Willow Pill took home the crown on Season 14 of RuPaul's Drag Race, and with it brought in a historic win. Willow is the first trans queen to take the crown during the regular season — the first trans queen to gain a spot in the "Drag Race Hall of Fame" was Kylie Sonique Love during the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Willow's win also represents another exciting win for the chronically ill and disabled communities, following in Yvie Oddly's footsteps from Season 11. Personally, she was my favorite queen from the moment she did her performance in the talent show episode, and so to see her take home such a historic win was emotional.
In true Willow fashion, when asked about what she's been up to since winning and if she made any fun purchases, Willow told The Hollywood Reporter the very honest truth about it.
"Honestly, I’ve had a pretty rough time. I’ve been so busy that I haven’t really had a moment to check in on my mental and physical health. I’m trying now this Pride month to take that power and refocus on my mental and physical health. I’ve honestly had no time to make any purchases, besides food at the airport. I’ve been doing a lot of these interviews, and some of them I’ve been like, “Oh, it’s great.” And it’s not great. But I feel like I have a little bit more control and have had some time to reflect. I’m ready to recharge and start having some more fun with this and take care of myself."
Yvie, Kylie, and Willow's wins represent welcome a change for the show. All of these queens — and many others — have expanded our perception of queerness and drag. Willow's honesty about who she is and her struggles have helped so many to see themselves represented on the popular reality series.
But Willow is aware of the gravity of her win and is very open about how she discovered herself through drag.
"I definitely would not have come to the conclusion that I was trans if it wasn’t for drag, that’s for sure. I don’t really think there’s any point where I realized anything. I think it’s all been such a slow practice. I think most people don’t wake up and have it all figured out one day, right? The slow burn, and just playing with drag and slowly, very slowly, over time, becoming more comfortable with myself in my face and my body. And my spirit. And surrounding myself with loads of queer and trans people."
Willow's win was more than just historic, it was also incredibly warranted. She was stellar throughout the entire season and easily had one of the best runs on Drag Race yet.
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 7 is currently airing.