Turn It

Turn It is a phrase from Black and Latinx drag and ballroom culture meaning to perform with exceptional skill, presence, and flair. To 'turn it' is to command attention and execute a look, walk, or performance so completely that the crowd has to respond. Ballroom, an African-American and Latino LGBTQ+ subculture built around houses and competitive 'walking' in categories like runway, voguing, and face, produced much of this vocabulary. The phrase works as both description and directive, closely tied to 'slay,' 'serve,' and 'werk.' It has spread into wider queer vernacular and mainstream pop culture largely through drag television, though its roots stay in the ballroom scene.