Our annual gift guides return! Each one is thoughtfully curated by a neighbor near you. We asked drag mother, performer, and community organizer extraordinaire Gigi Monroe to choose gifts for the kings and queens in our lives - as a head nod to the drag community but also to the royalty within us. Her gift guide offers inspiration, practical tools for the trade, and a celebration of joyful gender expression. We're so here for it! Check out Gigi's picks for star quality - inside and out.
KP: What do you do by day and what do you by night?
GM: I make wigs by day and produce drag shows by night. Sometimes I sleep.
KP: What or who are you feeling most connected to lately?
GM: I'm feeling most connected to the darkness here. It is an awesome time to reflect on life, especially the last year. What 2019 has been like, where I want to go in 2020. I think it's a good time for all of us to turn inward, take stock of what;s going on, where we want to go, and rest up for the sunshine to come back.
KP: What are you most looking forward to in 2020?
GM: A new president, lol. Also, I feel like there's a lot of stuff bubbling up in Juneau, especially downtown, and I'm excited to see what all of this entrepreneurial creative rabble rousing is going to produce. I see a lot of it right now and it's exciting to be a part of a community in transition, in flux.
"'An illustrated guide to identity and expression.' What kings and queens do is show the world a new way to see gender. This is a really nice complement to the work that we do on stage - visually talk about what gender looks like, how to break it down, look at things differently, and challenge our assumptions." - Gigi Monroe
Seeing Gender: An Illustrated Guide to Identity and Expression, $27.50.
"Prince was a huge inspiration to me. As a gender performer, Prince was one of the originals out there, not just for his music but for what he did through his performance and fashion and how he interacted with the world. He really challenged and changed minds throughout the 70s. He's still an icon and what better way than to have him as an ornament." - Gigi Monroe
Prince Ornament, $10.
"For the kings in your life: the Permafrost beard balm in woodchip whiskey. It has a very appealing scent and it's essential to making sure your facial hair is where you want it to be, not flying away. We like a nice full beard but we don't like it to be too unruly." - Gigi Monroe
Permafrost Beard Balm, $16.
"For the queens: we love bling and jewelry. And we are so fortunate in this town to have amazing queer artists like Daaljini and Roz who hand create these patina copper earrings. They're bold and these really long angular pieces definitely make a statement - which is what being a queen is all about." - Gigi Monroe
Daaljini & Roz Long Angle Earrings, $45.
"Keeping things nice and fun and sexy. This is one of the best gifts to get anybody in the whole world. I get these for people every single year because it doesn't matter who you're into or what type of person you're into, everyone is into mountain men of Alaska. You can't deny it! It's a great gift especially for kings; a little inspiration / role models for their masculine creations." - Gigi Monroe
Mountain Men of Alaska Calendar, $22.
"This kit with all the different lenses, and most importantly the remote control - so you can be your own photographer. You can host your own fabulous photo shoot for your new promos for your shows as a king or queen or whatever you're doing. Marketing, social media, and photos are crucial as a king or queen. Whatever it takes - wide angle, fish eye lens, etc. You'll have the most sickening promo photos." - Gigi Monroe
The Automat Lomography Camera & Lens Pack, $179.
