Darling, prepare yourselves! Your favourite time-travelling, tutu-clad bestie is back with a brand-new blast from the past! This month, we’re twirling through the time-tunnel, landing smack bang in the midst of October 2002. Ooh, la la! That means, squeal, a decade before RuPaul's Drag Race stormed onto the scene and made us all absolutely obsessed with drag!
Now, as you know, I’ve dedicated my life (and my impressive collection of pink tutus) to bringing the joy and the glamour of drag to everyone, everyWHERE. I’m talkin’ a drag queen revolution, petal, spreading across time, space and dimension! (Plus, with the help of my magical pink tutu, there isn't a single event I can't access. It's fabulous!)
This month's adventures will take us on a whistle-stop tour of drag, from the streets of New York to the stages of London. I can’t wait to spill the tea on what the world of drag looked like back then!
First things first: my trusty time-travelling tutu (which is this month, of course, the most divine shade of hot pink - with oodles of glitter, naturally) transported me straight into New York City! The air was crackling with electric energy, a tangible feeling of the world being ready to burst with fabulousness!
Queens of Colour & a Dance-Floor Revolution:
My, oh my, did you know the scene back then was bubbling with queens of colour? The nightlife was ablaze with vibrant energy as they were absolutely KILLING it on stage. A personal fave? Miss Kiki La Rue, a breathtaking, showstopping legend who made a name for herself on the legendary drag scene of Brooklyn! Remember her phenomenal high-energy performance style, darling? I’m sure you can just picture it, can’t you, shimmying to some absolute dancefloor bangers? Her stage presence? Phenomenal! Kiki’s legacy lives on - she continues to inspire many queens to this day, just as she inspired me in those fabulous years of 2002!
London’s Drag Divas:
I hopped on the next available flight (a tutu's gotta fly!), headed for London! Ooh darling, London’s drag scene was something else back in 2002. And you wouldn't BELIEVE the club nights! The "G-A-Y" in Soho, the hot spot back in those days, was just buzzing with fabulous queens every week. From camp cabaret performances at Theatro Tech to high-energy club nights at Heaven, London was home to a vibrant drag scene.
Can we take a minute to talk about the London "House" scene? Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous! You see, darling, the concept of the "House" became super popular back then, each group with its own unique flavour and vibe. Each house - like House of Xtravaganza and House of Chanel, was a true family affair, with members fiercely supporting one another, pushing the boundaries of performance, and crafting spectacular stage personas. Oh, the gowns! The glitter! The creativity! This is a drag family history I could talk about all day, darling!
Drag Fashion Through the Decades:
Speaking of fabulous outfits! Remember, this is 2002 - the early 2000s. Oh darling, where do we even begin? Picture it! Sequins! Glitter! Layers and layers of excessive fabric! Hair-spray! This was the era of drag looks that screamed "loud" and "bold!" Remember how big those hairstyles were? We’re talkin’ a symphony of hairspray! Hair that stood tall! There was something seriously avant-garde about drag fashion back then, really pushing those artistic boundaries - oh, it was magnificent!
Speaking of looks, don't forget the make-up! 2002 was all about heavy-duty contouring and those killer smoky eye looks. Dramatic! Glamorous! Striking! Just like the queens who brought it! It was a phenomenon. And of course, everyone looked amazing, showcasing serious confidence and that fabulous "anything-is-possible" energy that I find so inspiring, darling!
Pink Tut-u-tal!
While my travels across the globe were definitely sprinkled with some spectacular pink tutus, 2002 didn’t exactly embrace the power of the pink tutu in quite the same way we do today. (Which is frankly a tragedy, if you ask me.) This just proves what we all know: there’s a huge pink tutu revolution just waiting to happen! And don’t you worry, my precious darlings, because yours truly, with my time-travelling tutu, will do everything in my power to spread the good word and turn the world pink (with glitter)!
Don’t forget to check back here every month for a whole new time-travelling adventure, exploring all the amazing eras of drag! In the meantime, have fun dressing up, spreading joy, and making the world a little bit more sparkly. You know what to do, darling!
Lots of Love and Pink Tutus,
Emma xx
