How beauty standards for LGBTQ people impact body image, mental health

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Aron DoSouto has been doing drag in Saskatchewan for more than 25 years. Now, he’s increasingly finding it difficult to book venues.

“They want a slender Barbie doll who will look good in a pair of underwear and a bra,” said DoSouto, who performs under the drag name Iona Whipp.

As a gender fluid person, DoSouto does not find himself aligning with the well-entrenched body ideals for gay men, which he described as “chiseled, built and butch or bone-thin skinny twink.” 

Aron DoSouto says