Reggie Gavin (born January 14, 1995), known by the stage name Symone, is an American

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...

and model. She is best known as the winner of season 13 of ''

RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, VH1 (season 9–14) and, beginning with the f ...

'' (2021). She is a member of the queer art collective House of Avalon.

Early life

Born Reggie Gavin, Symone was raised in

Conway Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Town ...

, Arkansas, as the youngest of three children, with two siblings who are significantly older. A shy child due to anxiety about being gay, Symone discovered

drag Drag or The Drag may refer to: Places * Drag, Norway, a village in Tysfjord municipality, Nordland, Norway * ''Drág'', the Hungarian name for Dragu Commune in Sălaj County, Romania * Drag (Austin, Texas), the portion of Guadalupe Street adj ...

as a teenager in 2009 after ''

'' debuted, and began to experiment with

makeup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vo ...

and drag, attending senior

prom A promenade dance, commonly called a prom, is a dance party for high school students. It may be offered in semi-formal black tie or informal suit for boys, and evening gowns for girls. This event is typically held near the end of the school y ...

in a dress.

Career

2013–2020: Drag beginnings

Shortly after high school graduation in 2013, she performed drag for the first time at Triniti Nightclub under the name Delilah Alamaine. While a student at

University of Arkansas at Little Rock The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UA Little Rock) is a Public university, public research university in Little Rock, Arkansas. Established as Little Rock Junior College by the Little Rock School District in 1927, the institution became ...

, she began to build a following as a performer at Discovery and The Factory, and later changed her stage name to Symone, after a character in a play she wrote in high school. She hosted a series called Symone Says. Of her drag identity, she said Symone represents "the person that I really am. I would say Reggie is a mask I put on every day." Symone is a member of the queer fashion and pop culture collective House of Avalon along with season 12 ''

Drag Race Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...

'' finalist

Gigi Goode Gigi Goode (born December 2, 1997) is an American drag queen and reality television personality known for being a runner-up on the twelfth season of the drag competition series '' RuPaul's Drag Race''. Following her appearance on ''Drag Race'' ...

. The collective was started in 2016 in

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

by designer Marko Monroe, Hunter Crenshaw, and Grant Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt is Symone's drag mother. Symone moved to Los Angeles in 2019 and joined other relocated members of House of Avalon.

2021–present: ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' success

In 2021, Symone gained wider prominence as a contestant on season 13 of ''

'', where she became the show's first Arkansas contestant. She has received positive reception from critics for her drag fashion and persona, which frequently nod to Black cultural icons like

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and reality television personality. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, she lived much of he ...

and

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a model, singer and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for ...

. After the first two episodes aired, pop culture websites ''Vulture'' and ''Jezebel'' stated that Symone was a frontrunner to win season 13.

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to t ...

sent Symone an

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

DM after seeing her on the show: "You soooo EVERYTHING! Nasty Lil bitch! I live for every second of it! You're a true joy to watch!" Symone received media attention for her runway dress worn on episode 9: a white faux leather dress with exaggerated hips, red crystal bullet holes on the back, and a white headpiece emblazoned with

Say Their Names ''Say Their Names'' is a mural in Louisville, Kentucky. Description and history Unveiled in July 2020, the artwork depicts the faces of Sandra Bland, George Floyd, David McAtee, Elijah McClain, and Breonna Taylor. It was vandalized in June 20 ...

. As she walked the runway she recited the names of several murdered Black Americans:

Breonna Taylor Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American woman, was fatally shot in her Louisville, Kentucky apartment on March 13, 2020, when at least seven police officers forced entry into the apartment as part of an investigation into drug dealing o ...

George Floyd George Perry Floyd Jr. (October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020) was an African-American man who was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest made after a store clerk suspected Floyd may have used a counterfeit twe ...

, Brayla Stone,

Trayvon Martin Trayvon Benjamin Martin (February 5, 1995 – February 26, 2012) was a 17-year-old African-American from Miami Gardens, Florida, who was killing of Trayvon Martin, fatally shot in Sanford, Florida, by George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old Hispanic an ...

, Tony McDade, Nina Pop, and Monika Diamond. The dress was designed by Marko Monroe and created by Howie B. Symone said her intention with the dress was to state: "No matter how pretty or beautiful or non-threatening I—and Black people—seem, we're still seen as a threat." Symone ultimately won the season in the grand finale that aired on April 23, 2021. In August 2021, Symone was a featured performer in ''Drag Fest'', a live music festival. Symone was featured on the cover of the September 2021 issue of ''

Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...

''. That same month, Symone attended the

2021 MTV Video Music Awards The 2021 MTV Video Music Awards were held on September 12, 2021, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City. This marked the first time in eight years that the venue hosted the show. The show was hosted by hip-hop rapper and singer Doja ...

, the 2021 Met Gala, and walked the red carpet at the

73rd Primetime Emmy Awards The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in American prime time television programming from June 1, 2020, until May 31, 2021, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The award ceremony was held live on September 19, 2021, ...

Awards and nominations

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, ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' ,

People's Choice Award The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls unt ...

for The Competition Contestant of 2021 , , - ! scope="row" , 2022 , Herself , Queerty Award for Drag Royalty , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="3", 2022 , 2021

Met Gala The Met Gala, or Met Ball, formally called the Costume Institute Gala or the Costume Institute Benefit, is an annual fundraising gala held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City. It is popularly ...

, The WOWIE Award for Best Red Carpet Look , , - , ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's l ...

'' , The WOWIE Award for Best TV Moment
(Shared with

Rupaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960; stylized as RuPaul) is an American drag queen, television personality, actor, musician, and model. Best known for producing, hosting, and judging the reality competition series '' RuPaul's Drag Race ...

) , , - , House of Avalon , The WOWIE Award for Fiercest Party People ,

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Featured and cameo roles

Web series

Discography

As part of the Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 13

As lead artist

As featured artist

References

External links

Official Instagram
*
The Pride Series
– Interview with ''British Vogue'' on YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Symone (drag queen) Living people African-American drag queens African-American models American drag queens LGBT African Americans LGBT people from Arkansas People from Conway, Arkansas RuPaul's Drag Race contestants University of Arkansas at Little Rock alumni RuPaul's Drag Race winners 1995 births Participants in American reality television series