Some pet owners love dressing their pooches in designer clothes so they’re the most fashionable dogs around. One owner is taking that to the next level by dressing their chihuahua mix as iconic drag queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race.
RuPawl is the latest drag queen making waves online. This diva dog has the charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent needed to strut in replica outfits from the show. The eight-year-old pup has gathered a huge social media following and has even garnered recognition from actual drag queens.
Owners J.R. Lizarraga and Arturo adopted the rescue pup at just three months old. Now, J.R. selects one costume a week to replicate from the latest season of the franchise, All Stars 7 and creates a doggy alter ego based on the costume chosen.
To make the costumes, J.R. tries to use the same materials as the drag queens on the show but always makes sure the fabric is suitable and comfortable for RuPawl. During photoshoots wearing the garments, RuPawl is compensated with plenty of treats.
RuPawl’s owners are also trying to promote a message. “People would constantly ask us the gender of our dog. [They] would get angry when we would say ‘they haven’t chosen their gender, yet.’
“This revealed that there is still a lot of compulsion to put people and even animals in gender boxes. We decided to use RuPawl as a platform to elevate the art of drag as a way to fight against the binary. Since then our pooch has become a public activist figure across different platforms,” J.R. said.