December 23rd 2023.
16-year-old Sam Carlin, better known as the drag persona Cherry West, has taken on a unique role this holiday season: the UK’s only drag Santa. Wearing a festive dress, six-inch red stilettos, and a fluffy white beard, Sam has been spreading the Christmas spirit this year in a truly special way. After a successful 2020 of plenty of bookings, hosting Edinburgh Pride, and starting an events company, Sam wanted to make sure that everyone had a merry ‘Dragmas.’
“This year I thought it would be fun when handing out my gifts to do it as Cherry, as my little cousins haven’t seen me in drag yet,” said Sam. “As I have a few gigs I’m performing over Christmas, I was giving my gifts out early to my little cousins and thought I’d do it in drag to see if they recognised me – which they didn’t! It was really funny!”
Sam first saw a drag show when he was 10 years old and began experimenting with glam makeup and wigs at 14. “I never really thought about it until I saw RuPaul’s Drag Race and loved it,” he said. “I thought, ‘That’s going to be me.’”
It takes Sam about an hour to get ready for his drag look, with padding and the outfit to do as well. “I think it looked good with the red shiny six-inch heels which took a bit of time getting used to walking in, never mind dancing in!”
Despite spending 2020 doing shows across the country, Sam has faced some backlash due to his age. Critics have even gone as far as contacting venues to try and get his performances cancelled. “Some venues have been very supportive and some have cancelled me due to any negative press they would receive, but overall most places are very open and are booking me regular still,” he said.
Sam’s parents, Sam Senior and Karen, have been incredibly supportive of his drag career from the moment he told them about it. “I think we both just laughed at first, but realised he was serious and from that moment on we supported him,” his dad commented. His dad even takes on the very important role of Cherry’s chauffeur and organiser. “She already thinks she’s a diva. I’m also very involved with organising, and pricing the gigs, and most importantly, I’m the Dad Taxi.”
Sam’s parents couldn’t be more proud of him. His dad said: “There will be times he’ll have to deal with nasty or rude people not accepting who he is but I know he can deal with it.”
Sam’s future ambitions include RuPaul’s Drag Race, and he’s already travelled to Newcastle, Manchester, Blackpool, and Edinburgh this year as Cherry. There may be a mix of reactions to Sam’s uniquely festive drag Santa look, but it’s clear that Sam is spreading the Christmas spirit and having a lot of fun doing it.
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