Bimini sparks debate over use of word 'Fishy' in drag culture
Drag Race UK icon and advocate Bimini has ignited a fresh wave of discourse within the queer and drag communities after publicly criticising the use of the term “fishy” in drag culture, calling it misogynistic and outdated.
In a video posted to Instagram, Bimini captioned their post with the provocative line: “Only ugly people still say fishy”, sparking both support and backlash. The term “fishy” has long been used in drag circles to describe a queen who looks convincingly like a cisgender woman — a compliment rooted in the idea of “realness”. However, Bimini argues that the word’s origins are steeped in harmful stereotypes about women’s bodies, particularly the notion that female genitalia smell like fish.
“I’ve seen a lot of responses to my video I’ve seen a lot of responses to my video about the word fishy, so let me just say this,” Bimini wrote in a follow up post on Instagram. “I know the term is rooted in ballroom culture, and I have huge respect for that history. Ballroom gave us so much of the language, attitude, and artistry that drag and queer culture more broadly thrives on today. We owe that lineage so much.
“That said, language evolves. For me, personally, I don’t agree with using fishy now. The word was born out of a stereotype that women ‘look and smell like fish,’ and when we use it to compliment queens for ‘looking like a real woman,’ it plays into something reductive and harmful. It narrows femininity down to biology and scent when in reality, femininity (and drag!) is expansive, limitless, and not about passing or ticking boxes.
“This isn’t me erasing ballroom history. It’s me saying we can honour where a word came from and also acknowledge when it no longer serves us. Queer culture has always thrived on reinvention. We’ve always taken language, played with it, and pushed it forward. So let’s do that again.
“For me, calling yourself fishy now isn’t empowering. It’s reinforcing a stereotype. And I’d rather celebrate drag and femininity with words that lift us up without leaning on old, tired ideas about women’s bodies. You don’t have to agree with me, but this is where I stand. Drag should always be about pushing forward, not shrinking back into boxes.”
Queens like Victoria Scone, the first AFAB (assigned female at birth) contestant on Canada’s Drag Race: VS The World, have also previously criticised the term for its misogynistic undertones.
