Jaja Nette
“Jaja's the mysterious woman you see sitting on a transcontinental train ride that makes you wonder what kind of life she leads and how you can be more like her. Heavily influenced by spies and femme fatales, she never gives you what you expect.”
Has your drag name [Jaja Nette] been a way for you to reclaim your queerness and transform the hate that has been directed towards you?
“Before actually starting drag I've carried this name with me for a long time. The word "Janet/Janette" is used as an insulting and contemptuous term for a male homosexual. I had always been a very empathic child, which lead to adults and other kids treating me differently and sometimes calling me names. It felt right taking one of the most common slurs and turning it around, making it glamorous. Jaja is also a reference to ZsaZsa Gábor.”
What inspires your drag and aesthetic and what is your creative process?
“My drag is me trying to rediscover my love for fashion and performing arts after it being stumped at a younger age. I've always been keen to search for beauty, symmetry and perfection in odd places. Earlier on I tried my hand at different fields of artistic expression, but drag makes it all come together. Photography, drama and writing were only parts of the puzzle i wanted to be immersed in. With drag, I can transform myself in any illusion I want to. Becoming a different person with varying wants, needs and wishes in life. All while looking stunning haha.”
What about drag as a medium speaks to you? How did you get your start in it?
“My drag is very much me believing i'm part of Charlie's Angels. The fierce attitude, the constant looks and the occasional stupid comedy. When I find myself drifting away from my drag persona, I just have to look at Lucy Lui to know where I have to go to. This mixed with some non binary high glamour gives me the full delusion. I love to play with the juxtaposition of my more masculine chest and arms countered with a cinched waist, beat face and quite feminine thighs. Someone who does this and I admire a lot is Milk. Besides him, I'm always in awe with the looks of The Arseniek, the kindness of Berlin (@thegirlfriendexperience) and the stage presence of Venus Kunt.”
Did you have any queer role models? If so, who?
“The first drag performer that I was a fan of was Willam. I didn't know anything of drag race or of the drag community and its extent as a whole. I just liked his videos online. It wasn't until later I discovered drag race and eventually live drag performances when I lived in Vancouver. The community there made me discover my own queerness, as people were supportive of different forms of gender expression. I started dabbling in make-up and by the time I moved back to Belgium, I started drag.”
Are there upcoming events/appearances that you would like to bring attention to?
On the 3rd of December we're planning the next Panty On shows. Here, I really try to focus on creating a community feel in a safe space for people to explore their queer identities. Furthermore, I'm hoping to be able to make more fashion-related content!
Be ready for some more God-tier performances and keep an eye out on our IG-page:
