Hello my darling dears! Emma here, your favourite pink-tutu clad, time-travelling, drag historian extraordinaire! And let me tell you, May 5th, 1986 was a real corker! Honestly, my lovelies, this trip was just too fabulous for words!
I've always been a bit obsessed with the 80s - think neon colours, big hair, and of course, a tonne of sequins! So when my magical pink tutu whisked me back to this glorious decade, I was positively buzzing with excitement!
This time, I found myself landing smack-bang in the heart of New York City. Now, let me tell you, the energy was electric. The streets were alive with colour, the music was pumping, and everyone was so fabulous! But darling, there was a new kind of fabulous brewing in this city!
The first thing I noticed was how big drag was. Forget just being a little bit flamboyant, these queens were all out, unapologetically fabulous and unafraid to really express themselves! Think over-the-top costumes, outrageous make-up, and a whole lot of personality!
Now, while I absolutely adore a bit of glitter and feather boa myself, what really grabbed my attention was this new style of drag - you know, drag that had the audience roaring with laughter, telling stories and playing characters! Think "The Pillow Talk Show" with Julie Halston, and the hilarious Judy Tenuta, who, trust me darlings, would have made even your granny laugh! The scene was so fresh and energetic - truly revolutionary for drag!
Of course, my visit wouldn’t be complete without checking out a show, so I headed down to the iconic "Pyramid Club" - a real Mecca for the New York drag scene at the time. I had heard about it back in the 2020s, and this club definitely lived up to the hype! Think amazing performances, a fantastic crowd and enough glitter to choke a horse! I'm talking seriously glamorous, with queens like Lady Bunny, Sherry Vine and Mother (the "divine" herself) RuPaul bringing the house down with their hilarious drag-tastic shenanigans.
But my dear, it wasn't all just about the dazzling queens, the music was a serious game-changer too! Remember when "Like a Prayer" by Madonna was topping the charts? Let me tell you, it was a soundtrack to my soul! The music was just so powerful, so rebellious, so unafraid to experiment. This was music that made you move, made you feel, made you dance! I danced all night with my newly made drag friends (always a fab experience) - a bunch of absolute darlings who knew their stuff about drag history and fashion! They even told me about this iconic club called the “Saint” in New York, where these incredible women like Sylvia O’Neil and Peppermint had taken over, proving once again that there was something so unique about drag culture and performance back then.
My darling, I left the club absolutely giddy with excitement! The atmosphere, the performers, the music... it was truly inspiring and showed me how drag was really pushing the boundaries of entertainment. I know some of you love a good theatrical drag performance and this is where it all started! These queens weren't just entertaining, they were challenging, they were changing the way people viewed the world and they were paving the way for a new generation of drag artists!
So as my magical pink tutu zipped me back to the future (you wouldn't believe how long it took to find a decent pink tutu here, darlings - it was like the colour was in hiding!), I couldn't help but think about how important this night had been for drag history. The future was looking brighter than ever! And just look where drag has taken us now! We have Drag Race, the dazzling drag culture of RuPaul’s Drag Race, which takes us to the highest level of professional Drag. You bet your sweet buns I'm grateful for those pioneers!
I'll tell you what, if the world of drag had felt exciting back in the 2020s, this time-travelling business just makes it even more electric! Seeing the roots of what we know and love in drag today is the absolute best thing, and I’m telling you darlings, if you can’t time travel yourself, check out those historical drag archives on the internet, I promise it'll be an amazing ride. Until next time, I'll leave you with this... wear your pink tutus proudly, and always remember - the history of drag is an amazing story, full of fun, fabulousness and inspiration!
Emma x x x
www.pink-tutu.com
