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Violet Olivia Thompson BA (Cardiff), MA (Cardiff), AFHEA

Violet Olivia Thompson

(she/her)

BA (Cardiff), MA (Cardiff), AFHEA

Teams and roles for Violet Olivia Thompson

Overview

Violet's research explores the emergence of queer texts into mainstream popular culture, with a specific focus on the mainstreaming of drag media. Primarily using RuPaul's Drag Race as a case study, her research assesses the implications of this mainstreaming, considering how the franchise represents local cultural identity and non-binary identities, as well as non-normative drag performances. She is also interested in debates regarding queer representations, audiences and fandom, the subversive potential of queer popular culture, and queer histories. More broadly, she is interested in popular culture and the intersections of representing gender, sexuality and class.

Prior to beginning her PhD, Violet achieved a BA (First Class Honours) in Media, Journalism and Culture from JOMEC, Cardiff University in 2018, followed by an MA (Distinction) in Journalism, Media and Communications from JOMEC in 2019. 

She is also an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA).

Violet is a member of the JOMEC Feminist Media Studies Research Group , as well as the Trans Journalists Association (TJA). Furthermore, she also acts as an Assistant Editor for the JOMEC Journal, and is an Editorial Assistant for Feminist Media Studies. She also sits on the JOMEC Education and Student Experience Committee, and the JOMEC Equality and Diversity Committee. 

Publication

Research

Violet's primary research interest is queer sub-cultures, with a particular focus on the spectrum of drag performance. Specifically, she is interested in the mainstreaming of drag, as well as its commercilisation and commodification. More broadly, Violet is interested in representations of gender non-conformity in popular culture, transgender studies, as well as the intersecting debates on these topics regarding audiences and fandom. As part of her research, Violet is also interested in queer media, reality television, and feminist media studies.

Thesis

Mainstreaming RuPaul, Homogenising Drag: Analysing the Stakes of the Global Drag Race Empire

RuPaul’s Drag Race, the reality-competition series in which drag performers compete for the title of the ‘next drag superstar’, has experienced mainstream success. Consequently, greater attention has been paid to the ways the franchise represents drag culture to maintain this success. Violet's research considers the stakes of this mainstreaming in the context of three localisations of the franchise, each the first international series to be hosted by RuPaul: UK (2019), Down Under (2021), and, UK vs. The World (2022). Through a qualitative textual analysis, her research argues that the homogenisation of drag, previously identified by scholars as a potential upshot of the mainstreaming of Drag Race, manifests in these seasons. Specifically, however, this homogenisation is grounded in a US-centric outlook, which also shapes its framing of cultural identity. Violet's research contributes to existing Drag Race literature, by assessing the now-global status of the franchise. Given the franchise’s increased visibility, and its growing influence on local drag cultures, it is incumbent on scholars to analyse the stakes of its representations. Through analysis of these seasons, her research argues that despite its success, international localisations of Drag Race remain homogenised, irrespective of the possibilities they provide for their contestants and culturally specific iterations of drag.

Teaching

Conference Presentations

  • "Taking over the Mother-Tucking World!": RuPaul's Drag Race and North American Universalism. PhD Conference, JOMEC, Cardiff University, 10th May 2022. 
  • "It could be sacrilegious in other cultures, but to us Brits, that's the way to do it": Conflict and Cultural Resistance in RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Celebrity Studies Conference, University of Amsterdam, 1st - 3rd July 2024.

Teaching 

Violet has taught on the following undergraduate modules within JOMEC: 

  • MC1110: History of Mass Communications and Culture (Autumn 2022, Seminar Leader, Module Leader: Dr Matt Walsh)
  • MC3633: Popular Music, Media and Culture (Autumn 2022/Autumn 2023/Autumn 2024, Seminar Leader, Module Leader: Dr Lucy Bennett)
  • MC3634: Clothing Matters: Global Fashion Cultures & Politics (Spring 2023, Guest Lecture, Module Leader: Dr Alida Payson)
  • MC3608: The Creative and Cultural Industries (Spring 2024/Spring 2025, Seminar Leader, Module Leader: Dr Carrie Westwater)
  • MC2645: Media and Sexuality (Spring 2024/Spring 2025, Guest Lecture, Module Leader: Dr Alida Payson)
  • MC1114: Representations (Spring 2025, Seminar Leader, Module Leader: Dr Francesca Sobande)
  • MC2631: Media, Globalisation and Culture (Spring 2025, Contributing Lecturer, Module Leader: Dr Lele Bao)

Biography

Professional memberships

Committees and reviewing

  • Editorial Assistant, Feminist Media Studies (2024 - Present)
  • Assistant Editor, JOMEC Journal (2022 - 2025)
  • JOMEC Equality and Diversity Committee (2021 - Present)
  • JOMEC Education and Student Experince Committee (2021 - Present)

Contact Details

Email ThompsonVO@cardiff.ac.uk

Campuses Two Central Square, Room 1.20, Central Square, Cardiff, CF10 1FS

Research themes

Specialisms

  • Feminist Media Studies
  • Drag
  • Queer Theory
  • Gender
  • Film and Television

External profiles