I first saw Belle Fegore in Drag performing at Gladys and I was instantly in love. With demonesque makeup and a wonderfully dark beat to menace the stage, I watched the crowd hold their breath. Since then, every act I’ve seen them perform has been something wildly different and significant. Belle is currently the reigning champion of the WEIRDO variety act that goes on monthly at Trade. It’s easy to understand why. Watch out for her shows and come for a delightful surprise!
GayDenver: Tell us about Belle Fegore.
Belle Fegore: Belle goes by they/them pronouns. They are this horror, heavy metal drag demon that I decided to create. I gave them life and they ended up giving me life. They allowed me to dig up these fears and insecurities that I had and put them out into the open. 80’s horror movies very much inspire Belle Fegore. Scary and gross at first, but then hits you with a few cheesy jokes that make you laugh.
GayDenver: How old is Belle?
Belle Fegore: This December, Belle will be turning five years old!
GayDenver: When did you start doing drag? What did it look like? How did it evolve? (segment out)
Belle Fegore: I had never done drag. I used to go to a lot of local drag shows, and the performers and the environment inspired me to want to try it out. A friend asked me to help with a toy drive and that was my first venture with Belle. My style started as very pretty and natural. After a few rounds of that, I started to realize that pretty much just wasn’t in it for me.
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Dragula was starting to bring alternative drag into a more visible space. Seeing that take off, I began to realize that I wanted to be scary and funny and emotional more than I wanted to be beautiful. I wanted to showcase everything that mainstream drag just wasn’t: gritty, gross, vulnerable. When Ru Paul had Sharon Needles on the stage it brought openness, and started the mainstream’s acceptance of alternative, more shocking types of drag.
GayDenver: What did Belle’s evolution look like?
Belle Fegore: I started as more tame in both makeup and content. I was caught between doing the club kid look and what was the standard for drag. As I experimented more (with makeup), I felt that it was inauthentic. I was more creative and confident when I was openly trying to be scary or funny.
I’ve been obsessed with Halloween and horror since I was a kid. It’s always fun for me to dress up in that respect, so I started leaning on that inspiration. The more horror I pumped into my performances, the more self-expressive I felt.
I made the change to full-blown horror quickly once I started. The few times I tried to be pretty there were always all these unwanted criticisms about my hair, lashes, and all that. I got fed up with the nit-picking: f*@$ lashes, f*@$ wigs, you get slasher and that’s that!
Author: Jeff Wilson
Jeff is one of the owners of GayDenver and one of its writers. He is a Denver transplant who loves the city and the proximity of the mountains. He is happily married to his husband and loves hiking with his furbaby Thayella.