RuPaul looks unrecognizable in recently unearthed photos which reveal him with a full head of hair, which even some of his most devoted fans have never seen before.
RuPaul is synonymous with “drag icon,” whether we’re talking about fashion, music, hair, or the drag community. With 11 primetime Emmy Awards to his name, Ru has had an indelible impact and his empire just continues to skyrocket.
With RuPaul’s Drag Race growing in popularity, it’s no surprise that people want to know more about the queen behind it all.
The RuPaul’s Drag Race host has helped launch hundreds of drag careers to the next level but let’s take a glance at what he looked like before his career took off.
RuPaul is unrecognizable in unearthed photo with full head of hair

In the shoot, RuPaul Charles can be seen striking a pose for the camera as he is photographed in Photo Studio on October 27, 1979, in Atlanta, Georgia. RuPaul was still at the start of his career but was slowly overtaking the New York City drag underground scene.
It wasn’t until his 1992 song Supermodel (You Better Work) that Ru was launched onto the pop scene as his ballad hit No. 2 on the Dance Club Songs chart. Now, the celebrity star has released many studio albums with fan-favorite songs including Sissy That Walk, Read U Wrote U, Kitty Girl, and Catwalk.
What shocked fans most about the photo shoot is that RuPaul has a whole head of hair. Ru has been bald for decades so it is rather rare to see a picture of him with luscious locks. Many drag queens shave their heads instead of wearing bald caps as it is easier to apply wigs.
Ru has previously recounted how he used to win awards at school for “Best Afro” at Gompers Jr. High School as per Wayback Machine. Therefore, it is no surprise the 1979 photoshoot shows a sophisticated hair-do. However. fast-forward almost three decades later, Ru looks completely unrecognizable. Celebrating life at 62, clearly, the wigs are more important!
RuPaul’s BFF Michelle Visage shares throwback snap
Michelle Visage has also shared throwback photos with RuPaul, which have taken fans by surprise. Many were flabbergasted as they commented on how Ru hasn’t aged a day. Ru’s ageless beauty is obvious when comparing old and new snaps of the celebrity star.
However, fans also commented on how different Visage looked as she donned ginger shoulder-length hair. It appears Michelle has switched up her look multiple times, as she now sports long dark hair, but there was a point when she chopped it all off. During the Coronavirus pandemic, she started embracing her natural look and stopped using hair dye as she embraced her gray hair.
RuPaul and Michelle’s friendship goes way back and the pair became friends in the late 80s after meeting in a New York club. Michelle was part of the pop group S.O.U.L.S.Y.S.T.E.M and Seduction and the pair supported each other throughout their career.
Michelle even joined as a permanent member of the judging panel of RuPaul’s Drag Race in season three (2011) following a couple of guest appearances.
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