Conchita Wurst's Theoretical Analysis

Most of the European countries participate in the Eurovision Song Contest and have an artist representing their country. The winner of the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest winner was Conchita Wurst from Austria. What was significant about the winner, was that Wurst is a drag queen. Wurst wears dresses, heels and makeup, which is associated with what women wear. However, he also has a beard which is significant for men. He breaks with all the stereotypical gender roles by mixing them together and showing it to everybody. Wurst proves the queer theory by showing that “identities are not fixed but fluid” (Wood 51) and critiques the conventional categories of identity and cultural views of “normal” and “abnormal” (Wood 51). In an interview with Billboard,
Wurst claims that coming out was the most important moment of his life because he could be himself and could stop lying to himself ("Austrian Drag Queen Conchita Wurst Living Her Dream After Winning Eurovision Song Contest."). I believe Wurst has made a difference by standing up for himself and being who he truly is and not being affected by cultural expectations of gender.