Drag Race’s Bimini calls out queens saying ‘fishy’ for being misogynistic – here’s why

Bimini, a true Drag Race UK icon, music artist and now competitor on SAS: Who Dares Wins is at the forefront of some ongoing discourse in the queer community and beyond as they call out the usage of the word “fishy”. This isn’t the first time queens have called out the use of that word in drag spaces, with the criticism of it being misogynistic in its origins. But after Bimini released a video casually calling out its use, they have now released a further statement after a divided response after some feel like branding the use of “fishy” as misogynistic discredits its origins in the ballroom scene.

‘Fishy’ used to be prevalent on Drag Race

The use of the word “fishy” was extremely common on Drag Race in the early days when there was much more of a focus on female impersonation in drag. “Fishy” means “realness”, looking like a real woman. Drag Race doesn’t really use it much on the show now things have moved on and a wider spectrum of drag is given the platform. Queens like Victoria Scone, who was the first AFAB [assigned female at birth] queen to compete, called out the use of “fishy” on Canada’s Drag Race VS The World for being misogynistic because of how the word feeds into the narrative of a woman’s genitals smelling bad.

Some feel like cancelling the word “fishy” however is discrediting of its ballroom scene origins. Not everyone is offended by it, but there’s a big intersection of the queer community who’d rather it not be said anymore.

Bimini called it out in an Instagram video, captioned ‘only ugly people still say fishy’ 

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Bimini posted a video calling out the usage again, but it wasn’t met with complete agreement. After a lot of discourse and comments from people who didn’t think it was as cut and dry as Bimini phrased it in their video, Bimini posted a new statement clarifying their stance.

“I’ve seen a lot of responses to my video I’ve seen a lot of responses to my video about the word fishy, so let me just say this,” Bimini wrote on Instagram. “I know the term is rooted in ballroom culture, and I have huge respect for that history. Ballroom gave us so much of the language, attitude, and artistry that drag and queer culture more broadly thrives on today. We owe that lineage so much.

“That said, language evolves. For me, personally, I don’t agree with using fishy now. The word was born out of a stereotype that women ‘look and smell like fish,’ and when we use it to compliment queens for ‘looking like a real woman,’ it plays into something reductive and harmful. It narrows femininity down to biology and scent when in reality, femininity (and drag!) is expansive, limitless, and not about passing or ticking boxes.

“This isn’t me erasing ballroom history. It’s me saying we can honour where a word came from and also acknowledge when it no longer serves us. Queer culture has always thrived on reinvention. We’ve always taken language, played with it, and pushed it forward. So let’s do that again.

“For me, calling yourself fishy now isn’t empowering. It’s reinforcing a stereotype. And I’d rather celebrate drag and femininity with words that lift us up without leaning on old, tired ideas about women’s bodies. You don’t have to agree with me, but this is where I stand. Drag should always be about pushing forward, not shrinking back into boxes.”

Bimini has had a lot of support on their calling out of the Drag Race prevalence of the word “fishy” – and it seems like they’re the kind of spokesperson who people respect to listen to.

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