Vanilla Bon Bon is a developer and programmer by day, but by night she is a stunning drag queen competing for the title of Miss Drag UK!

I love gaymer queens so it was my pleasure to sit down with Vanilla and talk more about her life, drag and love of gaming!

Hi Vanilla, let’s start off with you introducing yourself to our readers.

Hello all! I’m Vanilla Bon Bon a drag artist from Liverpool. Currently I work full time as a developer/programmer but have been doing drag alongside my passion and career in technology.

My drag is influenced by pop culture, games, anime and strong powerful scouse women. Vanilla is essentially a cross between Elle Woods from Legally Blonde, DC or Marvel villains & superheroes, especially Star Sapphire, Lily Savage, and my own mum!

Now, you’re running in the Miss Drag UK competition, tell us more about that.

That’s right! I’m currently a finalist for the Miss Drag UK title and crown which I am incredibly excited about! Miss Drag UK is the UK’s very first drag pageant, which accepts applications from all backgrounds and people regardless of who they are or how they identify.

I’m extremely honoured to be a part of such an amazing group of queens who are all super lovely even though we are all competing for the same crown. The competition is held on the 13th June as of now and there are currently no plans to change that date at the moment.

What inspired you to enter?

I got inspired by the last year’s winner Aunty Ginger who I follow on social media. Seeing her journey and representing the Miss Drag UK was something that I really wanted. Also, I seen how much fun the queens had last year and wanted to have that sisterhood bond they all left the competition with.

What stages have you been through already and what’s left to come?

I actually won a wildcard spot where people needed to vote and share the possible finalists’ posts on social media, after a small group of us were hand selected by the organisers to compete for the final 2 wildcard spots.

Other than that, I have been getting my runways ready which I am really excited about showing!

How long have you been doing drag for?

Officially I have been doing drag in shows and venues for under a year. However, I actually started perfecting my look and fashion sense around 2 years ago. I created Vanilla to represent all the things I loved and all the things I wanted to be!

How did you start out?

The first time I was in drag was actually at a children’s event where I was an ugly stepsister! But I fell in love with entertaining a crowd and making people laugh. So, I became an entertainer at Jumping Jacks, a local entertainment company in Liverpool. It gave me the confidence to try drag again and I went out with almost no makeup on to a gay club my first year of university and never looked back!

You describe yourself as a gamer drag queen, why do you think so many drag queens love to game?

I’m definitely a gamer queen! Fun Fact… I actually took the Bon Bon in my name from Baroness Von Bon Bon from the game Cuphead!

I think lots of queen’s love gaming for the same reason they love drag, it’s an escape, a different persona to be, and a new set of adventures to go on. Every time we turn on a controller or glue down a wig, we become a different person capable of anything. Invincible!

Plus, they also provide brilliant creative outlets and influence!

Have you ever done a gaming inspired number in drag?

Not yet! But I have plans!

What ideas do you have brewing?

Without giving to much a way one I’m currently planning involves mushrooms and plumbing… another involves wands, wizards and a lightning bolt scar, which I should be performing soon. I recently started work on another performance all based around Skyrim, but that’s in very early days!

What games are you playing at the moment?

At the moment, I am replaying Pokémon Shield as well as the Spyro Trilogy. Alongside that I am a huge League of Legends fan, where I play support… Sona main for anyone who’s interested. I have just bought Super Mario Odyssey and currently have Animal Crossing in my basket.

What game defined your childhood?

One game that defined my childhood was definitely Pokémon Sapphire/Ruby/Emerald. It was the first video game I had ever bought myself out of some birthday money. It got played so many times and I still have the same original cartridge to this day. I also loved Final Fantasy IV, its possibly one of my favourite games of all time the storyline is amazing, and the bosses and characters have great designs and development! Definitely one to play!

What games are you looking forward to getting this year?

I’m really looking forward to the Final Fantasy VII Remake being the huge Final Fantasy fan I am. But, I am also looking forward to Gods & Monsters as well as Eastward.

What’s your future dreams for your drag?

Hopefully, I can become the next Miss Drag UK, then it’s onto Drag Idol and Queen of the North. Afterwards, my sights will be set on the cannon to fame that is RuPaul’s Drag Race or travelling and performing around Europe.

Well good luck with all of those goals, I’m sure you’ll smash it! Where can people keep up with you?

You can find me at:

Instagram: @vanillabonbondrag

Facebook: Vanilla Bon Bon

Booking Enquiries: vanillabonbonbookings@gmail.com

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