Lana Ja'Rae was the ingenue of RuPaul's Drag Race season 17, an archetype that has taken on different forms over the years but has always existed on the show. As a 22-year-old queen from New York City whose drag name is a literal play on lingerie, why is it so surprising — and, to some, even infuriating — that Lana had a Drag Race journey of curiosity, discovery, and self-reflection?
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The thrill and wonder of meeting a Drag Race prodigy like Violet Chachki, Naomi Smalls, Aquaria, Gigi Goode, Gottmik, and Luxx Noir London will never go away. It's beautiful, and brilliant, and mind-blowing to see such young queens being creative, confident, and fierce — knowing exactly who they are (or, at least, were, at the time) and having enough charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent to spare. But it's also entertaining to follow a young queen who's still figuring herself out and isn't really hurting anybody in the process.
So why are certain viewers so triggered by the idea that Lana Ja'Rae is the ingenue of season 17?
"My Drag Race journey… I would describe it as a story of resilience," Lana tells Out. "I never gave up — and I thought I would, because I tend to give up in a lot of situations. When things get hard, I kind of just crumble. But I was proud of myself for locking in and trying, even when it felt like everything was against me."
Lana Ja'Rae on 'RuPaul's Drag Race' season 17.
MTV
After her first two bottom placements for the ball and the Snatch Game, Lana did well in the Rusical, was safe in the design challenge, and had one of the funniest sets of the entire comedy roast challenge. When asked about these periods of relief, Lana says that they "felt really good, and gave me the push that I needed, mentally."
"I feel like, the entire time, I was just waiting to hear something positive, waiting to have that moment," she recalls. "When I did, I felt like, 'Oh my god, is this what all the other girls felt like this entire season when they're getting praise from the judges? I could get used to this.'"
The next time that Lana had to lip sync for her life was in episode 11, after the "Ross Mathews vs. The Ducks" challenge, despite the fact that she didn't even do a bad job. Nonetheless, Lana fell in the bottom two with Lydia B Kollins, who attempted to pull off a scissors-cutting reveal that ultimately tanked her overall performance. But if you're wondering… no, Lana didn't realize what Lydia attempting (and failing) to do.
"It's hilarious. I had no idea what was happening the entire time," she reveals. "If you see it, Lydia was standing in front of the judges, and I was in the back. I was just performing. Normally, when lip syncing on Drag Race, I don't pay attention to what the other person's doing."
"In fact," Lana adds. "I didn't realize that she was cutting her dress off until we got back to the werk room, and they were like, 'Girl, Lydia fell.' I was like, 'No, she didn't. I didn't see Lydia fall. What are you all talking about?' So I was waiting this entire time to see what actually happened [on TV]. It was so heartbreaking!"
But it's not all lip syncing for your life and heartbreak for Lana. In fact, one of the funniest memes of this entire season has been a montage of Lana explaining in her confessionals how a new look that she's wearing was something that she's never done before — an explanation given to more than a handful of her looks on Drag Race.
"This is a very unique silhouette for Lana, because I've probably never worn this much clothing before," Lana says about a look. Cut to another, and Lana explains: "This is a very unique silhouette for Lana, because I normally don't wear spikes at all." She does it again with another outfit, "I knew everyone was gonna go pretty human, so I wanted to give a different side of me and do something very creature-like."
"I've never worn nails this long before," Lana highlights about outfit no. 4 in the video. "But I look so beautiful, and I honestly may start wearing nails." Next up, Lana says that she's "in a gown, which is something very different for me," and describes the next look as "a lot more campy than I would normally do."
The hilarious video ends with Lana's runway from episode 11, with her pointing out that being "covered head to toe is something I don't ever do." This montage, which you can watch below, was even reposted by Drag Race superstar Bob the Drag Queen, who wrote in an X post: "Y'all keep missing the one from meet the queens."
Lana's response to the season 8 winner? "Hop off my ass and get in it (jk I love you <3)."
A speechless Bob replied with an appropriately steamy GIF of Charlie Sheen as Topper Harley in 1993's Hot Shots! Part Deux.
When asked if she's having fun with these montages and the responses to them, Lana is totally in on the joke. "I think it's very funny. Before Drag Race, everybody could tell you that I only wore bra and panties. So, besides the swimsuit category — which is probably the only category I didn't say was different and unique for me — everything I wore was different and unique."
"I literally never, ever wear clothes," she adds. "When I got cast on Drag Race, I literally told them, 'I get to finally wear clothes from people! I'm so excited to showcase fashion. This is going to be so different.' And I literally went there, and every week, it was different and unique for me."
Lana Ja'Rae on 'RuPaul's Drag Race' season 17.
MTV
Unfortunately, a segment of the Drag Race fandom is still chained to the idea that any discourse happening on X/Twitter represents how people really feel as the general public… which was never actually true, and is now more inaccurate than ever.
Yours truly just spent a full weekend in Las Vegas celebrating RuPaul's Drag Race Live! with other members of the press, a few producers of the show, and the top 6 queens of Drag Race season 17 — and Lana was unanimously adored by everyone, with a lovely energy and undeniable charisma both in and out of drag.
Thankfully, Lana is now starting to see through the social media discourse after being celebrated and well-received by all kinds of audiences. "I think that's why I had such a good time in Vegas this past weekend, because for the first time throughout this entire experience, I felt loved by people," she says. "It sounds crazy to say, because there's love every single week… but there's also so much negativity."
"But, for the first time, I felt like people were seeing who I was and appreciating my drag, and I loved it so much. This past weekend made me very happy," Lana recalls.
RuPaul's Drag Race airs every Friday on MTV. To keep up with Lana Ja'Rae, follow her on Instagram, X/Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube. You can also support Lana by buying her merch on DragQueenMerch, booking a personalized video on Cameo, and/or purchasing a signed Polaroid via Shopify.
