I heard some kids (ranging from 3½ to 12) tossing out some accusations and denials about being a “drama queen.” Then, I started wondering when did the phrase come about. I did some Googling and found some references that implied it might have started as a gay term. Anyone with a first cite?
I had hoped somebody better informed would have come along by now.
FWIW, the phrase does seem to have originated in gay slang. I don’t know of a first cite, but it seems to have first been recorded in the 1990s.
Try bumping this on Monday.
The weekends are slow.
“Implied”? There’s some doubt about it? The “____ queen” construction has been around for decades.
That was pretty much my first thought, too, Otto. I thought it was commonly known that it originated as a term for a gay person who was very, well, dramatic.
Bump, baby!
The term “drama queen” was not uncommon in the 1970’s as a reference to a female actress who played in a dramatic series, quite often a soap opera. While the Historical Dictionary of American Slang cites it only from 1990 in the sense that we know it today, it certainly evolved from the 1970’s use I just described.
While it’s tempting to think that it started as a phrase used in the gay community, there is no written evidence.