ALYSSA BUMP
Editor in Chief
SUNY Fredonia is quite a small campus. With only 3,000 or so students on campus, some are destined to stand out among the rest.
One of those students is Yuwan Viros, a senior public relations and theatre arts major, with a concentration in costume design. Viros can be spotted on campus in tasteful, trend-setting fashion such as, red fur coats, monochromatic outfits, stunning makeup and crop tops. He defines his style as “a mixture of athleisure meets high fashion.”
Many of his outfits show Viros stepping outside of the box when it comes to gender-specific fashion norms. “It has taken me a minute to truly understand my own sense of style, and I feel that it covers the spectrum of femininity and masculinity at the same time. I value a sense of originality along with staying on trend as well as making my own trends,” said Viros.
On top of his academic responsibilities, Viros participates in many extracurricular activities on campus. He is a resident assistant in Chautauqua Hall. “When I’m not busy being an RA I am often found in the costume shop designing and constructing for the mainstage productions of the Fredonia Department of Theatre & Dance,” said Viros. Additionally, Viros serves as the social chair for FredGrows, a campus club whose mission is to “connect and educate sustainability-driven students, creating opportunities for environmentally-focused change on campus and in the community.”
Viros also performs drag under the name Fallon Angel. The artform of drag, a gender-bending form of expression, is meant to exaggerate aspects of a specific gender identity, normally of the opposite sex. This art form has been around for centuries, but it has been ridiculed by those that do not support the LGBTQ+ community, as most drag queens are queer and represent gay liberation. But in recent years, aspects of the art form have garnered mainstream attention.
Due to the beloved and vastly successful show known as “Rupaul’s Drag Race,” which first premiered in 2009 and is still airing new seasons, hundreds of drag queens have been able to showcase their talents and stories to the world. The show has made many drag queens into A-list celebrities, and has inspired a younger generation to learn to express themselves through drag. “I am definitely the generation of drag that has developed from the television show ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race.’ The show itself has pushed me into the artform fully and immersed me into the industry,” said Viros.
Viros has performed drag for four years, and defines his drag style as “‘Crazy Rich Asians’ but on a budget.” Viros explains his drag name, Fallon Angel, “can be dissected into two parts: Fallon comes from a character from the television show ‘Dynasty,’ Fallon Carrington who is rich, opulent and dramatic. Angel comes from my love of theatre and some iconic roles I would love to portray: Angel from ‘Rent,’ Reno’s Angels from ‘Anything Goes,’ Lola’s Angels from ‘Kinky Boots,’ et cetera. Fallon Angel together is a play on Alexandre Cabanel’s painting titled ‘Fallen Angel’ and references my Catholic school background.”
When Viros first put on drag, he described it as a “liberating experience as it came naturally to me. I already practiced makeup a bit for theatre productions and always played dress-up, so it was just something that was normal for me.”
Some of Viros’ hobbies outside of drag include “anything creative in the arts, whether that be drawing or dancing,” as well as staying active, going on adventures and practicing skin care routines. He also said, “I like to cook, but more importantly, I LOVE to eat; I sure can put it away.”
By making costumes for theatre productions, Viros gained experience in costume design and now makes the majority of his drag costumes. “Whenever I can, I make my own outfits… For my more conceptualized looks, I try my best to make my own pieces and elements, but I also have no shame when it comes to purchasing certain garments… The challenges that come with designing my drag looks are definitely time and resources. With a very busy schedule, it is often hard to find the time to make my looks the way I want,” said Viros.
One of Viros’ looks he created for his drag persona is a Renaissance-inspired angel, which is very fitting for his drag name. This look was created for an online drag competition on Instagram. “I had about a week to complete this entire look from the construction of the garment to the styling of the wig. I first followed the prompt given of a Renaissance/middle age look, [and] I thought this was a perfect opportunity to draw inspiration from the initial inspiration of my drag aesthetic from the Heavenly Bodies Met Gala.” Viros continued, “I researched images and paintings of traditional wear during the Renaissance period, as well as modern interpretations in the runways of Chanel 2013 and Alexander McQueen 2013.”
This look was made entirely by Viros himself, and he “constructed the garment from an old tablecloth and seat covers. The heart is actually a Christmas ornament and I used thick zip-ties as the golden rays.”
Viros has had many amazing experiences as a drag queen and has even performed with two “Rupual’s Drag Race” alumni, Mrs. Kasha Davis and Darienne Lake, right before the start of the pandemic in 2020.
Although some of Viros’ favorite aspects of performing drag is interacting with his audience and making highly conceptualized looks, he admits that he is actually quite introverted in everyday life. “I struggle with really putting myself out there and staying connected.”
Viros suggests for anyone interested in starting drag to “just keep going. Keep practicing. Keep supporting other artists. And do this for you, not anyone else. This is your artform and art is subjective. Be original and true to who you are as a person and individual in society. Always say thank you and help others out whenever you can. Most importantly, have fun and remain humble.”
Viros can be found on Instagram, @yuwandemilo, and his drag account is @fallonxangel.