Alright, darlings! Emma here, your friendly neighbourhood, time-travelling, pink-tutu-wearing drag queen. You know me, a girly-girl at heart with a serious passion for the art of drag, and always a touch of that glitzy, pink-tinted glam about me. I can't help myself, honestly, pink just makes me feel happy and I love the way a tutu just floats about when you twirl, don't you? And now, my little darlings, we're about to embark on another time-travelling escapade!
Iâve travelled right back to the year 1989, January 1st to be exact! Weâre kicking off the new year with a proper blast from the past! As you know, this little pink-tutu clad drag queen always loves seeing the sights and sounds of drag throughout history. So put on your finest, brightest shade of lipstick and grab a glass of pink champagne because weâre about to have ourselves a right good old time!
Now, 1989 wasnât exactly known as a âpink tutu yearâ, but trust me darlings, when you have a little bit of glitter and magic in your heart, anything is possible! We'll see how my favourite time travel tutu works out for me, right?
Oh, and a quick heads up before we delve into all things drag history. This post marks the start of an exciting new year, a whole year filled with more adventures through the past, exploring fabulous fashion, and, of course, all the gossip and drama that makes up the amazing world of drag!
Oh, and don't forget, if you ever fancy sponsoring my travels or just want to show a fellow drag queen some love, pop over to my website to find out more about my fabulous performances. Every little bit helps, darling, and it allows me to do what I love the most: spreading the joy of drag through time!
I just knew I would find drag in this decade! As soon as I arrive I am met with such a dazzling explosion of creativity! It was quite a whirlwind arriving, to be honest. The streets felt like an epic runway, where fashion reigned supreme and everyone wore their heart on their sleeves, or, more appropriately, on their clothes.
My time travel took me to San Francisco, right into the heart of the San Francisco Pride Parade. The crowd was buzzing, the air was filled with the rhythmic throb of disco music, and you could practically feel the sense of liberation that came with it. The 1980s were about throwing out the rules, being loud and proud, and above all, celebrating ourselves and being unapologetically fabulous. And what better way to capture all of this than with a little bit of drag, wouldnât you say?
Walking through the parade I am captivated by these vibrant characters. They look like something straight out of a film, these icons are all colour and boldness. A mix of fierce, glamorous, and undeniably fun.
Let me tell you, the outfits alone were a dazzling display of style. Think sequined jumpsuits, brightly coloured body suits, bold makeup, giant afros, elaborate feather boas and eye-catching platform shoes. It felt like a giant celebration of all things outrageous and fabulous. Even a demure pink-tutu wearing ballerina queen like myself got lost in the kaleidoscope of colour! Itâs a wild spectacle and everything I have ever dreamed of for the celebration of self-expression, it makes me want to paint my nails every colour of the rainbow and break out a sparkly dance routine right there on the street.
Then I caught a glimpse of someone wearing a stunning pair of platform shoes that gave her the power to tower above everyone. A real icon of her time, she owned that stage and had a sense of fun I just had to see more of. I asked about the event and what a beautiful vision she was, âIâm Candy Darling! And that stage is called the Cockettes! Oh sweetie you really want to come to the show this evening. But I have to hurry. Weâre on a time-crunch, the parade is winding down. See you tonight, at the Cockettes!â I must confess to having quite the crush on Candy, I think my pink tutu twirled just a little bit too much as I listened to her chat, I couldn't believe my eyes and my heart! She left, the queen that she is.
The crowds started to dissipate but I stayed at the Cockettes waiting for Candy Darlingâs return. There were many other fascinating figures on that stage as I sat and observed the dayâs events at the Cockettes, though none of the performers captivated me like Candy.
I could see all of the drag queens and drag kings from a distance at the end of their show, as I sat down on a nearby park bench taking in the sight and the smells. These performers made my heart thump! They brought me such excitement, they even used the most shocking colours of eye shadow. I just had to meet them all! The excitement really kicked in after they started to walk off stage and towards me. Whatâs that they are shouting from across the way? Oh no. Are they calling my tutu the wrong colour. Iâve even brought along a few pairs of spares for when I get tired on this particular time travel adventure! They say I need a bit more pink for my 80s drag queen performance! You wouldn't want me looking any less bright, would you? But this does look like some seriously amazing pink eyeshadow to add to my kit. They call it, âpink madness!â A drag makeup guru, she claims.
And all the makeup and outfits reminded me that this was the time of acid house and rave culture, with bright neon shades, blacklights and all things extravagant! Oh what a day. But not time to sit here on my own for too long. We have a show to get to. I need to be there to see all of the amazing artists before this time travel extravaganza comes to an end.
I could see that Candy Darling wasnât going anywhere quickly and thought I could talk to them whilst waiting for a cab to take me to the Cockettes. I know, Iâm such a drag queen diva and really hoping Candy will sign me a few souvenirs to take back to the future for my blog post! I tried to follow them to get a better picture but, to my embarrassment, as a little Derbyshire drag queen I ended up walking behind them. It felt quite natural that, in that kind of energy, I just became part of a whole community of amazing people, they don't even seem to notice that I have a tutu. How embarrassing for a pink-tutu wearing, ballet drag queen! Whatâs more I thought to myself, maybe the local people do notice and, if so, are they surprised? This makes me feel very nervous indeed! This may not even be a safe time for the kind of performance art I do! However, I must press on with my time travel duties! It is, after all, just another part of the adventures I get up to in my fabulous, and completely safe and magical, pink tutu. It will definitely not go away when I have a bit of trouble on the way to a local cab.
When I arrived, the Cockettes had this mystical, almost otherworldly, air. I entered the bar, but they were still getting ready for the night, so the place was almost empty. I had time to chat with some of the amazing queens who were sitting, getting dressed, and having their dinner!
This was a totally unique place. It was so different to the drag scenes that I was familiar with. It had this amazing DIY, homemade aesthetic that gave it a truly bohemian and punk rock feel! They have big glitter balls hanging from the ceiling, black lights, and posters, a whole lot of posters and, more posters on every wall you could see! Thereâs not much in the way of an actual stage or stage lights.
The queens told me about a play they were putting on the following evening which featured an enormous, beautiful angel costume which they had designed and created together! This group is such a community! You can just see the genuine love and artistry they have for drag. As I listened and learnt more about these performers, I learned how they became drag superstars - one who had performed in a New York show was now an incredibly respected drag artist in the 80s - even she wore fabulous high platform shoes that brought out her 1980âs super glam persona. This one is such a superstar, I would even go so far to call her a megastar! You just can't escape how fabulous she looks! She has it all: talent, personality, and beauty and her outfits were an eclectic mix of high fashion, street wear, and theatrical influences that perfectly captured that wild and chaotic beauty that defines the 80âs! She spoke about drag queen icons such as Divine and Jackie Curtis! It seemed like these queens had their finger on the pulse of the times!
It turns out that the whole venue has an interesting story and history and that itâs actually a local San Francisco cultural phenomenon! I know, darling! This is even more surprising to me. In fact, The Cockettes had become this kind of legendary group of counterculture artists! And I just had to have my picture with them, to get to know their style and to bring their fabulousity home for all my fans on www.pink-tutu.com.
Then my friend Candy arrived in full drag. Her beauty just beamed right in! The real beauty is just about radiating happiness and living your life without reservation. And Candy Darling had a certain presence on the stage, even if they werenât quite in performance mode. That, darling, is the magic of true drag.
I just stood mesmerized by their personality. I found myself talking about ballet in all of itâs femininity and how drag queens are so full of that spirit, all that fabulous energy, all those fantastic costumes that float about and, dare I say, it reminded me that the two are inextricably linked. The magic, the beauty and the joy.
There is one show in the United Kingdom that made all of my dreams come true about being a dancer on stage in front of an audience and performing in front of millions. Oh you havenât guessed? Well I must tell you about it: âThe Absolutely Fabulous, Christmas Specialâ broadcast on the 18th December 1989, for the first time on BBC. They actually put in a big drag queen number - right in the middle! Just a little hint: "A Very Special Night". What a way to bring all my drag dreams and visions together and put them in the best-known British show on Television, darling, this really made my pink tutu twirl and my dreams come true, but then I found out a few days later on a visit to my friends that it has actually never been released. To this day no one knows how they filmed it and the reasons it was removed from any later distribution or airing.
It makes you wonder what other amazing drag events haven't reached us. Whatâs the most important lesson weâve all learnt today, darling, itâs all about accepting our individuality. But we also have to remember it is, also, about expressing ourselves and accepting all other expressions that celebrate the spirit of diversity. The more, we celebrate our own sense of uniqueness the better the world we all live in can become. So grab your glittery mascara, darling and go be fabulously you! Now you know.
Until next time, lovelies, have a wonderful month. Be safe and enjoy everything. Emma!
(www.pink-tutu.com)
