The Untold Influence of Sasha Colby in Miss Continental on Contemporary Drag Performance

In the dim, smoky warmth of the Baton Show Lounge in Chicago, the audience holds its collective breath. Anticipation thrums through the room like a low hum. Then suddenly, the spotlight blazes to life, slicing through the darkness and locking onto center stage. Standing there, poised and radiant, is Sasha Colby, about to make history at the 2012 Miss Continental pageant. Before she even moves, her presence fills the space: regal, magnetic, undeniable. Every glance, every subtle tilt of her head commands attention, weaving a silent spell over the crowd. Then, the music drops, a powerful, rhythmic pulse, and Sasha springs into motion.

What follows is not just a performance, but an act of pure mastery. With each fluid movement, she blurs the line between choreography and storytelling, embodying a living, breathing narrative of strength, grace, and vulnerability. Her transitions are seamless; her precision, razor-sharp. Every extension of her body, every lyrical gesture, channels a vision of femininity that feels at once timeless and revolutionary. The audience is spellbound, witnessing not just a contestant, but an artist at the absolute peak of her craft (Kalani Productions, 2023).

Video 1. Sasha Colby in the talent competition at Miss Continental 2012 (Kalani Productions, 2023)

By the time her Talent routine concludes, the audience erupts in applause. Colby is then crowned Miss Continental, securing her place in drag pageant history.

More than just a personal triumph, Colby’s performance throughout Miss Continental exemplifies a tradition of trans excellence in pageantry that has long shaped contemporary drag aesthetics (Greene, 2020), a lineage often underrepresented in mainstream drag narratives. Drag is more than entertainment; it is a performative act that challenges, redefines, and sometimes affirms gender. Performance theorist Richard Schechner defines performance as “all the activity of a given participant on a given occasion which serves to influence in any way any of the other participants” (Schechner, 2020, p. 3). Drag, especially in its pageant form, embodies what Schechner calls “restored behavior:” ritualized, culturally embedded action that carries social memory. Colby’s performance, and those of other trans pageant queens, are examples of this restored behavior: highly intentional performances shaped by generational practice, cultural heritage, and political resistance.

This project uses Colby’s engagement in Miss Continental 2012 as a case study to explore the overlooked influences of trans-inclusive drag pageantry in shaping modern drag culture. Rather than arguing that Colby’s performance was a singular rupture or unprecedented breakthrough, it’s contended that the performance shows the aesthetic, cultural, and political power of trans drag lineage.

While many Miss Continental winners have shaped the pageant’s legacy, Colby offers a particularly generative lens through which to explore trans drag excellence. Intellectually, her performance aligns closely with key performance theory concepts such as restored behavior and gender performativity. Culturally, Colby’s recent rise in mainstream media has reignited interest in her early performances, inviting deeper reflection on her artistic roots and their influence on contemporary drag. Practically, the availability of well-documented footage and interviews allows for a detailed and rigorous analysis that is not possible for many earlier pageant performers. Colby’s cultural heritage as a Native Hawaiian performer also brings even further depth to her drag. Her performances often integrate hula-inspired movement, ancestral embodiment, and a spiritual presence that reflects Indigenous philosophies (Hajibayova and Buente 2017). These elements challenge white-centric drag aesthetics and expand the cultural vocabularies of femininity and performance (Greene, 2020).

In Performance Studies: An Introduction, Richard Schechner defines performance as “all the activity of a given participant on a given occasion which serves to influence in any way any of the other participants” (2020, p. 3). In his theory of “restored behavior,” performance becomes a repeated, ritualized act embedded in cultural memory. Colby’s performance in Miss Continental embodies this repetition. Her lip-sync, choreography, and aesthetics are part of an archive of embodied queer knowledge, rehearsed and refined. Schechner’s framework allows us to see Colby’s drag not simply as entertainment, but as ritual. It is both intentional and historical. By stepping onto that stage in 2012, Colby was engaging in an act of cultural transmission, what Diana Taylor calls the repertoire (Taylor, 2003). Her performance is the embodiment of trans pageant culture: deliberate, precise, and deeply rooted in resistance and self-determination.

The history of Miss Continental, founded in 1980 by Jim Flint, is one of both visibility and marginalization. Unlike many drag competitions that historically excluded trans women, Miss Continental has long welcomed trans performers, offering a platform for their artistry in a space that values grace, beauty, and precision. Documentaries such as The Queen (Simon, 1968) and The Queens (Saxenmeyer, 2018) provide insight into the cultural impact of these pageants. The Queen captures the backstage tension and social hierarchy of a 1960s New York drag pageant, exposing the racism and transphobia that would lead Crystal LaBeija to co-found the House of LaBeija and reinvent the ball culture movement (Simon, 1968). Decades later, The Queens follows Miss Continental as a whole, showcasing how pageantry fosters community, resilience, and excellence (Saxenmeyer, 2018).

Colby’s performance stands out not because it reflects a new style, but because it ingrains these inherited aesthetics with her personal story and cultural grounding. She performs not simply drag, but drag as a trans Hawaiian woman. The attention to narrative choreography and costuming reflects decades of Miss Continental tradition, while also queering and decolonizing its expectations. In comparison to earlier winners such as Erica Andrews (2004) or Mokha Montrese (2009), Colby’s performance continues the legacy of elegance and emotional engagement while incorporating gestures rooted in hula and evoking mana (spiritual power). In later winner’s performances such as Stasha Sanchez (2013), one can trace Colby’s influence in the integration of storytelling and affective movement. Thus, Colby’s performance throughout the competition is not an isolated innovation but part of a continuum of excellence in trans-inclusive drag.

While much of Colby’s power lies in her physical performance, the Q&A portion of the competition highlights another essential aspect of her drag: her voice. In this quieter but equally impactful moment, Colby demonstrates reflection, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence. Speaking as a trans Hawaiian woman on a national stage, she conveys a message of pride, resilience, and purpose, grounding her artistry in lived experience. The Q&A serves not just as a formal requirement of the pageant, but as a rhetorical performance, one that reveals the intellect and intention behind her stage presence. In that moment, Colby doesn’t just represent herself, she becomes a spokesperson for a lineage of trans drag performers whose contributions have too often been overlooked. The video below captures the depth of her poise and the sincerity of her message, adding yet another dimension to her multidimensional presence throughout the competition.

Video 2. Sasha Colby responds during the Q&A portion of Miss Continental 2012 (Kalani Productions, 2023)

Miss Continental has become the most prestigious drag queen pageant system in the world, and its influence extends far beyond the stage in Chicago. Miss Continental’s legacy is far-reaching and deeply embedded in global drag communities. This isn’t just a prestigious title, it is a cultural institution that continues to shape how drag is performed, valued, and remembered around the world. Nearly every major drag scene today, from North America to Southeast Asia, reflects the aesthetic signatures and stage presentation that Miss Continental has refined and popularized over the past four decades. From the Haus of Andrews lineage to performers like Candis Cayne and Brooke Lynn Hytes, the competition has nurtured some of drag’s most recognizable and respected figures, many of whom have gone on to become icons in their own right.

The system’s influence is also intergenerational and intercontinental. Queens trained in the Continental tradition pass on their knowledge through houses, mentorships, and workshops, creating a lineage of shared aesthetics and values that transcend national borders. The pageant’s openness to trans performers helped carve a space where trans excellence is not just accepted but celebrated. By accepting trans women when other systems excluded them, Miss Continental expanded the definition of what drag, and who gets to be excellent at it. In this way, Miss Continental acts not just as a stage but as an anchor for global drag. It teaches us that drag is not just individual artistry but collective memory. Colby’s performance is one thread in this larger tapestry, and by analyzing it, we uncover the broader network of influence that the Miss Continental pageant continues to exert worldwide.

In 2023, Colby returned to the spotlight and captivated a mainstream television audience by winning Season 15 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Her win marked a pivotal moment in drag history: not only was she a seasoned pageant queen and former Miss Continental, but she also became the first openly trans woman to win the American version of the show. Colby’s presence on Rupaul’s Drag Race extended beyond performance, she used her platform to educate audiences about trans joy, spirituality, and cultural pride. Her storytelling in confessionals, runway statements, and interviews contributed to a broader public understanding of trans drag as both art and identity. By embodying authenticity and confidence on a global stage, Colby brought visibility to trans pageant excellence and inspired a new generation of performers and viewers. In a media landscape where trans bodies are often politicized or erased, her victory offered not only representation but reclamation, an invitation to witness the full spectrum of trans artistry in motion.

Mainstream platforms like RuPaul’s Drag Race have often failed to adequately credit the pageant traditions and trans performers that laid the groundwork for the show’s aesthetics (Brennan & Gudelunas, 2017). While the program has elevated drag visibility, it has also contributed to the commercialization and flattening of drag into digestible television tropes. It is argued that RuPaul’s Drag Race has commodified drag by prioritizing spectacle over historical continuity (Brennan & Gudelunas, 2017). Colby’s presence on the show challenges this tendency. When she re-wore her 2012 Miss Continental gown during Season 15 of Drag Race, she performed a kind of archival drag, reinvoking a moment of personal and community significance rather than pandering to the show’s emphasis on novelty.

High-end designers have cited drag queens, particularly those from trans-inclusive pageants, as inspirations for their work (Greene, 2020). Further, academic studies on gender performance highlight how drag artists refine their personas, describing drag as a “constructed theology of identity” (Alexander, 2003, p. 349). Colby’s embodiment of femininity aligns with this framework, demonstrating how pageant queens redefine the art of drag.

Today, drag continues to evolve alongside social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where digital drag performances allow artists to reach global audiences. This evolution raises critical questions about the future of pageantry. Will digital content replace live competition? Can institutions like Miss Continental retain relevance without sacrificing their historical integrity? What does trans-inclusive pageantry offer that digital fame cannot? Colby’s continued relevance in both digital and live drag performance offers insight. Her artistry demonstrates that even in a rapidly changing landscape, the core elements of drag, remain vital. Colby not only continues to perform, she continues to teach. Her recent appearance introducing pop artist Chappell Roan at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards communicates how trans drag is increasingly shaping mainstream aesthetics, even outside explicitly queer spaces:

Video 3. Sasha Colby introduces Chappell Roan at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards (MTV, 2024).

As drag becomes more embedded in pop culture, performers like Colby serve as essential reminders of drag’s radical, Indigenous, and trans roots. The oral traditions of trans queens are invaluable to understanding drag history. Sasha Colby’s performance in the Miss Continental pageant embodies the power of drag as art, ritual, and resistance. It bridges history and innovation, trans identity and cultural storytelling, glamour and groundedness. Her drag is not just about illusion or beauty; it is about truth. In performing herself, Colby performs for many: her culture, her lineage, and her community. Her legacy is not hers alone, but one that ripples across generations, platforms, and stages. To reclaim the significance of trans-inclusive pageantry is to reclaim a central chapter of drag history.