Josie Ferrandino hosts an Oscars watch party for friends as they place their bets on the category winners on March 10, 2024 in East Lansing, MI. “Representation is a huge thing for me,” Ferrandino said. “Being seen in media of some sort, and also being properly seen and not being misrepresented or insulted through it.”
Photograph by Keelan Bromberg
A HOUS FOR EVERYONE
As a child, Josie Ferrandino drew her own storybooks, played out stories with her toys, and created videos on a camcorder. Today, she continues to fulfill her inner storyteller through her digital storytelling major and the art of drag.
Her history in performance, and the joy it brought her throughout her childhood, has led Ferrandino to who she is today. As a student, she hopes to impact the world of performance by increasing and correcting diverse representations in media.
“Representation is a huge thing for me,” Ferrandino said. “Being seen in media of some sort, and also being properly seen and not being misrepresented or insulted through it.”
Expanding representation has also been one of Ferrandino’s main goals in her drag performances. As a transgender woman, she said she hopes her own involvement in the culture can open the doors for others who have felt excluded from the mainstream definition of drag.
Her history in performance, and the joy it brought her throughout her childhood, has led Ferrandino to who she is today. As a student, she hopes to impact the world of performance by increasing and correcting diverse representations in media.
“Representation is a huge thing for me,” Ferrandino said. “Being seen in media of some sort, and also being properly seen and not being misrepresented or insulted through it.”
Expanding representation has also been one of Ferrandino’s main goals in her drag performances. As a transgender woman, she said she hopes her own involvement in the culture can open the doors for others who have felt excluded from the mainstream definition of drag.
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Vivian Barrett
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Ferrandino said drag culture has been narrowed in the public view due to popular representations like RuPaul’s Drag Race, in which drag is primarily portrayed as something for cisgender, gay men. This lens makes entering drag seem impossible for many transgender, feminine, or nonbinary individuals, she said.
“Anyone can do drag,” Ferrandino said. “Anyone of any height, any size, any ability, any identity, any nationality of course, like anything. Anyone can do drag and can do it in their own way in a way that makes them feel amazing, makes them feel seen, makes them feel beautiful.”
She said her involvement in HOUS at Michigan State University is one step in opening up the drag community to students and locals.
“Me and a few other of the newer people to house are kind of bringing that to the forefront,” Ferrandino said. “We aren't doing the traditional stuff.
“Anyone can do drag,” Ferrandino said. “Anyone of any height, any size, any ability, any identity, any nationality of course, like anything. Anyone can do drag and can do it in their own way in a way that makes them feel amazing, makes them feel seen, makes them feel beautiful.”
She said her involvement in HOUS at Michigan State University is one step in opening up the drag community to students and locals.
“Me and a few other of the newer people to house are kind of bringing that to the forefront,” Ferrandino said. “We aren't doing the traditional stuff.
Myron Ocansey and Jack Kraushaar, both members of the HOUS executive board, share a laugh while setting up for a general meeting on Feb 5, 2024 in East Lansing, MI. Photo by Keelan Bromberg
The goal of HOUS is to create an all-inclusive space on MSU's campus that celebrates queerness through performance art, with the larger goal of bringing drag and ballroom culture to the students of MSU.
HOUSE is one of eleven registered LGBTQ+ student organizations on MSU's campus. HOUS stands for: Honesty. Opulence. Uniqueness. Strength
Connect with HOUS @housmsu on IG
Hover over------ for more information about HOUS
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We're doing something that's a little more … avant garde, that's really showcasing to the wide array of people that do exist on this campus, that there is a place for them in drag and in performance.”
Local drag queen Lady Seduca helps student performer Sasha Scissors perfect her wig before her final ball performance on March 23, 2024. Photo by Vivian Barrett
Through her drag persona, Rosa Schlüpfer, Ferrandino is defying the popular image of what it means to do drag. Instead of large wigs, dramatic eye makeup, lip synching and death drops, Rosa’s 1920’s-inspired acts rely on an older style of performance.
“I had a lot of these influences of old styles of performing,” Ferrandino said. “Circus, burlesque, vaudeville, all these very unique different styles of performances that aren't done as much anymore in a wider context.”
Performing as Rosa is similar to acting on stage, Ferrandino said, which she has 15 years of experience doing. In the same way she would memorize the lines and mannerisms of a character, Ferrandino practices and executes a performance as Rosa.
“I had a lot of these influences of old styles of performing,” Ferrandino said. “Circus, burlesque, vaudeville, all these very unique different styles of performances that aren't done as much anymore in a wider context.”
Performing as Rosa is similar to acting on stage, Ferrandino said, which she has 15 years of experience doing. In the same way she would memorize the lines and mannerisms of a character, Ferrandino practices and executes a performance as Rosa.
Riley Clark uses glow-in-the-dark paint for the costume to create a glowing effect under UV light, a tactic Ferrandino utilized during the dramatic reveal in her performance. Photo by Keelan Bromberg
Josie Ferrandino puts the finishing touches on her drag persona, Rosa Schlüpfer, backstage at the HOUS Infinity Ball on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in Snyder Hall at Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI.
Photo by Vivian Barrett
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When I'm on stage, I just go into it,” Ferrandino said. “I act, I do my lines, I dance, everything, and I just forget everything until I'm offstage. It's a very freeing thing to just go out on stage, just completely forget that Josie exists and just enjoy existing free of any thoughts, ideas, anxieties, just you know, for 5, 10, 15 minutes and just exist as a non-entity almost.
As much as performing is personal to Ferrandino, she is also motivated by the possibility of encouraging others to join the space. She said she hopes her work from now to the future can help make drag, and performance as a whole, a more inclusive and diverse space.
“I do things for me, and I also do them so other people can feel just as good as I do when I do them for myself,” Ferrandino said.
Published April 8, 2024.
“I do things for me, and I also do them so other people can feel just as good as I do when I do them for myself,” Ferrandino said.
Published April 8, 2024.
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
Sharing stories of belonging, inspiration, and community.
SUB[CULTURE] is a multimedia project researched, pitched, produced, and distributed by the JRN 410: Advanced Photojournalism class at the Michigan State University (MSU) - School of Journalism. After narrowing their story topic to subcultures, our visual journalists decided to take a closer look at what makes Michigan State University a special place of belonging for the 50,000+ students enrolled and the communities that support our fellow Spartans. This semester, the subculture we explored was our LGBTQ+ student community. Explore more of their stories by clicking the links below.
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The Spartan Discords
Acapella group, Spartan Dischords, provides safe haven and inclusive community for MSU students of all backgrounds including, LGBTQ student, Michael Soverinsky.
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Eclectic Abduction
Tristian Laney expresses his identity as an artist, a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a Spartan through fashion design.
