More Than A Student: Mikey Bullock

Mikey Bullock has been a theatre major here at Texas State for the past 3 years, but his love for production and makeup started at a very young age.

“The first time I really remember enjoying makeup was when I started theatre at the age of 8,” Mikey said. “it was stage makeup and prosthetics, but it was something. From that moment on, any chance I would get to practice my stage makeup, I would.”

What started out as a hobby soon became a huge part of Mikey’s life, and his love for makeup only grew once he was introduced to a show called RuPaul’s Drag Race. Mikey was captivated by the world of drag queens that he saw on television and decided he wanted to try it out for himself.

“I knew when I saw those queens that I wanted to learn how to do that,” Mikey said. 

Utilizing his theatrical makeup background, Mikey began to practice drag makeup during high school to emulate what he saw his favorite drag queens do every week on the show and learned what styles worked for him.

“The first time I really took a crack at drag-style makeup was my junior year of high school and boy I was a mess! But as I kept practicing, I improved my technique and finally came up with a look that I could use as a little template of sorts.”

It took time for Mikey to master the art of drag. The detailed makeup looks required different techniques and skills that he hadn’t explored in his theatre, but that made it even more exciting for him.

“In theater you just exaggerate your features, whereas in drag you have to make completely new features and then exaggerate those,” Mikey said. “In all honesty I don’t think I really mastered the technique until a few months ago.”

Performing and putting on makeup when you identify as a man is still considered taboo in most cultures, and Mikey struggled with how to navigate this new world. Although the stars on RuPaul’s drag race are fearlessly displaying their true selves on camera, it’s not as easy in real life.

“Drag in recent months has really helped [me] find more of who I am and how I identify on the gender spectrum,” Mikey said.

Mikey now encourages others to begin exploring themselves through makeup and claims the art form is beneficial no matter who you are.

“The main thing I would tell ‘baby queens’ or someone who wants to try drag, is to experiment,” Mikey said. “Drag is completely subjective and it's an art form, and like art, everyone has a different style, and you don’t have to fit into one box. It can really open up so many doors mentally for you.”

Mikey’s drag look and star-studded performances are what make him #MoreThanAStudent. What makes you stand out? Share your story with us on our social media platforms and tag us at @lbjsc so we can repost! Don’t forget to view our hashtag to see the unique talents of other students!