Song of the Day 2/28: Aerosmith, “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)”

Filed in Arts and Entertainment, National by on February 28, 2023

As anyone who follows the news knows, Republicans have a hard on for drag queens — uh, maybe I should rephrase that. Or maybe I shouldn’t.

Southern states must be hotbeds of drag shows, because many of them are trying to curtail them or ban them outright. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has been particularly vocal about the issue, so it was more than a tad embarrassing for him when a reporter confronted him with a photo of Lee in a cheerleader outfit. Lee said that was different. Riiiiiight.

This song, the lead single from the 1987 LP “Permanent Vacation,” reached No. 14 on the Hot 100 and got plenty of airplay. Co-writer Desmond Child said the lyrical idea came about when Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler was at a bar and mistook Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil for a woman with long blonde hair. It’s been criticized for promoting anti-trans cliches, but as I recall those were common attitudes back in the heyday of hair metal, when many of the dudes wore clothes and makeup that were thisclose to drag.

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  1. jason330 says:

    Drag is only bad for kids when gays are involved.

    Related: Why Do All These Homosexuals Keep Sucking My Cock?

    https://www.theonion.com › why-do-all-these-homose…
    Oct 28, 1998 — Look, I’m not a hateful person or anything–I believe we should all live and let live. But lately, I’ve been having a real problem with these …

  2. Jean says:

    It’s no surprise drag and the Deep South go hand in hand. There is something about men painting their faces in garish makeup and acting out stereotypes of an oppressed class to the delight of others that runs so deep in those parts