A Drag King is anyone (regardless of gender or sexual orientation) who makes a performance of masculinity. A more recent movement than drag queens, drag kings are part of an international drag movement that began in the mid 1980s. The difference between a drag king and a male impersonator is the drag king makes an entertaining show out of their male impersonation. Although drag king in itself is part of the recent renaissance of drag it can be seen in the history of cross dressing and male impersonation. Male impersonation has occured on the stage for many years, when after the Restoration of Charles II in 1660, female actresses were introduced to the stage. Some women played young men in breeches which in recent times has translated to women playing the dashing young lead boy in plays and pantomimes.
Drag Kings are mostly lesbians, but they may also include female-to-male transsexuals as well as bisexual, androgynous and straight women. Even males can perform as drag kings. Because of the variety of sexual orientations that drag kings exhibit there is a variety of characteristics both on and off stage that drag kings have. Transgender drag kings tend to maintain a male gender identification off-stage, lesbians who identify as 'butch' often elaborate their off-stage female masculinity and female-identified drag queens often leave their masculine persona on stage understanding they are involved in a parody of masculinity.
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These two videos show the process of Drag King makeup and explain some of the background behind it
