Hiya lovelies! Emma here, ready to whisk you back in time! It's the 1st of August, darlings, and my pink tutu is positively vibrating with excitement to take us on another fabulous adventure in time travel! This month, we're skipping back to August 1954, and let me tell you, it's going to be a campy, glamorous, history-filled ride! Grab your sparkly feather boas, grab a slice of victoria sponge (with lashings of jam!), and let's go, my dears!
Now, I know what you're thinking. 1954, eh? All poodle skirts and sock hops? Well, hold your horses darlings, while those might be images of 50s America that come to mind, the drag world was simmering with something even more fabulous.
Before we even begin, I must tell you, I just couldn't resist a little pre-journey shopping spree! The fabulous House of Harlow 1960 in Derbyshire (they've been there forever, dear) had the most divine pink and silver sequin tutu - sparkly, it was a show stopper!. So needless to say, my travel ensemble this month is pretty damn fab.
Now, let's get to the meaty bits - the world of drag back in 1954! Let's travel over to the USA first - a veritable melting pot of drag divas! In New York, you'd find The Stonewall Inn already attracting all sorts of colourful characters! They weren’t just known for serving cocktails and being a hub of drag in the late 60s (where you'll be reading about that in future posts!), they were buzzing already in the 50s.
Imagine this: 1954 - the air is electric. You step into The Stonewall and...oh, darling, you are smothered in glitz. The lights are dim, the atmosphere is simmering, and you see the most stunning queens performing! They're doing campy comedy, lip syncing to the hottest tracks - all with that classic American sassy swagger! They're everything. The fabulous Crystal LaBeija, Julie Black, and Kiki's Queen, among so many others were already legendary, shaking it like it's 1999 in the back of a drag show - wait, they couldn’t do that in the 50s, but you get the picture.
And darling, the fashions - the headbands, the glamorous gowns! These weren't your grandmother's 50s attire! They were out there, bold and brilliant, and paved the way for the future of drag - including my own pink tutus! It was the beginning of " *the ball scene," * and let's be honest, nothing has ever been as camp, fabulous and fabulous and fierce as the ball scene.
Meanwhile, over in England, the London drag scene was hotting up, though in the shadows compared to the American Drag scene. They say some queens even performed in a few smoky back alleys - dare we even call them "Speakeasies?" The more we know, darling, the more we see! However, it wasn't just in London. Even in our home town of Derbyshire, rumour has it there was a little tumbling* happening in the underground clubs. I have been digging, you know I do! These are just little snippets of tea I've been able to uncover and that just adds more fabulousness to our pink tutu time travel history!
Think of it darling - the queens of the past are why we're standing tall and strong today. We wouldn’t have drag race on TV and all those gorgeous costumes in modern day drag performances if it wasn't for them!
Okay, it's getting late (that Victoria sponge and those drinks really do hit the spot), and it’s time for me to prepare for tomorrow night’s performance. I just know my pink sequin tutu is going to shine brightly on stage and show everyone just how fun and sparkly drag can be. Plus I’m giving a bit of “drag history” in between sets! The Pink Tutu needs to keep all you darlings informed and, I hope, inspiring to rock your own fabulous selves!
Don't forget, keep those tutus twirling and don't be afraid to express yourself!
Until next month darling,
Yours in pink,
Emma,
The Pink Tutu Time Traveller
www.pink-tutu.com
