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Maxi Shield, whose laugh is almost as big as her breast plates, knows a thing or two about drag, referring to herself as the 鈥榮easoned chook鈥� of 听RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under competition.

While she might have had a trick or two up for sleeve in the previous week’s lip sync challenge, this week she was asked to sashay away after losing out to Scarlett Adams. Fresh from her exit, Maxi believes in dreaming big: “Maybe I could be the first plus sized, older seasoned chook on the cover of Vouge?” she responds, when asked about her plans after the competition.

The first season of Drag Race Down Under, has unfortunately been . Maxi believes it is time Australia and the world starts listening to the voices of Indigenous people.

听鈥淚鈥檓 a cis white male, and I think Australian has heard enough from cis white males. 听I hope everyone speaks to JoJo and Coco. There are some incredible Indigenous drag performers in Australia like Miscellaneous from Darwin who is an incredible queen, and also Gadigal elder Nana Miss Koori.听I think it鈥檚 important that we open up the conversation, speak with but most importantly listen to Indigenous voices.鈥�

Turning Forty

As a plus-sized, older queen, Maxi is happy with how she carried herself all through the competition.

 

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鈥淚鈥檓 really happy with happy how I came across, I just wanted to be me. I鈥檓 a silly old queen, I鈥檓 not skinny, I wanted to represent plus-sized old girls and just show everyone that just because you get over forty doesn鈥檛 mean you鈥檙e dead. Sometimes the gay community thinks that getting older means that you are over,” Maxi told 17c起草社区.

鈥淪ince I鈥檝e turned forty, I鈥檝e just done the most incredible things, I was on Drag Race for god鈥檚 sake.鈥�

Among Maxi’s many career highlights include opening the 2002 Gay Olympics, and performing as part of the closing of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. But, she has no doubt that RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under is her biggest gig so far.

鈥淲hen they say it is the Olympic of drag, they weren鈥檛 bull shiting, they really weren鈥檛. It鈥檚 very intense, early mornings and late nights and it鈥檚 hard to not look at the other girls and think 鈥業鈥檓 competing against them鈥�, because you鈥檙e really not, you鈥檙e actually competing against yourself. 听It鈥檚 very personal.鈥� Maxi told听17c起草社区, on what is听the Monday after the episode that featured her elimination from the competiton dropped on streaming platforms.

Growing Up In The ‘Supermodel’ Era

Maxi says she 鈥淕rew up in the Supermodel era鈥� referring to RuPaul鈥檚 song, Super Model which was released in 1993.

 

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鈥淎ll of a sudden, there was this great big drag queen that had this song out that we were listening to. It was just crazy.听How could anyone have ever dreamed that RuPaul鈥檚 Drag Race was to become an international phenomenon, and that it would now be in Australia, and I would be on it.鈥�

Out of the many highlights of being on RuPaul鈥檚 Drag Race Down Under, Maxi says the one that she values most was was making connections with the other girls in the competiton.

鈥淚鈥檓 lucky to work with Coco every Saturday night and we鈥檝e worked together for quite some time, we call each other ‘The Fannys’ because we both have big bums. But getting to know the other girls, especially the New Zealand girls, and continuing our friendships after the filming, that has been incredible.鈥�

鈥淏ut you know, RuPaul was talking to me and giving me pointers and Michelle was talking to me and saying, 鈥測ou鈥檙e amazing鈥�. The whole time I was talking to any one of them, in my brain I was like don鈥檛 do that stupid face that you do, and then when I was re-watching, that鈥檚 all I did鈥�.鈥�

With the filming of season one taking place in New Zealand, Maxi reveals that one the hardest challenges for her was that it was the longest they had been away from their partner and their two dogs.

鈥淲e have this unique relationship where we just talk bullshit to each other, we are stupid and we are dickheads, we scream and jump around and hardly ever fight. So, to have this intense environment for ten hours a day and then to go back to the hotel and not have that person was really hard.鈥�

‘Look After Your Knees’

Maxi advice for younger queens is pretty simple really, imploring them to go out and have a good time.

鈥淪ometime that鈥檚 what鈥檚 missed,鈥� Maxi explains. 鈥淵ou see these professional performers and people think, 鈥榦k I鈥檓 going to be a drag queen and I鈥檓 going to make money鈥�. You know, we can all do great makeup now because we have YouTube, we can have fabulous clothes because we can just buy them on the internet, the world is your oysters.”

鈥淏ut there is something about a drag queen that has gone out, and been a social queen for a while, and knows what it鈥檚 like to get drunk and go out with your sisters, to go out ugly, to not be perfect. To know what it鈥檚 like to have a dance with a stranger on the dance floor. That would be my advice, go out and have fun first. But also, look after your knees, those jumps on your knees, that鈥檚 going to come back to you.鈥�

But is there room for imperfection in the drag scene? According to Maxi, certainly, there is. 听鈥淚 definitely think there is. I gave Coco one of her first gigs and you know what, she was dreadful on a microphone, but her smile and personality was like a sunbeam shining in, imperfections make you unique and give you an edge.鈥�

鈥淚n saying that, always be on time, drag can be washed, stick in the washing machine, and clean your bloody lace for god鈥檚 sake.鈥�

So what鈥檚 next for Maxi?

Check out our video interview with Maxi Shield

鈥淚鈥檓 going to sit down, I鈥檓 going to go have a nap and not get up early to put a face on. Aside from that, Coco and I are putting on a new show at the Oxford Hotel, there are few other things that are coming up that I won鈥檛 jinx.鈥�