Throwing Shade is Good for Your Health

Written by | The Lens

If you don’t speak your mind, negative vibes simmer in your brain until it slowly rots into oblivion.

Because… science.

And the foremost expert on slinging self-care sass? Dulce!

“I always make sure that I don’t leave a room wishing I had said something,” explains the latest eliminated queen from Canada’s Drag Race. “If you feel something, I think you should say it right there and then and that’s kind of the mindset that I had brought into the show. I wanted to make sure that I didn’t leave or I didn’t go back to the hotel room thinking, ‘Oh, I didn’t defend myself. I didn’t say exactly how I felt.’ So even at the end of the day, if I ruffled feathers or if I made people upset, at least I know for a fact that I said everything I wanted to say, and they know how I feel.”

Determination and discipline course through Dulce’s veins, due in large part to her military background. “It definitely made me into the person that I am. I joined when I was 16, so I was already working with people who had sons that were older than me. I already had to have a thick, clever skin, especially being so visibly queer and open. Not everyone is going to love that, especially in the military. And while still doing drag at the bases! So I would walk by and people would take photos and laugh and all these things. And I think that just made me a stronger person, gave me the ability to handle anything that comes my way.”

Dulce squared off with a truckload of tribulations in her final episode, which began with a tense tete-a-tete between herself and Velma Jones. “Me and Velma had had a conversation prior to the roast, and I specifically asked her I was like, ‘Is there anything that you don’t want me to mention, anything you don’t want me to bring up?’ And they said, no, that everything was good and I agreed to that as well. And then after they were upset with some of the things I said, and I can fully understand why, because at that point, the roast wasn’t about them. It was about their family. So I can understand why they got upset and me and her have spoken since then. We are both friends with each other. We’ve talked, we are more than good. I think it was just a miscommunication, and I think I definitely wouldn’t make those jokes now, knowing how they made her feel.”

After winning the mini challenge with her dragaoke skillz, Dulce’s momentum stalled in the talk show segment of the episode. “I think what happened was I misunderstood the challenge unfortunately. I thought it was supposed to be more of a serious daytime talk show. Like, you know nothing crazy, no too big characters. Looking back at it, I think that’s what they were looking for. And had I clicked into that, had I thought of that, I would have definitely been able to give that because I have in the show I have given that. So I think I interpreted it wrong. So then when we got on the main stage and they said I was in the bottom, I was so sad and so frustrated because I was like, no, but I followed the rules. Like I did what I was supposed to do. So that’s why I felt so defeated at that point, because I really did think I was in the top that week. So for it to come down crashing all at once was definitely hard to handle.”

Perspective is powerful, and Dulce took the opportunity to pivot her POV towards positivity. “Watching myself back and kind of seeing how much I actually took care of myself, I’m very proud that I was able to do that.”

The queen who tested Dulce’s resolve the most was the Season Six frontrunner, Van Goth. “Me and Van specifically, I wouldn’t say we’re friends, but I wouldn’t say we’re enemies. We still don’t really talk or really hang out like that. I think what I said on the show, you know, we’re never going to be best friends. I think that that’s still true, but I still respect them as a drag performer. I respect them as a person. And I believe that they have the same respect back to me. We might not be as close as I am with the other girls, but there’s no hate or animosity between us.”

On the other end of the sisterhood spectrum, Dulce shouts out her fab faves. “I’m rooting for Karamilk and Eboni,” she beams. “I’ve actually made a lot of sisters. I’d say almost everyone in the cast, most of them are all very, very close. We still talk, we FaceTime all the time, not even just about drag, but just about our personal lives. So I’m very lucky to have left the competition with people who I genuinely consider friends now.”

And the peeps who don’t get on board can get right out of her way. “Whether it would be a couple of hate comments or people being super shady or rude, I’m just kind of like, well, whatever, you’re far away from the screen. You’re not affecting my life. Why would I let that bother me?”

When asked for some final words of wisdom, Dulce weaves a web of warmth. “My only advice: I would want people to always make sure that they put happiness first. Oftentimes you might want to push yourself in the background or try to please your family or try to do something like that, but at the end of the day it’s your life so you should be the one going forward to make sure you are your own biggest fan. Make sure you put yourself first ‘cause no one else is going to. And make sure you fight for yourself if you want something and it doesn’t seem attainable or it’s not meant for someone like you, make it be meant for you. Find a way to get in there, pay your dues, and nothing’s really impossible.”

Outspoken, outstanding, out-and-capital-p PROUD. Yes, mama Dulce – we’re sweet on you!

Last modified: December 21, 2025

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