With massive eyes drawn on her face, a brightly colored vinyl bodysuit and eclectic trinkets and toys glued to her wig, drag queen Rock M. Sakura epitomizes the intersection of Japanese pop culture and international queer culture.
As a contender on the 12th season of the American TV series “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Sakura made a splash in queer Japan-loving circles for her overtly manga and anime-inspired drag persona and makeup.
“I often say, ‘I was raised by TV.’ I grew up in the mostly Mexican neighborhood of San Jose, and didn’t have too much connection with Asian American culture,” says Sakura, 34, who is of Vietnamese and Filipino descent. “I was also a bit of a black sheep in my family because I am half-Vietnamese. I had a preconceived notion of what being Asian was, and the only connection I had back then was through media.”
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