‘Survival of the Thickest’s Inspirational Queer Prom Scene Is a Middle Finger to Homophobes: “F*ck That … We’re Gonna Celebrate You!”

Michelle Buteau’s Netflix series Survival of the Thickest is a celebration of diversity, from skin color to shapes and sizes, to gender and sexuality. Over the course of eight episodes, Buteau’s Mavis Beaumont goes on a journey to reinvent herself after her longtime boyfriend cheats on her and she loses out on a major gig. She embarks on a mission to establish herself as a celebrity stylist and expand her catalog beyond the popular drag queen bar where she regularly works. At times, Mavis is tempted by the glamor and profits of dressing an A-lister – even if she can be a handful – but eventually, she circles back to her roots.

This gives way to an exciting finale that revolves around an alternate prom to support a nonbinary character who feels excluded from their high school winter prom due to its “bullshit gender dress code.” 

While creating the series, Buteau was very aware of our current sociopolitical sphere, which sees women lacking access to reproductive healthcare and the LGBT+ community, especially transgender individuals and drag queens, facing endless attacks from discriminatory conservatives. However, she set on making the show an escapist comedy for viewers who are tired of our “crazy world.” 

Buteau told Decider in a phone interview, “I really wanted to, especially in this day and age, use my platform. There’s a lot of hate speech wrapped up in so-called entertainment. I don’t even want to get into the Supreme Court and the fact that everybody’s getting their rights taken away. It’s just like, ‘Man, do we live in a crazy world?’ So, if we’re gonna watch something, let’s get away from the news, and feel happy.”

And while the show is a sexy, fun romp, Buteau was also able to also use it to uplift diverse individuals and bring light to the issues they face – in a sexy and fun manner. 

In the second-to-last episode, Mavis meets Billy (Misha Osherovich), a nonbinary teenager, outside of the New York City gay club she regularly frequents. The high schooler has been denied entry to watch RuPaul’s Drag Race runner-up Peppermint (played by herself) at the bar due to being underage. Billy calls the rule unfair and argues that they traveled to the bar from New Jersey. Mavis, comparing the trek to a “long-distance relationship,” tells the bouncer that she’s staying sober for the evening and will keep an eye on Billy. 

Apparently, Billy left a good impression on Peppermint and the barkeepers, because they return in the following episode with their big dilemma: prom. Peppermint asks Mavis to dress Billy for their prom in a manner that will leave them feeling confident despite the gendered dress code, but Mavis has a better idea. They’re going to throw a prom of their own and she’s going to offer her styling skills to all who request it. 

While breaking down the scene, Buteau tells us that she felt “pressure” to do the storyline justice, given the constant attacks against the drag queen community which sees conservatives posing them as a threat to children and families. She shared, “If this is the only time I’m going to have a chance to do eight episodes, this is important. This is a love letter to the oddy bodies and the fatty baddies, and the people who feel rejected and not seen, heard, loved, or beautiful. Fuck that. You are fucking beautiful… I don’t care how old you are. I don’t care how big or small. We’re gonna be out here.” And the production team did not hold back. “There’s glitter. There’s fake clouds. Let’s use a smoke machine… It was such a beautiful day on set. I think I cried all day,” Buteau recalled. 

The comedian stated that the entire crew dressed up in “weird prom stuff,” and even the straight male staffers donned skirts and wigs, and dresses, creating an inclusive environment. “Everybody just let their freak flag fly,” Buteau laughed. “That’s one thing I’m really proud about the show too. We see all this diversity on camera but, oh baby, we need to start posting pictures of our crew [online] because that’s one thing I really, really wanted: a diverse crew.” 

Buteau and her staff treated her queer actors just as well as they were treated in the show, making sure to “take care” of each and every one, even the “itty bitty newbie drag queens that had to come here and makeup ready.” She recalls fighting for the production to pay for their Ubers home, stating that nobody will be “accosted” on her watch. 

On-screen and behind the scenes, Buteau remains a class act, and ultimately, it was this joyfulness and consideration that led to the final scene being such a standout. In the last moments of the comedy’s finale, the queer prom is nothing short of a masterpiece – from its detailed set design, to the mindblowing, colorful outfits, to the high emotions flowing throughout the cast.

Survival of the Thickest is currently streaming on Netflix.