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The Diva Rules
Michelle Visage is not your average diva. Powerful, positive, and polished, this diva's not only glamorous, she's a savvy businesswoman with serious credentials who works her tail off. From her days vogueing in the downtown Manhattan clubs in the '90s to her successful career in radio and her ultimate cult status as a judge on RuPaul's Drag Race, Michelle has achieved her dreams and then some! In The Diva Rules, Visage shares her rules and advice for living life to the fullest and finding success no matter the hand you're dealt. With her no-nonsense style and super sassy voice, Michelle tells readers to "Keep Your Shit Together," "Give Good Face," and "Be Thankful You're a Misfit," in addition to 22 other invaluable life lessons on finding your power and sparkling your way to the top.
216 pages, Hardcover
First published October 5, 2015
145 people are currently reading
3936 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Visage
3 books261 followersMichelle Visage is a judge on the award-winning show RuPaul's Drag Race on VH1, which boasts over a million viewers every week. She also was a huge success on the 2015 Celebrity Big Brother UK, which averaged 3 million viewers nightly. When she's not on TV, she tours the country as part of RuPaul's Drag Race tour. Catch her also on RuPaul's What's the Tee? with Michelle Visage podcast with new shows every Wednesday. .
Subscribe to her site @ www.michellevisage.com & YouTube Channel!
Also on Twitter @michellevisage, Pinterest, Instagram @michellevisage, YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCRB..., & Facebook!
Subscribe to her site @ www.michellevisage.com & YouTube Channel!
Also on Twitter @michellevisage, Pinterest, Instagram @michellevisage, YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCRB..., & Facebook!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 301 reviews
January 3, 2016
As a huge fan of Michelle, RuPaul and Drag Race, this was exactly the book I was hoping for. I highly suggest listening to the audiobook if you're in the same boat. That's what I did and Michelle was serving the same fierceness in reading it that she does in her and Ru's podcast, What's the Tee. I can tell I'm gonna listen to this book more than once, cause I LIIIIIVED.
January 30, 2016
Michelle Visage certainly knows how to "... Sparkle Your Way to the Top"
Finding strength and humor from her own experiences, Michelle Visage's first book, The Diva Rules, will undoubtedly become some kind of bible on how to live up to your own potential. This humorous self-help book provides PEARLS of wisdom and a good dose of laughter -- and occasionally tears-- in every chapter.
Each chapter represents another piece of advice and there are 25 well thought out chapters with small "The T" summation for every one. BTW, lots of references to Drag Race and RuPaul if you're a superfan.
I had the privilege of reading an ARC and I went in thinking, "Man, this isn't my thing, hope it's good." The book delivered and I can honestly say I'm a better person because of it.
Michelle Visage your voice and confidence (and belly laughing stories) shines through in this your first attempt, which I'm declaring now will be some kind of anthem for a generation of misfits who have felt left out for far too long. Mark my words.
Kudos on a spirit-raising, life-changing, must-read, book for those in need of Diva guidance. Little did I know, I was one of them.
I believe the book is to be released November 3rd, 2015 worldwide.
Finding strength and humor from her own experiences, Michelle Visage's first book, The Diva Rules, will undoubtedly become some kind of bible on how to live up to your own potential. This humorous self-help book provides PEARLS of wisdom and a good dose of laughter -- and occasionally tears-- in every chapter.
Each chapter represents another piece of advice and there are 25 well thought out chapters with small "The T" summation for every one. BTW, lots of references to Drag Race and RuPaul if you're a superfan.
I had the privilege of reading an ARC and I went in thinking, "Man, this isn't my thing, hope it's good." The book delivered and I can honestly say I'm a better person because of it.
Michelle Visage your voice and confidence (and belly laughing stories) shines through in this your first attempt, which I'm declaring now will be some kind of anthem for a generation of misfits who have felt left out for far too long. Mark my words.
Kudos on a spirit-raising, life-changing, must-read, book for those in need of Diva guidance. Little did I know, I was one of them.
I believe the book is to be released November 3rd, 2015 worldwide.
August 16, 2016
I didn't know who Michelle was prior to this book, but now I feel like I need to binge watch RuPauls Drag Race to get more of her. This will definitely be a more-than-once kind of read/listen. I bought the audio version and listening to her narration made it for me. I think I would have liked reading the book myself.. but the audio version brought it full circle and helped me appreciate it more.
I loved it. Every word.
I love her now too.
If you're on the fence.. get the audio book and be prepared for lots of laughs. It's great.
Love.
Love.
Love.
Love.
No really. I loved it.
Can we add a 6th star for these kinds of moments?
I loved it. Every word.
I love her now too.
If you're on the fence.. get the audio book and be prepared for lots of laughs. It's great.
Love.
Love.
Love.
Love.
No really. I loved it.
Can we add a 6th star for these kinds of moments?
December 4, 2015
One part memoir, one part inspirational narrative, one part self-help book and delightful to read. I am a bit biased as a huge Drag Race and Michelle Visage fan but when she mentioned library science as one of the areas you can be a diva in, I was sold.
December 27, 2015
Michelle Visage is a powerful and influential role model that many people can look upon. She knows what it's look to go through hard times and what it takes to make it big. I found her story inspiring and one of a kind. She is the ultimate diva and I look forward to interviewing her for the magazine I write for. She's a beast and she's going to let you know how it's done!
January 5, 2016
Well consider me inspired. A bright and breezy read full of life lessons which can be applied to practically any and all areas of life. The book is dotted with Michelle's personal experiences which are both touching and hilarious. Thoroughly recommended!
November 9, 2023
I didn’t think it possible but I love Michelle Visage even more than I did before after listening to this book! She is just such a fierce and badass woman and I really admire her. She built herself an empire from the ground up while never compromising her beliefs and that is just so wicked cool in my eyes. I wish I had even half of the fierce diva energy that Michelle carries! I highly recommend this book if you’re a fan of Michelle or drag race and listen to it on audio if you can, hearing it read by the diva herself is a must.
January 8, 2016
Let me tell you, this book is packed to the brim with life advice that everyone can use and thrive from. If you want to gain the confidence to get you through life and make the most of your inner qualities, then this is the book for you.
Michelle lets us behind the curtain of her life growing up in New Jersey and her rise to stardom. But dreams don’t always go as planned and Michelle recounts when life didn’t go as expected and she was forced to pick herself up, several times.
While spilling the T on all of the ups and downs in her life and career, Michelle also reflects on her life decisions and dishes out thoughtful advice we can all learn from. And this is what makes the book so great. No matter your age, sex, race, sexuality or occupation, Michelle’s advice will help you in some way. I’ve certainly walked away from the book feeing ready to take on the world and strive to reach my dreams.
With mentions of Drag Race and her beloved friendship with RuPaul, this memoir will cater to die hard fans and expand on stories they’ve heard on Ru and Michelle’s podcast.
So, what are you waiting for? Change your life and let your inner diva out!
Michelle lets us behind the curtain of her life growing up in New Jersey and her rise to stardom. But dreams don’t always go as planned and Michelle recounts when life didn’t go as expected and she was forced to pick herself up, several times.
While spilling the T on all of the ups and downs in her life and career, Michelle also reflects on her life decisions and dishes out thoughtful advice we can all learn from. And this is what makes the book so great. No matter your age, sex, race, sexuality or occupation, Michelle’s advice will help you in some way. I’ve certainly walked away from the book feeing ready to take on the world and strive to reach my dreams.
With mentions of Drag Race and her beloved friendship with RuPaul, this memoir will cater to die hard fans and expand on stories they’ve heard on Ru and Michelle’s podcast.
So, what are you waiting for? Change your life and let your inner diva out!
April 20, 2020
Eerste zelfhulpboek wat ik ooit las, en nu durf ik nooit meer in een andere te beginnen omdat ik me niet voor kan stellen dat er een is die dit nog kan overtreffen. Heb het lezen van de laatste hoofdstukken heel lang voor me uitgeschoven omdat ik niet wilde dat het voorbij was.
Kortom: Het was echt goed.
Kortom: Het was echt goed.
July 20, 2025
The Diva Rules
I Picked Up This Book Because: Memoirs are my jam.
Media Type: Audiobook
Source: Audible via Amazon Prime Music
Dates Read: 7/12/25
Rating: 4 Stars
Narrator(s): Michelle Visage
The Story:
Part memoir, part advice column. Michelle’s interesting life has yielded a lot of lessons that she has complied to share with us. Her stories are entertaining and her lessons make me think about how they could be applied to my life. I liked it.
I Picked Up This Book Because: Memoirs are my jam.
Media Type: Audiobook
Source: Audible via Amazon Prime Music
Dates Read: 7/12/25
Rating: 4 Stars
Narrator(s): Michelle Visage
The Story:
Part memoir, part advice column. Michelle’s interesting life has yielded a lot of lessons that she has complied to share with us. Her stories are entertaining and her lessons make me think about how they could be applied to my life. I liked it.
January 27, 2025
Christmas 2024
I have been watching RuPaul's Drag Race since season 1, and I have been a fan of Michelle Visage since season 3. She always has good advice and good criticisms for the drag queens. There was a lot I didn't know about her background, and this book helped fill me in. I loved the writing style of the book. It was very conversational and easy to read. I have been following Michelle's TikToks and when I read this I could hear her voice in my head. The advice is a little basic, but sometimes you just need to hear it again. I give this book 5 stars on the basis of how much of a fan I am.
I have been watching RuPaul's Drag Race since season 1, and I have been a fan of Michelle Visage since season 3. She always has good advice and good criticisms for the drag queens. There was a lot I didn't know about her background, and this book helped fill me in. I loved the writing style of the book. It was very conversational and easy to read. I have been following Michelle's TikToks and when I read this I could hear her voice in my head. The advice is a little basic, but sometimes you just need to hear it again. I give this book 5 stars on the basis of how much of a fan I am.
January 8, 2016
Michelle Visage is the very epitome of a diva, having graced stage and screen as a singer, television host, radio DJ, and (of course) judge on RuPaul's Drag Race. Her professional association with RuPaul actually goes back to 1996, when she began co-hosting The RuPaul show for VH1, before going on to co-host a morning radio show with RuPaul for six years, and even singing on RuPaul’s Christmas album.
The Diva Rules collects the same kind of frank, sparkling wisdom Visage shares with Drag Race contestants every week. It is a smart, sassy, no-nonsense kind of book full of chapters like Be thankful you're a misfit (Rule 2), Keep your shit together (Rule 2), and Screw the penis club (Rule 17). A humorous sort of self-help guide, it mixes equal doses of wit and wisdom in laying out her 25 Diva Rules.
Visage writes in the first chapter that “All divas, no matter what size, sex, race, orientation, class, or fashion sense, are beautiful,” and that is what this book is about. It is not about costuming, creating a persona, or passing as someone or something else. It is about embracing who you are and recognizing that beauty isn’t skin deep, it is what’s beneath the skin. She doesn’t encourage us to fit in or be normal, but to reject just being average and be thankful for what makes us stand out from the crowd.
Rule 14 and Rule 22 are probably my favourite chapters, and the ones most likely to resonate with readers of Frock. In them, Visage writes about how playing with our appearance can allow us to express ourselves and ultimately change our own self-image . . . before cautioning us not to rely on our bodies, and to never accept our bodies as our only or most important asset. Breasts, she reminds us, do not make a woman (even if they do make a great fashion accessory), and some of the ugliest people she ever met were drop-dead gorgeous on the outside.
Perhaps the most satisfying aspect of The Diva Rules is that it is written for an audience that is very interested in reshaping how we appear to others, but entirely focussed on how refining what we think of ourselves.
Originally reviewed for Frock Magazine
The Diva Rules collects the same kind of frank, sparkling wisdom Visage shares with Drag Race contestants every week. It is a smart, sassy, no-nonsense kind of book full of chapters like Be thankful you're a misfit (Rule 2), Keep your shit together (Rule 2), and Screw the penis club (Rule 17). A humorous sort of self-help guide, it mixes equal doses of wit and wisdom in laying out her 25 Diva Rules.
Visage writes in the first chapter that “All divas, no matter what size, sex, race, orientation, class, or fashion sense, are beautiful,” and that is what this book is about. It is not about costuming, creating a persona, or passing as someone or something else. It is about embracing who you are and recognizing that beauty isn’t skin deep, it is what’s beneath the skin. She doesn’t encourage us to fit in or be normal, but to reject just being average and be thankful for what makes us stand out from the crowd.
Rule 14 and Rule 22 are probably my favourite chapters, and the ones most likely to resonate with readers of Frock. In them, Visage writes about how playing with our appearance can allow us to express ourselves and ultimately change our own self-image . . . before cautioning us not to rely on our bodies, and to never accept our bodies as our only or most important asset. Breasts, she reminds us, do not make a woman (even if they do make a great fashion accessory), and some of the ugliest people she ever met were drop-dead gorgeous on the outside.
Perhaps the most satisfying aspect of The Diva Rules is that it is written for an audience that is very interested in reshaping how we appear to others, but entirely focussed on how refining what we think of ourselves.
Originally reviewed for Frock Magazine
August 13, 2015
How to be a Diva in 25 short chapters!
Very light, skimming off the top stories of working her way up through the world. Good for any DIT, diva-in-training. You can learn gay vernacular like "here's the T", "she TURNT it OUT" and "Okayyyyyyy?"... you'll learn how to work a room, keep it real and most importantly learn to never trust a man in Dockers. Can I get an Amen?
Learn the herstory of Seduction, S.O.U.L.S.Y.S.T.E.M. and her obsession with Madonna. Lots of Madonna shade, with the photos to back up the evidence! 24 pages of photos to be exact!!
This book did make me laugh quite a bit. It was entertaining and heartfelt.
Very light, skimming off the top stories of working her way up through the world. Good for any DIT, diva-in-training. You can learn gay vernacular like "here's the T", "she TURNT it OUT" and "Okayyyyyyy?"... you'll learn how to work a room, keep it real and most importantly learn to never trust a man in Dockers. Can I get an Amen?
Learn the herstory of Seduction, S.O.U.L.S.Y.S.T.E.M. and her obsession with Madonna. Lots of Madonna shade, with the photos to back up the evidence! 24 pages of photos to be exact!!
This book did make me laugh quite a bit. It was entertaining and heartfelt.
November 22, 2015
If you're considering reading this book, I assume you have some interest in the career and musings of entertainer Michelle Visage. And if so, then you will enjoy. It's a very light, easy read (with great color photos too) but it delivers what it promises: life experiences and advice from the Diva herself. I especially enjoyed the positive messages: between her heartfelt and often irreverent tales, there are lovely and inspirational reminders on topics such as working hard, being yourself, and going big. Michelle is a very interesting and unique person, and this book reflects that!
November 27, 2020
Quite enjoyable.
February 26, 2019
Listened to it on Audible and Michelle is a fantastic narrator. I hope she decides to take some narrating gigs in the future!
January 25, 2016
Much much more interesting than I expected going into it. It's not just self-help, it's also biography, comedy, and fun. Love this woman.
Michelle outlines her own theory on the best way to go through life and pulls from her herstory to explain. It covers her incredibly diverse experience in the entertainment industry and get friendship with RuPaul. Also, some amazing photos of Michelle are included.
Michelle outlines her own theory on the best way to go through life and pulls from her herstory to explain. It covers her incredibly diverse experience in the entertainment industry and get friendship with RuPaul. Also, some amazing photos of Michelle are included.
November 27, 2015
Punchy as you like, pure undiluted Visage grabs you by the lapels and schools you. This was a quick read, I wish it could have been longer and she had shared even more of her fabulous moments. A must for any Drag Race fan.
March 22, 2016
Nothing short of brilliant. Reading Michelle's story from a low point to making her way to the Drag Race judging panel is such an inspiration. One of the best books I've read, Michelle is absolutely amazing and so full of love and determination.
March 11, 2022
I love Michelle as a judge on Drag Race, but not as a writer. Maybe if I listened to her, instead of reading her life story, the impact would have been greater, and the jokes might land (sadly, they didn't).
March 1, 2017
This was actually a really good book. Michelle seems a bit bossy, but after reading about her, I really like her alot and she has very good advice on life. I learned much from her. I see her now.
March 31, 2021
Not even gonna lie, I thoroughly enjoyed
July 8, 2017
Okay I love the fuck out of Michelle. As far as autobiographies go, this is one of the best I've read. She's hilarious, and tenacious as fuck. Her work ethic and her tits are unrivalled. werq
January 21, 2023
The Drag Race obsession is real. Also, now I know all of Michelle Visage's rules for being a diva so I'm probably maybe unstoppable.
Read
September 10, 2023Yes i am diva
Read
November 2, 2025Only took me like 1 million years to finish… very cute very sweet very of the times but overall divalicious 💋
September 12, 2020
fun. adore this woman.
February 5, 2024
Who knew I'd become such a Michelle stan. Overall heartfelt read and uplifting words. Love Mama Ru, Auntie Michelle, and the drag community.
July 25, 2024
3.5/5 !!!
November 16, 2015
Reading this book was a journey from start to end. I have always loved and admired Michelle Visage, so I had high expectations for her Diva Rules and she delivered. The style is in her usual manner funny, frank, and full of sincerity, positivity and well-meant tough love. Her self-deprecation is both funny and relatable, her seriousness - touching and emotional. Reading the parts where she discusses her struggled with anxiety and disordered eating is very very honest, very emotional, and very validating for many people who struggle. I came into reading this book with a love of Michelle, and finished it with an even deeper admiration, a sense of closure, and a feeling of having been somehow understood by her, despite having never have met.
It's a beautiful book, it's an important book - for young people, for people who are struggling, who aren't sure of their identity and their place. It's a light read, but it's also a meaningful one. It's not that kind of prose that most people would call "raw" because it isn't tragic, but with The Diva Rules Michelle shows us that positivity and conquering the daily challenges can also be raw, can also be beautiful, and touching in the best ways.
I would definitely recommend this book to everyone, regardless of wether or not they are familiar with Michelle's work in other spheres, just because to me it seems like a quintessential read that can offer something to everyone.
It's a beautiful book, it's an important book - for young people, for people who are struggling, who aren't sure of their identity and their place. It's a light read, but it's also a meaningful one. It's not that kind of prose that most people would call "raw" because it isn't tragic, but with The Diva Rules Michelle shows us that positivity and conquering the daily challenges can also be raw, can also be beautiful, and touching in the best ways.
I would definitely recommend this book to everyone, regardless of wether or not they are familiar with Michelle's work in other spheres, just because to me it seems like a quintessential read that can offer something to everyone.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 301 reviews