Drag Race UK’s Tayce is modelling for Jean Paul Gaultier

Drag queens belong in the spotlight – and Tayce is blazing a trail.

Abi Jackson
Tuesday 18 May 2021 15:27 BST
Tayce
Tayce

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Drag Race UK fans, hold onto your diamante-encrusted hats… Tayce has revealed a teaser of herself in what appears to be a new Jean Paul Gaultier campaign – set to land May 19.

If the response on social media is anything to go by, we’re not the only ones excited by the news.

Welsh queen Tacye – who competed in the second series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, available on BBC iPlayer – shared a video on social media revealing a glimpse of the haute couture brand’s new Le Belle Parfum ad. And just as we’d expect, Tacye looks sensational.

The Newport-born 26-year-old, who finished as a runner-up on the mega popular show alongside Bimini Bon-Boulash, has been pursuing a career in drag since 2017. While Tayce didn’t win the series (Lawrence Chaney scooped top spot), her supermodel-esque poise was frequently mentioned in the feedback she received.

As a number of responses pointed out, this is pretty “major” and “huge” news.

The US RuPaul’s Drag Race has been running far longer than the UK series, and some of the American show’s previous stars have gone on to land big contracts. Miss Fame from season seven starred in a high-profile Charlotte Tilbury make-up campaign, and a number of RuPaul’s queens worked the runway for Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Show in 2020.

Tayce is blazing a trail here though. Naturally, she is a perfect fit for a high-fashion campaign.

But there’s no denying RuPaul’s Drag Race has helped bring drag more into the mainstream – and shows people the talent and craft that goes into it. And more diversity and LGBTQ+ representation among big brands is definitely something we’re glad to be seeing a bit more of.

Tayce… we can’t wait to see what you do next.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in