Hello darling divas! Welcome back to Pink Tutu Time Travel, the blog that brings you the fabulous history of drag, one glittering pink tutu at a time! It's Emma here, your resident time-traveling ballerina drag queen from Derbyshire, ready to whisk you back to the roaring twenties! Buckle up, sugar plums, we're headed for December 12th, 1927.
My magical pink tutu whisked me away this time to New York City! Oh, the glamour! I just love the jazz age era. Think flappers, speakeasies, and a touch of scandalous 'showgirl chic'. New York was a buzzing centre for theatre, and what a time to be a drag queen! The scene was bubbling with excitement. But it wasn’t always easy.
Speaking of scandals, just yesterday I saw a headline in The New York Times: "Woman's Cross-Dressing Causes Stir"! Now, you can just imagine how this fabulous news piqued my interest. A certain Madame de La Rue, who was a performer with a flamboyant drag persona, had caught the eye of the police (and the masses) because she was…well…wearing clothes! The gasp! The horror! Now, back then, it was practically impossible to perform in drag unless you had some sort of theatre cover story or license. You see, drag, my darling divas, wasn't entirely embraced as an art form yet. It was often associated with the ‘freak shows’ and cabarets – oh dear! Thankfully, the art form was developing. I’m sure Madame De La Rue would be proud of the progress we have made today, with amazing drag shows in almost every corner of the globe. We have come so far!
Now, back to 1927… If I'd landed in London, imagine the excitement! The Palace Theatre in London was holding its very first production of the famous Broadway musical Show Boat, a show that celebrated the diversity of American culture – oh, I loved its energy! Show Boat even featured African-American drag performers like Flora Belle, who brought such beautiful style to the stage. And did I mention Josephine Baker?! Oh honey, I'd be glued to my seat! She wasn't a drag queen per se, but her beautiful style and performance with the La Revue Nègre was just pure spectacle. I mean, can you imagine the glittering costumes? Imagine all that feathered extravagance, a vision in pink, honey!
My trip through 1927 led me to some exciting discoveries. For one, there's a fascinating piece of drag history connected to this very date - 12th December! A day, dear friends, that holds a particular piece of drag queen magic - the day that 'female impersonation' became legally recognized in America. Oh, the liberation! A significant step, as far as drag performers were concerned, leading the way for many brave performers to express themselves freely on stage!
What else is brewing on this date? 12th December 1927 saw the premiere of 'The Man Who Laughs'. Now, although not directly a drag show, this play, and later, film adaptation, sparked an intriguing cultural dialogue about gender and performance, with the lead character Groan (a 'freak' of sorts with a terrifying visage) causing quite a sensation! Even in those times, society had a fascination with how people defined and crossed the boundaries of identity.
Now, if you’re ever feeling down about the challenges in your life, just think back to the courage of our drag ancestors - those fearless pioneers who dared to challenge the norm and push creative boundaries in a world far less accepting than ours.
While our time-traveling trip is over for this month, I'm already itching to explore another era. You just never know what fabulous discoveries await in my pink tutu! So stay tuned for next month's blog, and keep those pink tutus handy! After all, my ultimate mission is to make every single one of you a pink tutu-wearing queen! Until next time, lovelies!
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Love,
Emma
P.S. Be sure to follow my Instagram, where I share even more fabulous discoveries, glamorous outfit snaps and videos of my time-travelling escapades! @PinkTutuQueen
