Page 148 of The Black Flamingo

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now is a wig and makeup.

First, I do the easy part: I go into town

to the party shop and buy a pink wig.

It’s the classic pink bob: the pinkest pink

and iconic bob style. It’s a short bob

with bangs, like the one Natalie Portman

wears in the strip club in the movieCloser,

like the one Scarlett Johansson wears

in the karaoke scene inLost in Translation.

But I know when people see it on me,

they’ll automatically think Nicki Minaj.

Next, to Debenhams

department store, to the makeup section.

No one else in Drag Soc has my complexion;

Mzz B is several shades

darker than me. So I know I need to buy

my own foundation. I’m not sure what else.

There are so many brands to pick from

but behind one of the counters

I see a person with a beard and a full face

of makeup. I approach them, smiling.

Their name badge says: “Eden.”

I tell Eden about the show and how I want

to look. They give me a tutorial:

concealer, foundation, contouring,

highlighting, blusher, lip liner, lip color,

mascara, glue-on lashes, eye shadow,

and finally nail polish.

I notice two girls in school uniform watching.

They approach us.

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