Darlings! Welcome back to another magical jaunt through time with your favourite Derbyshire drag queen, Emma, in my Pink Tutu Time Travels! This month, we're pirouetting back to the 5th of May, 1941. Honestly, dearies, it was quite a whirlwind, but as always, let me tell you all about it!
Now, you all know I'm obsessed with pink and tutus. It's my life, my art, my whole vibe! But darling, you know what's even more delightful? Drag history, the history of the divine queens who came before us, blazing a trail in fabulousness, paving the way for us to sashay, shimmy, and vogue with our full, glorious selves!
So, picture this: my sparkly, iridescent pink tutu, all billowing in the wind, shimmering with every step (it does make travel a bit more difficult on cobblestones, let me tell you), taking me back to the heart of 1941. Oh, my dears, it was truly a time to behold!
London was... shall we say, vibrant? You wouldn't think so, darling, if you read about it in the history books. They talk about rationing, about wartime, but you know what, dearies? They didn't tell you about the spirit. The spirit of a city that never stops.
That's what struck me most: despite everything, there was an underlying hum of life, a joie de vivre, and believe it or not, a thriving scene of drag entertainment!
Of course, in 1941, drag wasn't quite what we know today, darling. But even then, you had these talented souls performing in music halls. Imagine it, darlings, a real theatre with plush seats, swirling curtains, and all sorts of fun on stage! Not some cheesy, flashing, disco-ball-filled karaoke bar like some of the very fine establishments in my Derbyshire neighbourhood.
These were real musicians, playing the piano or the accordion, and these fabulous queens doing their best to entertain audiences who had really needed a bit of escapism.
One of the best performers I saw was a glamorous fella named "Kiki" La Rue, working in this tiny, tucked away, smoky little place called the Pink Flamingo. Kiki was doing these fantastic sketches, these naughty, risqué bits of humour, all about wartime shenanigans! I can’t tell you all about them in detail, dearie, as we've to keep this blog nice and respectable! (My mum might be reading! 😂). But I tell you, there was definitely a pinch of double entendres!
The makeup, darling? Magnificent. They were really using whatever they could find to make a statement. This one divine queen was using red eyeshadow, all over the lids and under the eye too, like a gorgeous smoky eye! It looked simply breathtaking! Oh, and the hair! All piled high in glamourous waves. It wouldn't be out of place at a ball, or one of my drag performances, you know.
The outfits, darling? The costumes? Well, I think I might've fainted in envy. One queen, who just went by "Dandy", was in a simple black dress but oh darling, they'd added this spectacular collar made of feathers! And her heels were divine. Those shoes must've cost a fortune. It was like looking into a history book but one of the glamorous chapters, you know? It just took my breath away.
Now, what really impressed me was the way drag was weaving its magic into the heart of this tough, challenging period. These queens, they were giving people something they needed, you know, a diversion from the hardships they were going through.
Think about it, darlings, we all do this for love, for the art of it, for the joy it brings. But you know what, dearie? We all have our own unique ways of making it a statement. You've gotta hand it to these queens who really didn't have all the amazing makeup and glitter we have now!
Even with all these restrictions, these limitations on materials, these queens made such a sparkle. It showed me something I hadn't considered: even in the most unexpected circumstances, even with war going on, these queens found their way to shine.
The show wasn't just an escape for the audience. It was a moment of escape for the queens too. The queens were really channeling this raw emotion through these powerful performances, using drag as a voice. You know what, dearies? This inspired me even more. It made me want to time-travel even more.
Seeing these incredible performers using drag as an outlet in the middle of a difficult time, I realised something: Drag is resilient, darling, it can truly withstand anything, just like my precious, pink tutu! And who knows, maybe with this blog, with my story, I can give more queens their own time travel moment, their own journey of discovery!
So darling, after seeing Kiki and all the incredible performances, you can imagine my mood was already fabulous, but let's just say it got magnificently more fabulous in the glamorous shops of 1941 London.
I found myself, of course, wandering through a little boutique called "The Belle" (of course it had that ironic little bell over the door), and oh, dearie, was I smitten! Even though materials were rationed, the shopkeeper, she was making the most gorgeous gowns, all sorts of fabulous creations in velvet, silks, and even repurposed, luxurious military-issue fabric! Can you believe that, darling?
Honestly, she told me that she’d been a dressmaker before the war and hadn’t been able to stand just sitting at home, she needed to be creative, to make something beautiful even in the darkest of times, darling. You just can’t let a war keep you from glamour, can you?
She also told me something, darling, something that I still think about to this day: “A little sparkle can make all the difference in the world." And she wasn't just talking about outfits, she was talking about our attitude! You can see a spark, you can see the spirit in a smile, even when it's masked, you can feel it when a queen steps into the spotlight!
She gave me one of these beautiful dresses, darling, she really did. And it was a steal! I thought it would go with all of my tutus, honestly! I'd have to show it off back at the house when I get back!
This experience was something else, darlings, it recharged my pink-tutu-batteries for sure!
Oh, and the food, you ask? Well, it wasn't all Michelin stars, but it had its own special charm, a certain wartime charm. Remember rationing, dearie? No matter, you can still be inventive, still add a dash of glam to simple things. The ingenuity was incredible! We've got to learn from them. We've gotta do the same now! Every bit of sparkle counts!
So, to conclude our pink-tutu travels to May 5th, 1941: the resilience, the glamour, the spirit – all made such a deep impression on me! It reminded me that drag transcends time, dearie, that even when times are tough, we always find a way to twirl, to shine , to be our most fabulous selves! And it inspired me to take on my most important mission yet - to spread the gospel of pink tutus! It's my mission in life. To get everyone in a pink tutu, one show, one sequin, one pirouette at a time.
I have so many time travels in my magical pink tutu ahead of me, darlings, so many stories to tell! Until next month, keep twirling, keep shining, keep reminding yourself that even when life is full of obstacles, the best way forward is a beautiful, pink-tutu filled one!
Remember, darling, keep an eye on www.pink-tutu.com for new episodes of my blog, follow my drag adventures and make sure you support all of the beautiful queens around you - they deserve it. And as always, darlings, remember: the more we glitter, the better we all are!
