Live, Love, Pose

POSE is making a comeback on May 2 with its third and final season. The show directed and written by Janet Mock, Ryan Murphy, and Brad Falchuk has engaged viewers everywhere with its eccentric plot and acting. 

The show revolves around the theme of ballroom and drag culture and the Houses that dominate the dance floor. Houses are composed of drag families and are headed by a Mother, who is usually a drag queen or king. These Houses compete with other Houses in challenges in different categories that include Runway, Queen Vogue, and Hand Performance. The main character, Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista(MJ Rodriguez), starts off in a very famous house; the House of Abundance, which is headed by Elektra Abundance(Dominique Jackson). After conflict between Blanca and Elektra and the sad news that Blanca has tested positive for HIV,  Blanca decides it’s time to leave her own mark on the world. The fate that awaits Blanca incites her to create her own house; the House of Evangelista. Even though people are reluctant to believe that the House of Evangelista will ever grow, she defies the opinion of others by winning challenges from other Houses and even recruiting the infamous Elektra to her own House. 

The heart of the show is found through the ballroom culture itself. I wasn’t familiar with drag, but after watching the show it has become something I want to know more about.  I admire the dedication taken into this show and not just the show but the people who do this in real life to express themselves in a world that often tells us otherwise. 

The costumes in this show were absolutely amazing. I imagine it took quite a while to make them. Aside from the plot and characters, the thing I love the most is the fashion and the overall design of everything. You can definitely tell that they were taking every part of the culture into consideration from the sets to the eyeliner they wore. The cinematography was great as well, and while multiple close-ups are usually a sign of bad cinematography I’m glad they used it in the show because the viewers were actually able to see every detail of the characters outfit, face, and make-up. The music, at first, did not appeal to me because I was born in the 2000’s and they included songs before my time that I had not even heard of, but after continuing to watch it the music grew on me. I personally believe music is an important element of a series or movie and that it must run along with the overall feel of the show and POSE had an amazing soundtrack that never kept you bored. 

Although I enjoyed POSE and would change nothing about it, I would not recommend it to those who are sensitive to mature topics. The show contains some nudity but is not filled to the point where it should be labeled as horrible or vulgar.

 The show is not as well known as many other series, but it wouldn’t be bad to see the other side of the entertainment spectrum. POSE overall was an amazing show and probably will continue to be an eye-opener for me and everyone else who considers embellishing themselves in the world of drag.