Rock Evans is a health teacher, bodybuilder and drag queen named Miss Toto. In 2014, Evans moved to Miami and began bodybuilding. They needed to problem themselves after finishing challenges just like the Spartan Race and the Mud Run. Their first competitors was September 2016. As for drag, Evans turned Miss Toto in 2015, however they’ve identified about drag since they had been a toddler. They moved to Chicago in February 2019. With their earnings from the gymnasium and drag coming from in-person-only occasions, COVID-19 threatened each of their livelihoods. Now that individuals are heading exterior once more, Evans displays on how the pandemic modified their outlook for the higher.
AS SOON AS COVID occurred, I had a meltdown. It wasn’t a meltdown of like, ‘Why can’t I do these items?’ It was a meltdown of concern.
I used to be on a linear path of bodybuilding. I used to be getting greater, getting stronger. However then as soon as the pandemic occurred, I had solely my house gymnasium. It was actually solely a pair kettlebells and my boyfriend occurred to search out the barbell in his grandma’s basement. It was type of a take a look at to myself as a health skilled and a health skilled to see what sort of exercises I might make for myself, after which what exercises I might create for different individuals which might be accessible and free.
For drag, the whole lot went on-line. It went from touring all around the world, after which the world shut down, and all my gigs had been canceled. I had no earnings. My earnings got here from the gymnasium and it got here from drag. I went from having the whole lot to having nothing.
I ACTUALLY HAD my first introduction to pull by means of my mother. My first reminiscence of drag is having one among her associates dressed as Ursula come to my home. I used to be obsessive about The Little Mermaid. And I clearly thought that was like, the actual Ursula. However trying again on that, I am like, ‘That is fairly rad that my mother, like, not solely had queer associates, however associates sufficient that they’d get in drag on a random day for her child,’ you understand? I believed that was actually cool. So I have been concerned in drag and identified about it for some time, however by no means actually received began in doing drag myself till I used to be in faculty.
I used to be in a fraternity. And with our fraternity, we had the accountability of throwing a celebration for the brothers. And me and my two associates received wearing drag solely as soon as a semester for that celebration. So I began dabbling in drag as an grownup with them, however by no means actually leaned into it.
After which as soon as I moved to Miami, I type of received my entire world rocked after I met an enormous group of drag queens that weren’t your stereotypical drag queen. Like, they had been furry. They had been bearded. And as somebody who was extra on the muscular facet, that is after I was like, ‘Okay, these furry, bearded individuals can actually push the envelope and do drag. What’s actually stopping me from doing drag?’ And that is what actually pushed me.
Plus, I by no means actually had a big, queer group that I used to be surrounded by. I at all times had my two or three associates. However this was a big, queer scene. So that’s actually what pushed me to even simply begin going to those events. Then by means of the events, I used to be invited to start out performing. Then it went from performing as soon as a month to performing in that celebration as soon as a month, but in addition having a weekly Bingo Night time at one of many native bars. After which issues have simply type of snowballed into the place they’re proper now.
I AM KNOWN as like, ‘The Bodybuilder Barbie.’ There are plenty of muscle queens, however nobody who truly competes like that. I have never seen anybody however myself truly step on stage and compete within the physique competitors, and who can be doing drag on the stage that I am doing it. And even like taking it a step additional, plenty of the muscle queens aren’t essentially exhibiting their our bodies of their drag. That is one thing that I am at all times type of pushing for, like, I am gonna have my arms out. I am gonna have my abs out. You are gonna see this physique that I labored for, and it will likely be in my drag.
Additionally muscle tissue do not have to be equated to masculinity. Particularly within the health house, and particularly throughout the physique bodybuilding house, there are such a lot of ladies which might be simply shredded and muscular and jacked, nevertheless it does not make them any much less feminine or any much less female. So it is like pushing the envelope in each instructions.
INSTEAD OF THINKING of digital drag as an issue, I used it as one thing inventive to push myself or one thing to push myself creatively. So as an alternative of like a few of these performances which might be actually restricted to the stage, I used to be in a position to take a few of the concepts that I’ve had that could not be achieved on the stage and make them right into a video for a digital drag present. With the flexibility of a inexperienced display and correct enhancing, you’ll be able to actually put your self in any fantasy scenario that you just’d need. So I actually used this final yr to reevaluate who I’m and why I do drag anyway, as a result of you may get simply caught up within the bookings and surviving, particularly as a result of that was my earnings. And now I am in a special place the place it is I type of discovered and rediscovered why I do drag within the first place, to the place I can put cash and power into creating, and preserve pushing that character, and continue to grow Miss Toto with out sacrificing my creativity and my artwork.
SO NOW THINGS are beginning to open once more. I am vaccinated and the world is getting vaccinated or a minimum of in the US. I can do extra touring gigs again like I used to, planning prides, which goes to be a really good summer time. And now I’ve plans to go to Germany as effectively within the fall. So it looks as if issues are going again to the best way that it was so far as drag however I am re-entering it with a special perspective. Against it being all about getting cash that I will pay my lease, that is an expertise that not many different individuals can have, which I am fortunate sufficient to have the ability to have.
Who am I going to fulfill? And the way can I let my drag have an effect on individuals? As a result of I’ve observed, like, prior to now yr, particularly, black queers with the Black Lives Matter motion and the whole lot that occurred final summer time, like I type of discovered my voice in that and was connecting with so many different queer people and black queers particularly, about similar to how loud and genuine I have been, by which I did not ever consider it that method till they advised me. They had been like, ‘I actually admire how genuine you’re. I admire how loud and brash and unafraid to simply say what’s in your thoughts.’ And I do not assume I might have been ready to try this as Rock. However in some way and for some motive, individuals are inclined to take heed to me a little bit extra as Miss Toto because the determine, because the drag queen, versus Rock out of drag.
I WANT READERS to know that you are able to do no matter you need. You wish to be a bodybuilder? Be a bodybuilder. You wish to be a drag queen? Be a drag queen. You wish to be a bodybuilding drag queen? Do it. The one particular person limiting you and what you wish to do is your self. In order that’s at all times what I attempt to like put ahead. You may actually do no matter you need, so long as you push your self to do it. The one particular person stopping you is you.
