Tiktok's Fave RuGirl Plastique Tiara on Vietnamese Representation: "It Validates Everything That You Are" (EXCLUSIVE)

"It completely changed my life. I became, I guess, the RuGirl with the [largest] social media following," Plastique stated of her TikTok status.

May Thirteen 2024, Published 8:52 a.m. ET

Back in 2019, a 21-year-old Plastique Tiara entered the RuPaul's Drag Race Werk Room serving us "the three P's: Polished, persistent, and p-ssy." Fellow Season Eleven contestant Vanessa Vanjie Mateo (aka Miss Vanjie) mentioned it herself, it's no Instagram filter, she really is shocking. But the drag queen — whose legal name is Duc Tran Nguyen — is not only a horny face, she's a fierce competitor with a watch for design, a mind for advertising and marketing, and a adorable personality.

Though Plastique placed eighth on Season 11, she left a lasting affect, bringing parts of her Vietnamese heritage to our dwelling rooms.

"It wasn't until after season 11 — or at the finale of Season 11 — that I realized that how much my history and my heritage means to me," Plastique — who was born in Vietnam — exclusively told Distractify over Zoom. "Afterwards, I wanted to incorporate as much of my culture into my drag as much as possible."

Plastique makes use of TikTok to exhibit her vibrant Vietnamese heritage and Asian pop culture (including anime); an authenticity that has helped her amass over 11.6 million fans.

It was her 2020 "Wipe It Down" challenge video that to begin with had social media speaking. As of this writing, the gag-worthy transformation TikTookay has been seen over 90 million instances.

"When my video went viral, I really just went balls to the wall," she informed us. "It completely changed my life. I became, I guess, the RuGirl with the [largest] social media following, I did deals that I thought I could never do, and then I traveled the world," Plastique persisted, seeking to keep modest.

Starting on May 17, 2024, Plastique Tiara will compete for the crown once again — this time for a good cause — as a contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 9. If she earns a spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame this time round, $200,000 will go to the charity of her selection: The Asian American Foundation.

Ahead of the season premiere — airing all through Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month — we solely spoke to Plastique about how Vietnamese culture, artwork, and artists have influenced her drag persona, and the significance of illustration in media.

Plastique Tiara on honoring her Vietnamese heritage: "I got so much love from people in Vietnam."

Plastique, a first-generation American immigrant, relocated to Dallas, Texas, as a teen, having spent most of her adolescence in Vietnam. She knew little of the magic of the queer community before arriving on the Southern metropolis. She stuck the drag malicious program when she received a talent contest at a Dallas homosexual bar, as according to Glossy.

"At Station 4 in Dallas!" she clarified to us.

But Plastique's love of efficiency stems from her Vietnamese roots.

"I've always listened to Vietnamese music growing up, and seeing all the theatrical Vietnamese plays, that was my first gateway into performance," she defined. "I performed the songs that I loved in Vietnamese and then slowly but surely, I discovered there are so many talented designers in Vietnam that I wanted to work with."

Additionally, she shared that connecting with Vietnamese LGBTQ+ photographers and inventive directors became simple after showing on Season 11. "From there it just blossomed."

When we asked if there was anybody person who roused the delivery of the Plastique Tiara character, she straight away lit up, naming Vietnamese singer Minh Tuyết.

"Oh my god, I talk about her so much. She's gonna file a restraining order against me," Plastique joked. "I love her to pieces, I grew up watching her. ... She's like the Mariah Carey of Vietnam."

We prompted Plastique to touch on what the reaction has been like since bringing Vietnamese tradition and type to TikTook, the Drag Race stage, and the People's Choice Awards.

"After Drag Race [Season 11], for a little bit, during COVID and everything, I kind of lost a sense of purpose," she relayed. "It wasn't until I traveled to Vietnam and I got to experience firsthand the impact of representation on TV. Because once you see someone of your color and they feel the way you feel, and that hasn't been expressed on TV yet, and that person is doing it in real time, it gives you — it validates everything that you are as a human. ... I see that there is progress and what I'm doing is good."

The goal, artistry, and willpower to representing and honoring her background has even earned the consideration of her parents ... after all.

"Drag has changed my life. So now my parents are coming around to it as well. They're like, 'Oh, we're so proud of you.'"

Plastique Tiara on seeing AAPI RuGirls Sasha Colby and Nymphia Wind win back to back: "I'm so proud of both of them."

The RuPaul's Drag Race Season 15 and Season Sixteen winners, Sasha Colby and Nymphia Wind, respectively, both proudly entwine their AAPI backgrounds into their drag. While Sasha Colby, born in Hawaii, is the primary native Hawaiian queen to win American Drag Race, Nymphia Wind, born in Taiwan, is the primary East Asian queen to win American Drag Race.

"About time!" Plastique said of her Drag Race sisters.

"To see them getting the love they deserve and them representing us so fiercely, I feel nothing more than pride," she gushed. "I hope to continue that legacy."

As for Plastique's last notes referring to AAPI Heritage Month, she encouraged everybody to "go out there and give an Asian person $5 or something."

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 9 premieres on Friday, May 17, 2024, on Paramount Plus.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pbXSramam6Ses7p6wqikaKhfpbmiv9OiqK6dXam2or7AZquio6SkuG7CyJ6rp5mdmsCm