Crystal Methyd: Queen of the Queen City
Written By Alyssa Roney
Directed By Rikki Clay
Modeled By Rikki Clay, Nakaja Weaver, & Hadley Berry
Photographed By Mindy Welland
Over the course of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 12, Crystal Methyd demanded the affection and attention of the audience with antics such as the reveal of an Arabic “One Direction” tattoo. She not only had the signature wit of a drag queen: she had the style too. This ultimately earned her a spot in the finale. Since this finale was virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic, performers were tasked with virtually producing and starring in a video, rather than giving a customary live performance. This circumvention did not dissuade a young Crystal Methyd from performing, as she was well versed in adapting and overcoming. Viewers nationwide held their breath as RuPaul announced that the next performer would perform from her home in Springfield, Missouri. With a word of luck and warning, Methyd’s inventive lip sync challenge aired to millions.
In what would become one of the show’s most iconic performances, Methyd triumphantly lip synced to Nelly Furtado’s “I’m Like a Bird,” dressed as an anthropomorphic blue mother bird singing to a lone egg. The catch — the egg hatched, revealing a delightful yellow baby bird, also played by Methyd. As both birds, Methyd retains her signature luminous red lip with a shape that can only be described as “Betty Boop meets James Franco’s mustache, circa 2017.” The act would later help Methyd secure the much-coveted title of season 12’s runner-up.
Methyd, a self-titled “crust punk DIY fairy godmother,” is the stage name of MSU alum and Springfield native, Cody Harness. Harness, who noticed a lagging drag scene in Springfield, helped found the now-defunct drag program “Get Dusted” at the Outland Ballroom. Hadley Berry, a model for this shoot, is all too familiar with the difficulties faced by drag artists in Springfield. Berry, who performs as Just Jessica, moved from Hamilton, Missouri, to Springfield, Missouri, to attend MSU. To Berry, this was about more than an education.
“I was moving to the hometown of the first drag queen I ever fell in love with,” he said. Performing drag in Springfield has its setbacks, though.
“I don’t have a lot of resources here as a queer drag performer,” they said. In spite of these difficulties, Springfield’s vibrant LGBTQ+ community has seen increased visibility in recent years, largely due to performers like Methyd. It is no wonder, then, that last year she was invited to perform at the Odyssey for Springfield’s PrideFest, alongside younger performers like Just Jessica.
On meeting Methyd, Berry said, “It’s so awesome to see someone from here, who went on to make it as big as she has, still want to come back to this small little town and show Pride with us.” Berry felt understood and uplifted by Methyd. “It’s because she gets it. She understands where we’re coming from. She’s literally in the exact same club where she got her drag career.”
A quick Google search of Crystal Methyd and one will likely encounter several images featuring a star-spangled look from “Drag Race.” The look is undoubtedly one of her best outfits: she is Ms. Springfield, Missouri, our Lady Liberty with beckoning blue eyes beaconing the wayward drag scene home. However, the dynamic nature of Methyd’s looks is not limited to one ensemble. According to Berry, Methyd’s power lies in not conforming to drag queen beauty standards, something that Just Jessica knows about with her fierce, gender-bending looks.
In particular, Methyd is known for her vibrant color palette and experimentation with textures and materials. Stylistically, Methyd knows no boundaries: she combines the glamor of the drag queen tradition with the kookiness of a Dr. Suess character. Her silhouettes, rather than emulating a traditional hourglass, range from pumpkin to piñata. What she, as an artist, has managed to subvert is more than the audience’s expectations — it is the nature of drag itself.
