Raven (drag queen)

Early life and career beginnings

Petruschin was born in Victorville, California, U.S. as the eldest of five children. Although being of Russian Jewish ancestry, his mother, who separated with his father when Petruschin was seven years old, raised him a Mormon. However, he has publicly expressed his disinterest in the faith. He originally started performing at the nightclub scene as a go-go boy named Phoenix. Petruschin also used to work as a cosmetics salesperson and as a freelance make-up artist. When starting to do drag in 2002, he questioned whether to go on with Phoenix or to adopt the name Raven. Finding the latter more unique and more androgynous, since he didn't want a female name which could be used to call him when he's also out of drag, he chose Raven. Both of these names were inspired by Petruschin's interest in winged creatures. He stated that he learned the art of drag all by himself and not with the help of a "drag mother", who usually acts as a mentor.

RuPaul's Drag Race

Raven already auditioned for the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2008 and his audition tape was first seen during the seventh episode of this season. He auditioned for the second season one year later and was announced as an official cast member. He won the season's first mini-challenge, a photo shoot, in the first episode. In the second and third episode he landed in the bottom two, having to lip sync twice for his life. He sent both, Nicole Paige Brooks and Mystique Summers Madison home. His next win came in the mini-challenge of the fourth episode, where Raven guessed the price of various objects, giving him a phone call home. In the Snatch Game episode of the show, he impersonated millionaire heiress Paris Hilton. He won another time in the next episode, in which the contestants had to decorate a box, showing their personal style. Raven also won the main challenges in the seventh and eighth episode, respectively. In the seventh episode, the queens had to create and promote their autobiographies. In episode eight, the contestants were tasked with making over older gentlemen as their "drag mothers". Raven and his drag mother, Golda LaMae, won the challenge. In the eleventh episode he ended up in the top two, finishing second behind Tyra Sanchez. Although having to lip sync twice in order to stay in the competition, his placement as the runner-up was met with much criticism, since Raven's progress and style have received the most praise from outside critics. Raven has criticized the way he was portrayed on Drag Race and felt the show's editors purposely edited the show's segments in order to portray him as a villain and to help justifying his final placement.

David Petruschin returned to Drag Race as RuPaul's make-up artist for Season 9.

RuPaul's Drag U

Raven was one of many Drag Race alumni who were invited to act as a drag professor in the spin-off series RuPaul's Drag U, which has screened three seasons. Raven serves as a "drag professor" and mentor to female contestants who are given make-overs. In the series, his persona is not portrayed in a villainous fashion, but instead as a softer and nurturing mentor. Raven has so far made a total of twelve appearances and has collected the most wins during the series' run, being dubbed the "Makeover Queen".

RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars

On 6 August 2012, it was announced that Raven was one of twelve past Drag Race contestants selected to join the cast of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars that premiered on the Logo network on 22 October 2012. Prior to the airing of the season finale, Raven (along with All Stars contestants Manila Luzon, Latrice Royale, and Tammie Brown) appeared in a television commercial for travel website Orbitz's new portal for LGBT leisure travel. He was paired with contestant and best friend Jujubee to form Team Rujubee. They won the mini-challenges in the second and fifth episode by correctly answering questions about each other in the style of The Newlywed Game and by scoring more points in a game of basketball, which won them a call to their loved ones. The duo managed to make it to the finals, which aired on 26 November 2012, where Raven again landed as a runner-up to winner Chad Michaels. This time even more controversies arose around his placement, with many accusing RuPaul of creating All Stars only in order to crown Chad Michaels, after he just lost in the finale of the fourth season. Many refer to Raven as the "Queen of Runner-Ups". He is also tied with Detox Icunt and Katya Zamolodchikova for having to lip sync the most during his two runs.

Other appearances

Featured in a commercial promoting the syndication run of the cable television series Nip/Tuck on the Logo network, Raven lip synced to the theme song "A Perfect Lie" as he caresses a syringe close to his lips. The commercial is based on one of his past drag performances. He also has made a guest appearance in an episode of Logo's reality series, Pretty Hurts, which documents the life and career of celebrity medical aesthetician Rand Rusher. Raven was also featured on an episode of America's Next Top Model, Cycle 8, in which he participated in a photo shoot with each of the show's contestants in male drag and paired with a drag queen. Raven made a cameo in the 2011 music video for "Diamond Crowned Queen" by RuPaul's Drag Race season three winner Raja. His cameo was praised by critics, who named him the "magnificent Raven". In 2012, along with other RuPaul's Drag Race contestants, he appeared in another music video, "Queen" by Mimi Imfurst's band Xelle. He also starred in the music video "Feed Me Diamonds" by MNDR.

In spring 2014, Raven and Raja started a weekly YouTube fashion critique show on World of Wonder's channel called "RuPaul's Drag Race Fashion Photo RuView", where they "toot" or "boot" fashion from mostly Drag Race alumni. Every episode gets viewed between 400.000 to one million times. He has appeared on multiple other WOW shows as well. Raven currently hosts several drag-related events at gay clubs throughout Southern California.

Style and impact on drag

Raven has constantly been credited as being the most influential make-up artist within the drag community. His own original contouring techniques include a dramatically pinched nose, the "exclamation point" on the tip of the nose and harsh lines as well as a clearly structured jawline. He's also well known for his full, overdrawn lips, in which he got collagen injected, and detailed eye make-up. Raven popularized the use of contact lenses, a false beauty mark and more natural colors, the latter being quite unusual for drag performers. Raven's contributions have shaped the presence of drag so severely that many seasoned drag queens, like RuPaul's Drag Race season six winner Bianca Del Rio feel like "[the younger queens] are all 'wearing' [Raven's] face". Raven can take up to three hours to do his make-up. He drew his inspiration for make-up from his mother by watching her do hers in the mirror. Other influences of him include Madonna, Courtney Love, Debbie Harry & Terri Nunn. Raven's clothing style has also been critically acclaimed, being described as "fashion-forward" and "polished". Short wigs have become one of his trade marks and although he prefers to wear darker pieces, he's also been praised for constantly being able to change his appearance.