Drag Race star Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté has shared the heartwarming story of how Hairspray the musical helped her realise her gender identity.
Originally a film created by John Waters in 1988, the movie was adapted into a Broadway production in 2002 that was met with widespread critical acclaim.
A version of the show is currently playing at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and stars Drag Race alum Nina West as the character of Edna Turnblad.
After going to see it, Kornbread took to Twitter to share that seeing her sister’s “flawless” performance “unlocked a joyous” memory that she was “forced to suppress as a kid”.
“9th grade was the first time Tevin put on a dress in front of a crowd to perform,” she wrote. “We danced to You Can’t Stop The Beat. And I had the section Edna sang. That day was the day where I felt I was more than just a queer kid. And that was the first day I ever felt 100% COMFORTABLE.”
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In another tweet, Kornbread continued: “I spent my life hating myself for not having the courage to love who I was. I trained myself to push that away. Fast forward to now… Hairspray was my origin story in discovering a part of me that didn’t deserve to be hidden!”
She added that she has “been in a very dark place lately” but that seeing Nina’s performance helped her learn “to love myself more”.
Story Time:
People ask me “when did you realize your gender identity” and I could never give a solid answer until now. I got to see Nina in Hairspray tonight as Edna (flawless) and it unlocked a joyous moment in my life I was forced to suppress as a kid! *continue down below* pic.twitter.com/A4JL4Ebeh3— Pan de Elote 🌽 (@kornbreadTMFS) May 3, 2023
“@NinaWest art resonated to a part of me that I neglected to love,” Kornbread said. “Edna taught me who I was in 9th grade. RuPauls Drag Race taught me to love the trans woman I am. Seeing a fellow Drag Race sister perform and unlock such a memory for me really completed the puzzle of ‘WHO AM I’.”
Kornbread rounded out her series of tweets by encouraging people to see the show and reminiscing about the last day she “felt free”: “After the performance I kept it on as long as I could knowing that I’d be going home without it and without being able to express this new found joy I discovered even if it felt right. That was the last day I felt free. I forgot about this memory until last night.”
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The performer is best known for competing on season 14 of Drag Race, where she was named Miss Congeniality by her fellow contestants.
Following her early departure from the show after an injury, fans expected to see Kornbreadreturn for season 15.
However, she confirmed she would not be returning, and had not been recruited for a future All Stars season either.
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