Tamisha Iman may be a fiercely seasoned queen, but the legendary mother of the Iman Dynasty is perfectly fine being the second contestant to "sashay away" on RuPaul's Drag Race season 13. At 49 years old, and with an ostomy bag hidden under her iconic fashion moments, the Atlanta queen was just happy to make it to the coveted runway. She's "at peace" with Mama Ru's decision to instead keep Kandy Muse, who Tamisha previously fought with on Untucked.
From the start of the competition, many eyes were on Tamisha. She was originally set to appear on season 12, but was forced to decline the offer to undergo radiation for colon cancer. As the oldest queen in the cast, fans wondered if the performer of 30 years could hold her own against the younger generation. In many ways, Tamisha absolutely crushed it. Her handmade outfits looked stunning and sophisticated on the runway, and she shocked the judges with her comedy talents. Tamisha did all of this while wearing an ostomy bag, an unwanted but needed accessory after her cancer battle. However, Tamisha's physical limitations caught up to her in the recent disco dance challenge and she was the second queen to be eliminated.
Despite her short run on the show, Tamisha told EW that she's "at peace" with the result. She said, "People don't understand that I was there on adrenaline. Physically, should I have been there? Probably not. When you're presented when a life-and-death situation – because the cancer situation got to a point where it was so bad that I almost lost my life – and you get a moment in your life where your whole existence will be recognized, it's not about validation, but you don't want it to be in vain. You want the world to see what you put into this craft." Before leaving the stage, Tamisha told the remaining queens, "Every competition you don't have to win. Sometimes, you just have to show up." Although Tamisha could've had the hula hoop dance moves altered to accommodate the ostomy bag, she kept her struggle to herself to not seem weak. "If you bend down the wrong way, you can push stuff out," she explained. "So, I was always cautious about that. It wasn't the dancing ability. It was making sure I didn't have an accident or injure myself." Tamisha's exit can be seen on Instagram below:
There are no regrets when it comes to Tamisha's time on RuPaul's Drag Race, including her short-lived feud with Kandy Muse. The altercation started after Tamisha told the other girls she doesn't "care for" a few of them, and Kandy took offense. Though Kandy and her mother were attacked by viewers on social media, Tamisha stands by everything that went down. She said, "I'm glad it happened because that's real life when it comes to the drag world. There's a level of respect due to everybody. I'm glad it's shown that way because I've had several confrontations like that in the dressing room. It allows people to express themselves ... This is a very loving industry; it doesn't have to be a dog-eat-dog world. I hope it was an educational moment for her."
Though Tamisha has made amends with Kandy, she doesn't plan on following the 25-year-old on Instagram any time soon. The only season 13 queens to appear on Tamisha's feed are Denali, Kahmora, Olivia Lux, and Utica because she "personally connected" with them. No offense to the others.
Source: EW, Tamisha Iman/Instagram
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February 09, 2021 at 05:08AM
