We've seen the videos, even when we're doing exactly what we're supposed to do, people end up dying anyway," she recalls, adding that she felt a mix of somber, excited, fearful, and anxious emotions (atop the weight of carrying a torch on her shoulders) while she awaited her turn backstage.
"You didn't know what was going to happen from the front, which is what I wanted, and I wanted to turn around and make the statement with my hands because that was part of the story. So, she incorporated a "hands up, don't shoot" pose into her glacial walk. It's a reality that I live in this country and this world, and some people find me to be a threat." Talking the talk, walking the walkĭespite the gravity of the dress' meaning, Symone didn't want to let the garment live as static, wearable art, so she built a concept of motion around the gown, too. "In high school, people would say, 'You're not like the rest of them.' None of those things matter in some people's eyes. "No matter how pretty or beautiful or non-threatening I - and Black people - seem, we're still seen as a threat," Symone says. From the front, she wanted things to look simple, with the cascading white material (beneath the white lily, a traditional funeral flower) communicating "purity" and "angelic" qualities, contrasted by the red Swarovski crystals (symbolizing wounds) on the back. That involved working white faux leather into a tight piece that hugged her body, constricting it in a way "that represents what it can sometimes feel like to be of color in our country and in the world." The hips - sharp-cornered edges jutting out from her sides - were added for a silhouette that stripped sexuality from the look, so as not to distract from the central message. At the end of the stage, Symone turned around to reveal red crystal-studded bullet holes on her back, and the words "Say Their Names" emblazoned on her headpiece as she spoke the names of murdered Black Americans like Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Brayla Stone, Trayvon Martin, Tony McDade, Nina Pop, and Monika Diamond.īelow, Symone walks EW through the conception and creation of the show-stopping piece, which reminded the Drag Race family that, as she says, Black Lives Matter is a movement - not a moment - we can't forget. The RuPaul's Drag Race main stage has long been a space for fashion statements, but Symone - a front-running contender for the season 13 crown - took that notion to the next level during Friday's episode with a runway creation that asked audiences to confront a difficult reality via jaw-dropping fashion that was impossible to look away from.Īfter the queens were tasked with impersonating celebrities for the Snatch Game (Symone performed a genius interpretation of Harriet Tubman) and creating looks spotlighting "Fascinating Fascinator" hats for the runway, Symone strutted toward the judges with a lily on her head and a tight-fitting white gown hugging her form.
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