Shiny scarlet snakeskin thigh-length boots with heels so high they rival the Eiffel Tower … sashaying across the stage … hot stuff … two and a half feet of tubular sex. … But the moment the fragile heel snaps, artist and audience stumble back down to earth, the bubble burst, and rudely reminded this is just a man in women's shoes!

The above vignette captures the theme at the heart of the film Kinky Boots (2005), a British comedy drama that was my first immersion in the world of drag queens and one that inspires my reflections for this epilogue. Indeed, despite being described as ‘breezy, forgettable fluff’ by one critic (Johnston, 2005), Kinky Boots has become a highly successful global phenomenon since it was made into a stage musical with an award-winning score by Cindi Lauper. Debuting at the Adolfo Theatre, Chicago in 2012, the dazzling musical has gone on to capture hearts around the world, completing several US and UK tours, as well as performing in many other international venues, including Korea, Japan, Finland and Australia. ‘Filled with glitter and glam and a whole lot of sole, Kinky Boots is a reminder to celebrate your life triumphantly’, according to its website,1 and the 63 performances scheduled for 2024 in the US testify to its enduring appeal. But this is not the marketing story I want to elaborate on right now, so let's return to the original film that spawned such success, and the intended subject of my present commentary.

Loosely based on a true tale of marketing acumen, the film's narrative revolves around the intersection of drag and marketplace culture. It is a heartwarming story of inclusion and gaining acceptance. Much of the film's comic effect comes from the juxtaposition of two contrasting central characters, Charlie Price (played by Australian actor and film-maker, Joel Edgerton), a shy, deferential English businessman, and Lola (played by multiaward-winning British actor, Chiwitel Ejiofor), a feisty, fabulous drag queen. The plot focuses on their unlikely relationship as they work together to save Charlie's business enterprise.

Kinky Boots is a marketing story par excellence. Charlie inherits the ailing family business, a shoe factory in Northampton, on the death of his father.