With sugar, spice, and some added legend juice, the world’s latest drag obsessions were born. Sugar and Spice, “the dolls that came to life,” are a twin drag duo best known for their eccentric personalities on TikTok, where they boast nearly 8 million followers. Inspired by Bratz Dolls and early 2000s fashion, the twins tap into a niche audience of nostalgia that is continuing to see a resurgence in pop culture. Oh, and they just so happen to be cast members of the current 15th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
After growing up in Long Island, New York, the internet sensations sought to take their careers to the next level with a move to Los Angeles early last year. Shortly after, they got a call from mama Ru that would do just that and change their lives forever. Since the January 6 season premiere, the twins have been overwhelmingly embraced by fans, many of which consider their casting to be a breath of fresh air for the franchise. Despite their hesitancy to take the dive headfirst into drag – admitting to us that they do not resemble “traditional” drag queens – it was the traits that made them different that resonated so heavily with viewers.
Sadly, the duo were separated shortly into the season following Sugar’s elimination at the end of last Friday’s episode. But, her spirit lives on as Spice tackles the rest of the competition, beginning tonight at 8/7c on MTV.
Pop Crave spoke with the twins via email to discuss how they got started in drag, the positive reception they’ve received from fans, finding their drag family on RuPaul’s Drag Race, and more. Keep reading for the full interview!
Hi Sugar & Spice, congratulations on Drag Race and all of your other recent successes! How has your experience as RuGirls been since the season began airing?
It’s been so amazing but also overwhelming! We’re used to our little TikTok family, but it’s nice to be welcomed into the new Drag Race family for sure.
You both have been so embraced by the fans! What has that meant to you? Are you surprised by the outpouring of love?
OMG yes. We were not expecting the love from the fans at all since we knew the chatter about us being on before the season was definitely mixed. Luckily, people are connecting to our mindset and point of view on drag and life which is so, so special.
The fashion doll community has also been showing you tons of love. How does it feel to have their stamp of approval?
Ugh, it’s truly been the best part of this experience. To get love from the fashion doll community, a community we have been a part of since middle school, means the world. These are the people we feel most connected to, especially considering doll collectors know what it feels like to be a “secret,” so now we get to scream our love for dolls to the rooftops!
Your drag personas were born on June 22, 2019, as seen in a YouTube video of yours. What inspired you to take the leap into exploring the art of drag as Sugar & Spice?
We always thought drag wasn’t for us since our talents/passions don’t fall under what a “traditional” drag queen is. Once we realized you can re-define anything in life to suit you, that’s when we fully accepted the gift of drag and brought Sugar and Spice to life. Life is so powerful when you tell yourself that you are “allowed.”
You both already have such massively successful careers as influencers across social media. What made you want to compete on RuPaul’s Drag Race?
Curiosity for sure. I mean Drag Race is all of our favorite things put into a gay blender, so of course we would be interested. Anything that makes you go, “Oh wow, what is that all about?” is a good indication you should do it! An opportunity to learn about yourself and others is always an opportunity that should be taken.
You both seem to march to the beat of your own drum and reject any negativity that comes your way. Have you always had that mindset?
Honestly, no. Our experience with being on social media for years has really allowed us to build a thick skin, and once we did a lot of inner work and started healing our inner children, we realized that all negativity normally has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the person projecting onto you. So once you understand that, you can really just start having fun and not taking what others say so seriously.
It was recently announced by Mistress Isabelle Brooks that she and Malaysia Babydoll Foxx have adopted you into their drag family. What does it mean to have found a drag family through your experience on Drag Race?
It means so much to have Malaysia and Mistress as our drag moms/drag family. As humans, we are simply hard-wired to connect, so boy, does it feel good when that happens.
What are your biggest aspirations for your career together now that Drag Race has provided you both with an even larger platform?
To continue to have FUN and hope others will be inspired to do the same. All you have in life is how you feel, so we just want to manifest feeling good.
On average, how long does it take for you to upload one TikTok video? Would you say creating social media content is easier or more difficult than people think?
Hmmmm, it depends on what you are creating. For us, all of the work is done off-camera. We look at TikTok more as our “digital drag” showcase, so all of our time and energy goes into our drag looks and creating visual art on ourselves and not so much the TikTok video. The TikTok “content” comes second and just lives around the drag we are showcasing, if that makes sense.
Who are some of your favorite Drag Race contestants from past seasons?
Valentina, Shangela, Nina Bo’nina Brown, Pearl, Gia Gunn, Naomi Smalls, and Laganja Estranja just to name a few icons! Also Sminty, Tayce, A’Whora, and Bimini are our UK FAVES! Those girls give us everything.
After Drag Race, will we possibly see more live shows and performances from Sugar & Spice?
Oh yes, of course we will be performing! But in our own “Sugar and Spice” way!
Follow Sugar here: https://hoo.be/sugarsworld
Follow Spice here: https://hoo.be/callmespice
