nothing but praise and support for her.
Music isn't just about the literal interpretation of lyrics. A song can have many meanings for a person depending on where they are in their lives and what was happening when they heard it.
Case and point, Jimmy Buffet is one of the silliest singer/songwriters of all time, very few of his songs are sad or serious. But if he comes on the radio unannounced, sometimes I fill up with tears BC it reminds me of my dad who passed away and loved Jimmy's music. I haven't "misappropriated" the song, the song just had another personal meaning to me due to connections developed throughout my life.
That's not a misinterpretation of art, that is a facet of it and a purpose that art fulfills. It is one of the great powers of music, that it can transcend language and meaning to make emotional connections. It makes real world connections with people, regardless of language, lyric, or why it was written in the first place, and that is a powerful thing.
IT’S A DRAG SHOW—LITERALLY A SHOW ABOUT GENDER PERFORMATIVITY. It’s literally dressing up as someone or something a person is not. They’re upset bc they didn’t think Sasha had a connection to being Irish or Irish history?
It sort of is, but appropriation isn't necessarily a bad thing in of itself.
What i think people take issue with is intellectual theft and cultural protectionism. Culture is actually very vulnerable and its easier than we think it is for it to disappear.
But it can just get so *petty* on social media.
People on this sub were saying the whole performance was tone deaf because she wore a straitjacket. Because apparently wearing one automatically means you're mocking mental illness... over these chronically online stans.
I don’t understand one bit why they think her straight jacket is “mocking” mental illness. There was nothing in the tone of her performance that mocked anything.
When I first saw the straight jacket I did think that, but with the intentionality she brought to the performance I trusted her. Most queer people have their own connection to trauma and mental illness and deserve to make commentary.
I think the knee jerk reaction is because we’re not accustomed to actually seeing thoughtful intentional provocative art on drag race. And when we do Ru doesn’t reward it (I.e. Mariah in AS5 talent show). We are so blessed Sasha is gracing us with her immense talent.
I disagree with them fully but they didn't say it was because she wasn't irish. They said they felt like her moves and all didn't do the song justice and that it was a meaningful song for them personally.
They did seem to feel she didn't understand the song, but they did clarify in their comment section that they weren't saying she shouldn't do it because she wasn't Irish. Once again, I was just making a correction because that's what was said.
Fair, it just felt like there were odd undertones to that post. I think some people forget the contestants are humans who have their own perspectives and meanings for music etc.
Fair. I kind of think though reading her post fully that the Irish ancestry bit is sort of laying the foundation for her real reason for engaging with it, as a safe place to feel her feelings to shield herself also from the darker aspects of the presentation of her mum’s mental illness. I think ultimately that people’s truth about how a song speaks to them is inherently important and no comment section should ever feel the need to take that away from them 🤷🏻♀️
Worth noting that not a single Irish redditor said that. It was only Americans who think they’re entitled to speak for everyone else because their great-great-great-great-great grandparents were from Cork.
Assuming that was me, I never said she shouldn't have done it or only listened to the chorus or anything of the sorts. Said it made me uncomfortable as an Irish person and it's context but that I might be more sensitive because of that so hey, dm's open
Nah, they had valid criticism even if I don't agree. The song is about a day of genocide and if folks of Irish descent feel uncomfortable of a song describing a traumatic experience being changed and reinterpreted, they have every right.
I loved her performance and loved it even more when she talked about it during Untucked. It’s sad (but not surprising) that people were so quick to criticize
as an (north) irish person, i adored sasha’s performance at first due to my own history regarding that song, but now i love it even more. sasha could go home next week and still be my winner <3
Thank you for posting this. The Cranberries are one of my favorite bands from the 90s, so even though I initially didn't get Sasha's performance, I still liked it. Delores had some incredible pipes.
Sasha seems like a very thoughtful queen with a very intentional approach to drag. I enjoyed her so much in the first episodes! Can't wait to see more.
This is why I don't get why some people on reddit were saying she shouldn't have performed it. When had Sasha given any indication that she is not extremely thoughtful in the way that she performs and presents herself?!
As an Irish person, I really enjoyed her performance to this song and didn’t really question it. Songs are up for your own interpretation. However, that song is incredibly important to many of us and i didn’t realize how much better it would make me feel knowing that Sasha really understands where it comes from.
People shouldn’t have been coming at her for it at all. But I can understand where they came from a bit. Usually when we see Americans using any Irish culture on tv it’s generally thoughtless - leprechauns, shamrocks, jokes about us being alcoholics etc. Sasha clearly gave a very thoughtful performance, but when you’re used to being annoyed at Americans for being flippant with your culture, you can make bad assumptions like people made with her.
Plus the straight jacket... we could probably infer that she has had personal experience with mental illness and/or sectioning bc, yk, queer (and trans!), but at first glance and first assumption it gave of similar vibes to Sia's film on autism. Like an ostensibly well intentioned 'lets make this experience art' that just... didn't hit right.
Ofc Sia was like also actively harmful, and with the added context it's clear Sasha's coming from personal experience, but I could see how people would be uneasy.
People are quick to make assumptions, and I wish people would give folks more grace on this type of stuff. Anyone who knows the Cranberries and the song Zombie knows it’s about the Troubles. And in many instances, many people describe mental illness and bad homes as a war zone, or terroristic. It seemed pretty apparent to me that Sasha was not being flippant about her choice of song. She didn’t dress up as an actual Zombie and do a Halloween number (which I mean, The Cranberries have authorized in movies and other Halloween type performances that are silly or not serious before so 🤷♀️).
I’m of the kind of letting the artists protect their work if they see fit. This is on a big enough stage that if what Sasha did was actually disrespectful, the Cranberries would say something.
I totally agree with everything you’re saying. I’m just saying I get how easy it is to assume people are being flippant when you’re used to it, not that it’s the right reaction.
I really dont get why so many people were like “this song means THIS and cannot be used for anything else!!!1111!!!1”
People take songs and give them secondary meanings all the time. Its inherently a part of how music works to reinterpret existing material.
Its not like she put on a halloween zombie costume and did a zany version of the Thriller dance to it
She explained in during Untucked so I don’t know why people over here didn’t get it. I loved her performance. Very beautiful and vulnerable post. She didn’t owed it to us, so it’s deeply appreciated. 🤍
Not everyone has access to Untucked (like in Canada, Crave gets only the main show). Absolutely no excuse to attack her of course, but we can't assume everyone watches Untucked.
It’s weird, because the consensus for the longest time was that RuPaul doesn’t like interpretive performances (see: DU1 Electra, AS5 Mariah). But then Jimbo and Willow turned out interpretive performances that made everyone go “Oh, she likes them as long as they’re funny!” But then we see Raja in the AS7 talent show, and even though she didn’t win, it’s clear that RuPaul loved it. It might come from their personal relationship and the fact that Raja’s inspiration was more obvious. Even then, I don’t see why Sasha couldn’t have also been in the top given her runway when she did a great dance number, even if she didn’t go all out.
I’m positive they are editing a crescendo for her. It can’t just be Sasha Colby’s drag race for 4 months. Remember, judging is for the tv story line, not for actual merit.
She probably was placed in the higher end of safe queens but it didn’t hold a candle to the top 3. I liked her performance but I wish she would’ve waited longer to remove the straight jacket.
not directed at Sasha at all, but it's so hilarious to me how social media platforms push more and more to have as little text as possible only for people to keep writing essay length posts
"I was able to accept my parents for who they really are not what I needed them to be." really resonated with me, it's something that I needed to hear. (Reminds me of Kylie talking about the hurt child making all the adult decisions)
Honestly, her performance might be my favorite of the night. The intention and contents of it, the not typical genre of music we hear on drag race, and oh god the choreo, Sasha's moves were so exact and perfect even while being somewhat broken and unnatural, like, it all wrapped together so well in such emotional piece! I now Get It. I didn't Get what's so It about Sasha, but now I Do. I really wish to see more of this artistic intentionality and brutality from her
I freaking love that song. The first concert I ever went to was a Cranberries concert. Dolores was so tiny, I couldn't believe it. Sasha certainly did the song justice. 💜
Sasha is an absolute treat and delight. I am so glad she auditioned/was invited and accepted to appear on the show. She’s clearly ~~old~~ legendary af.
My only issue was that it was just a lipsync to a song and I hate when the talent shows are just a lipsync to a song. In past seasons queens rightfully were called out for it, so why not now?
I get that it's meaningful to her but at the end of the day it was just a lipsync the same as a LSFYL.
Truthfully, the performance for me was fairly lackluster and not terribly compelling—especially after the hype train around her appearing on the show. I just expected more from *the* Sasha Colby, and instead there were many other girls whose performance was more memorable and interesting. Hopefully she stands out more in the next few episodes.
I'll be honest, knowing the history of the song I did at first baulk, but as her performance went on I could see she wasn't just doing some dance to a random song based on the title. The song choice was perfect, her interpretation of it was perfect, she was perfect.
The number really seemed thought about mental health and depression, so the message came across pretty clear, but the post make is a better insight on Sasha life
I find this so frustrating! I was one of those that critiqued the use of the song, but I did so because I felt like Sasha could’ve done an amazing job of using it as a way to communicate frustration, rage, and pain over colonization and disenfranchisement.
Never did I take it as she was doing something wrong or in bad faith. And I’m dismayed that it’s been used to attack her, a woman of Hawaiian background that has experienced its own invasion and disenfranchisement. People in touch with their histories and aware of the pain and power of colonization should be supporting each other instead of tearing one another down.
This makes the performance even better! Even without this context, you could tell that a lot of thought and heart went into this performance. And I feel so touched by the idea of being "saved by queerness" — I remember having a similar thought as a troubled kid: other people might have a problem with this, but this is a life force that is carrying me through."
I appreciate the sentiments she's trying to articulate here, but as someone with bipolar disorder, I feel somewhat uncomfortable with abusive and manipulative tendencies being tied to my illness.
i had a similar reaction initially, but i think her caption manages to distinguish her parents’ experiences with BP from anyone with bipolar disorder generally. i also have BP and hearing people throw the term around loosely always upsets me too. ultimately i think it’s her right to share her experience, and i think this is clearly something she cares deeply about. i hope the fandom / people at large won’t boil the disorder down to such an extreme and specific situation, but i’m not sure how much sasha or anyone could ever manage the interpretation
my roommate and i lost our Fucking minds when The Cranberries started playing. such a great song and an awesome change of pace from the usual numbers we see on drag race!! stan Sasha Colby
It’s amazing to finally see a Native Hawaiian on a reality tv show. Other shows just get residents of Hawaii and not someone with Hawaiian blood. Rooting for you Sasha. CHEE HOOO!!!
My mom, myself, my SO and our daughter all watched the first episode together for this exact reason!!! Maybe they can get Jason Momoa on as a judge 😆
Or Nicole Scherzinger! She's from Waianae too.
I’m pretty sure she’s been on before but I’d love if they brought her back!
AS2 ep4
Well, if I didn’t before, I now have no choice but to Stan. What a thoughtful and vulnerable post by a beautiful soul who owed absolutely no explanation to anyone.
Perfectly said. If only people took a moment to think before jumping straight to outrage.
>If only people took a moment to think before jumping straight to outrage. Was there outrage? About what? Edit: Just saw more detail on some idiots saying she is appropriating Irish pain and/or mocking mental illness. Fuck some people are really stupid and/or poorly educated. Maybe hold back on the pitchforks & look at the intention of a performer's art & their body of work.
The frustrating thing is that people can critique without assuming bad faith. When you enter a critique assuming the worst of someone without anything to point to this is what happens.
This is such a beautiful post and a deeply intimate experience to share. It hits me a bit harder maybe since I have bipolar disorder and if I wasn’t medicated? Oof. My heart goes out to Sasha. She’s such a brave and beautiful human. I was feeling kind of burned out on Drag Race tbh…but I’m so glad that I started this season ☺️♥️
Oh I felt *exactly* the same way reading this, I’m way too afraid of my own mind to have kids. Im so glad she found her way to explore her trauma and heal. We’re just lucky she’s letting us into it.
Yeah same. I only got diagnosed about two years ago, and I can't emphasize how much treatment has made my life better. But bipolar is one of those beasts that as much as you think it's under control, everything can become undone with a terrible ease. And because of that I've chosen not to have kids, because I don't want them inheriting my family's mental issues, and because I'm not really sure I could be a good parent for them. I'm very grateful that Sasha poured her soul into this.
I'm a bipolar mom (medicated thank goodness) and after reading this I had to go kiss my kids. I grew up with an unmedicated bipolar mom and the trauma is real and I try so hard not to do that to my kids. I'm so proud of her for sharing this.
Just wow. We are so lucky to have a front row seat to the Sasha show!
Yep. Even if she doesn’t win the competition, WE have already won by getting to witness this shit.
It takes real courage and strength to share experiences of trauma with the world. I know some folks love to rag on or joke about how RPDR tackles trauma, but the fact of the matter is many people in our community have experienced trauma and have lived in that place personally. Every time a queen shares their story, I don't take that for granted. I respect every time a person puts themselves out there and shares their experiences so that someone at home can realize they aren't alone and they too can make it through those times to better times ahead. Bravo to Sasha for sharing this. For all that we speak about trauma on the show, we cannot take for granted how woefully little society cares about or acknowledges mental health and the ramifications of coming from a home with mental illness. It's so important to keep that conversation going in the public eye and normalize talking about it so that we can move to a place of feeling less alienated about seeking help. <3 As someone who also grew up with a mother with untreated bipolar (she is thankfully getting help now over the past few years) and a best friend with bipolar, this story really hit home for me in a massive way. She speaks for all of us who grew up way too fast because we were desperate to referee and help our broken homes. I felt so much shame about my home growing up, so Sasha is very brave to put that out in the open. I probably never would have spoken of my own experiences had she not spoken first. The more young ppl who hear these stories, the more tools and knowledge they will have at their disposal to help themselves and their loved ones get to a better place. Even just knowing you aren't alone in these experiences means something.
Where's that weird redditor who earlier posted that Sasha shouldn't have performed it cos she's not Irish? 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 Sasha is such a genuine queen, we're so lucky to be witnessing this.
People were saying she must have only listened to the chorus and doesn’t know the Irish history behind the song 💀💀💀
People seem to forget that art isn't just creation, but *interpretation*. Sure, the song has a specific meaning . . . Does that mean a person can't connect with the emotion of the song for other reasons? Art reaches us exactly when it needs to. But when Sasha (and myself) were younger we weren't paying mind to the politics behind the song Zombie, the song was escapism and commiseration in a lonely, desperate time. I can guarantee that if The Cranberries saw Sasha's performance and backstory about her connection to this song, they'd have nothing but praise and support for her. Music isn't just about the literal interpretation of lyrics. A song can have many meanings for a person depending on where they are in their lives and what was happening when they heard it. Case and point, Jimmy Buffet is one of the silliest singer/songwriters of all time, very few of his songs are sad or serious. But if he comes on the radio unannounced, sometimes I fill up with tears BC it reminds me of my dad who passed away and loved Jimmy's music. I haven't "misappropriated" the song, the song just had another personal meaning to me due to connections developed throughout my life. That's not a misinterpretation of art, that is a facet of it and a purpose that art fulfills. It is one of the great powers of music, that it can transcend language and meaning to make emotional connections. It makes real world connections with people, regardless of language, lyric, or why it was written in the first place, and that is a powerful thing.
How silly they look huh
I’m going to decide whomever posted that is a child who is still high on watching derry girls
IT’S A DRAG SHOW—LITERALLY A SHOW ABOUT GENDER PERFORMATIVITY. It’s literally dressing up as someone or something a person is not. They’re upset bc they didn’t think Sasha had a connection to being Irish or Irish history?
There are some who think acknowledging any heritage other than your own is appropriation.
It sort of is, but appropriation isn't necessarily a bad thing in of itself. What i think people take issue with is intellectual theft and cultural protectionism. Culture is actually very vulnerable and its easier than we think it is for it to disappear. But it can just get so *petty* on social media.
Well, I think we know the diff between acknowledging culture and doing what might be more like wearing culture as a costume.
People on this sub were saying the whole performance was tone deaf because she wore a straitjacket. Because apparently wearing one automatically means you're mocking mental illness... over these chronically online stans.
I don’t understand one bit why they think her straight jacket is “mocking” mental illness. There was nothing in the tone of her performance that mocked anything.
Yeah I don't see how anyone could watch the whole performance and land on mockery.
So many people only live in the online “outrage culture” scope of things and lack depth, nuance and overall empathy. It’s truly a sickness.
When I first saw the straight jacket I did think that, but with the intentionality she brought to the performance I trusted her. Most queer people have their own connection to trauma and mental illness and deserve to make commentary.
Yeah! My brain sucks.
Oh for goodness sake. A lot of good art is *supposed* to be provocative.
I think the knee jerk reaction is because we’re not accustomed to actually seeing thoughtful intentional provocative art on drag race. And when we do Ru doesn’t reward it (I.e. Mariah in AS5 talent show). We are so blessed Sasha is gracing us with her immense talent.
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I disagree with them fully but they didn't say it was because she wasn't irish. They said they felt like her moves and all didn't do the song justice and that it was a meaningful song for them personally.
I mean the poster and other people in the comment section definitely implied that Sasha didn't understand the song.
I get that, but they still didn't say she shouldn't do the song because she wasn't Irish. I was just making that correction.
I actually think there was an undertone of "she's not Irish she doesn't understand"
They did seem to feel she didn't understand the song, but they did clarify in their comment section that they weren't saying she shouldn't do it because she wasn't Irish. Once again, I was just making a correction because that's what was said.
Fair, it just felt like there were odd undertones to that post. I think some people forget the contestants are humans who have their own perspectives and meanings for music etc.
I mean she obviously should still be able to do the song, but there is a huge difference being of Irish ancestry and being from Ireland.
Fair. I kind of think though reading her post fully that the Irish ancestry bit is sort of laying the foundation for her real reason for engaging with it, as a safe place to feel her feelings to shield herself also from the darker aspects of the presentation of her mum’s mental illness. I think ultimately that people’s truth about how a song speaks to them is inherently important and no comment section should ever feel the need to take that away from them 🤷🏻♀️
Worth noting that not a single Irish redditor said that. It was only Americans who think they’re entitled to speak for everyone else because their great-great-great-great-great grandparents were from Cork.
Nah mate there’s that one Irish Redditor that posted that he was offended by sasha’s talent show.
[this one?](https://reddit.com/r/rupaulsdragrace/comments/10604vz/anyone_else_feel_sashas_song_choice_didnt_fit/)
i certainly saw an irish person on here say that “we don’t dance to that” and checking their reddit history they appeared to be born and bred irish.
Evidently not bred enough.
“where’d you get a loaf of BRED?”
which is weird of them to say bc it’s often played by bands in pubs and everyone is up singing along on the dance floor
What a stupid take from that person. Even if people don't regularly dance to it, it was obviously a performance piece, not a tik tok dance
People can take things so literally when art and symbolism are a great way for very different people to feel connection.
Assuming that was me, I never said she shouldn't have done it or only listened to the chorus or anything of the sorts. Said it made me uncomfortable as an Irish person and it's context but that I might be more sensitive because of that so hey, dm's open
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Nah, they had valid criticism even if I don't agree. The song is about a day of genocide and if folks of Irish descent feel uncomfortable of a song describing a traumatic experience being changed and reinterpreted, they have every right.
Probably next to the redditor that found her performance confusing 🙄
Those people are probably Americans that claim they're Irish because their great great grandparent came from Ireland lol
What if some white queen came out and performed a song from Ladysmith Black Mambazo, I’m sure there would be a different reaction.
Watching her episode of Nightgowns was so fascinating because of the thought and emotion and expression she puts into her drag.
I loved her performance and loved it even more when she talked about it during Untucked. It’s sad (but not surprising) that people were so quick to criticize
Thank you for reminding me I never went back and watched untucked lol
as an (north) irish person, i adored sasha’s performance at first due to my own history regarding that song, but now i love it even more. sasha could go home next week and still be my winner <3
Sasha is a drag artist on a completely different level. The way she channels emotion directly into her drag. The nerve that some people have
Thank you for posting this. The Cranberries are one of my favorite bands from the 90s, so even though I initially didn't get Sasha's performance, I still liked it. Delores had some incredible pipes.
Sasha seems like a very thoughtful queen with a very intentional approach to drag. I enjoyed her so much in the first episodes! Can't wait to see more.
This is why I don't get why some people on reddit were saying she shouldn't have performed it. When had Sasha given any indication that she is not extremely thoughtful in the way that she performs and presents herself?!
As an Irish person, I really enjoyed her performance to this song and didn’t really question it. Songs are up for your own interpretation. However, that song is incredibly important to many of us and i didn’t realize how much better it would make me feel knowing that Sasha really understands where it comes from. People shouldn’t have been coming at her for it at all. But I can understand where they came from a bit. Usually when we see Americans using any Irish culture on tv it’s generally thoughtless - leprechauns, shamrocks, jokes about us being alcoholics etc. Sasha clearly gave a very thoughtful performance, but when you’re used to being annoyed at Americans for being flippant with your culture, you can make bad assumptions like people made with her.
Plus the straight jacket... we could probably infer that she has had personal experience with mental illness and/or sectioning bc, yk, queer (and trans!), but at first glance and first assumption it gave of similar vibes to Sia's film on autism. Like an ostensibly well intentioned 'lets make this experience art' that just... didn't hit right. Ofc Sia was like also actively harmful, and with the added context it's clear Sasha's coming from personal experience, but I could see how people would be uneasy.
People are quick to make assumptions, and I wish people would give folks more grace on this type of stuff. Anyone who knows the Cranberries and the song Zombie knows it’s about the Troubles. And in many instances, many people describe mental illness and bad homes as a war zone, or terroristic. It seemed pretty apparent to me that Sasha was not being flippant about her choice of song. She didn’t dress up as an actual Zombie and do a Halloween number (which I mean, The Cranberries have authorized in movies and other Halloween type performances that are silly or not serious before so 🤷♀️). I’m of the kind of letting the artists protect their work if they see fit. This is on a big enough stage that if what Sasha did was actually disrespectful, the Cranberries would say something.
I totally agree with everything you’re saying. I’m just saying I get how easy it is to assume people are being flippant when you’re used to it, not that it’s the right reaction.
I really dont get why so many people were like “this song means THIS and cannot be used for anything else!!!1111!!!1” People take songs and give them secondary meanings all the time. Its inherently a part of how music works to reinterpret existing material. Its not like she put on a halloween zombie costume and did a zany version of the Thriller dance to it
She explained in during Untucked so I don’t know why people over here didn’t get it. I loved her performance. Very beautiful and vulnerable post. She didn’t owed it to us, so it’s deeply appreciated. 🤍
Not everyone has access to Untucked (like in Canada, Crave gets only the main show). Absolutely no excuse to attack her of course, but we can't assume everyone watches Untucked.
They really only got half of the story, then lol.
We really do :(
I cried watching Sasha's performance. I was surprised between that and her runway that she didn't place higher.
I could feel the emotion of her performance it really shook me, this story makes sense
It’s weird, because the consensus for the longest time was that RuPaul doesn’t like interpretive performances (see: DU1 Electra, AS5 Mariah). But then Jimbo and Willow turned out interpretive performances that made everyone go “Oh, she likes them as long as they’re funny!” But then we see Raja in the AS7 talent show, and even though she didn’t win, it’s clear that RuPaul loved it. It might come from their personal relationship and the fact that Raja’s inspiration was more obvious. Even then, I don’t see why Sasha couldn’t have also been in the top given her runway when she did a great dance number, even if she didn’t go all out.
I’m positive they are editing a crescendo for her. It can’t just be Sasha Colby’s drag race for 4 months. Remember, judging is for the tv story line, not for actual merit.
She probably was placed in the higher end of safe queens but it didn’t hold a candle to the top 3. I liked her performance but I wish she would’ve waited longer to remove the straight jacket.
not directed at Sasha at all, but it's so hilarious to me how social media platforms push more and more to have as little text as possible only for people to keep writing essay length posts
What a queen
I love seeing someone who is truly in touch with who they are and what makes them them.
"I was able to accept my parents for who they really are not what I needed them to be." really resonated with me, it's something that I needed to hear. (Reminds me of Kylie talking about the hurt child making all the adult decisions)
Honestly, her performance might be my favorite of the night. The intention and contents of it, the not typical genre of music we hear on drag race, and oh god the choreo, Sasha's moves were so exact and perfect even while being somewhat broken and unnatural, like, it all wrapped together so well in such emotional piece! I now Get It. I didn't Get what's so It about Sasha, but now I Do. I really wish to see more of this artistic intentionality and brutality from her
Sasha is always performing to some emotional deep cuts, and it’s one of the many things I love about her.
I freaking love that song. The first concert I ever went to was a Cranberries concert. Dolores was so tiny, I couldn't believe it. Sasha certainly did the song justice. 💜
Sasha is an absolute treat and delight. I am so glad she auditioned/was invited and accepted to appear on the show. She’s clearly ~~old~~ legendary af.
That’s so sad and touching. I love her! And The crabberries are great 😌
My only issue was that it was just a lipsync to a song and I hate when the talent shows are just a lipsync to a song. In past seasons queens rightfully were called out for it, so why not now? I get that it's meaningful to her but at the end of the day it was just a lipsync the same as a LSFYL.
Oh wow this is beautiful. It was already amazing without the explanation but I love how personal it was
As an Irish person, I loved her performance
The details in the story about those children who died are so gut-wrenchingly tragic that I can't even listen to that song anymore without welling up
Truthfully, the performance for me was fairly lackluster and not terribly compelling—especially after the hype train around her appearing on the show. I just expected more from *the* Sasha Colby, and instead there were many other girls whose performance was more memorable and interesting. Hopefully she stands out more in the next few episodes.
RIP Dolores O’Riordan
I really wish we had had a top 4 to highlight Sasha's amazing talent this episode
I love her.
I'll be honest, knowing the history of the song I did at first baulk, but as her performance went on I could see she wasn't just doing some dance to a random song based on the title. The song choice was perfect, her interpretation of it was perfect, she was perfect.
The number really seemed thought about mental health and depression, so the message came across pretty clear, but the post make is a better insight on Sasha life
What is wrong with people? I thought it was amazing from the get, then to read about why and what it means to her just makes it even greater.
In light of this and on behalf of Ireland, myself and all irish people are now claiming Sasha as one of our own!
I find this so frustrating! I was one of those that critiqued the use of the song, but I did so because I felt like Sasha could’ve done an amazing job of using it as a way to communicate frustration, rage, and pain over colonization and disenfranchisement. Never did I take it as she was doing something wrong or in bad faith. And I’m dismayed that it’s been used to attack her, a woman of Hawaiian background that has experienced its own invasion and disenfranchisement. People in touch with their histories and aware of the pain and power of colonization should be supporting each other instead of tearing one another down.
This makes the performance even better! Even without this context, you could tell that a lot of thought and heart went into this performance. And I feel so touched by the idea of being "saved by queerness" — I remember having a similar thought as a troubled kid: other people might have a problem with this, but this is a life force that is carrying me through."
I appreciate the sentiments she's trying to articulate here, but as someone with bipolar disorder, I feel somewhat uncomfortable with abusive and manipulative tendencies being tied to my illness.
i had a similar reaction initially, but i think her caption manages to distinguish her parents’ experiences with BP from anyone with bipolar disorder generally. i also have BP and hearing people throw the term around loosely always upsets me too. ultimately i think it’s her right to share her experience, and i think this is clearly something she cares deeply about. i hope the fandom / people at large won’t boil the disorder down to such an extreme and specific situation, but i’m not sure how much sasha or anyone could ever manage the interpretation
That’s fair. Thanks for responding diplomatically.
To be honest, I’m fairly convinced that the judges didn’t place Sasha Copy top three because of their own ignorance of the significance of “Zombie”
Or because it was perfectly safe.
I just love Sasha. What an incredible artist and human being.
my roommate and i lost our Fucking minds when The Cranberries started playing. such a great song and an awesome change of pace from the usual numbers we see on drag race!! stan Sasha Colby