Hiya darlings! Emma here, your resident pink-tutu wearing time-traveler extraordinaire, ready to whisk you back to a time when everything was fabulously sparkly! Grab your feather boas, fluff your biggest wig, and join me on a journey back to August 2003!
My, oh my! It was an absolute dream! Now, you may think, Emma, what was so fabulous about 2003? But my dears, this was a year that was bubbling with an absolute explosion of talent in the drag world! Let me tell you, I felt like a giddy school girl at a Strictly Come Dancing finale ā full of excited giggles and squeals!
How did I travel back to 2003? You know me, darling! It was with my trusty pink, glitter-dusted time-traveling tutu! Just a little twirl and BAM! Back to August 2003, I went!
As soon as I popped back to reality, a whole slew of excitement hit me! My goodness, 2003 was an exciting time!
What were the highlights of drag in 2003, you ask? Oh darling, let me count the ways!
First up, it was the year RuPaul's Drag Race premiered! I know, I know, youāre all saying āEmma, darling, it's 2003, not 2009!ā But remember, dears, time-travel can get a little hazy, sometimes. I think it was this month in 2003 that my lovely time-traveling tutu landed me in the middle of that iconic moment! Honestly, my heart nearly burst out of my corset. I was even invited backstage! I ended up in a group photo with RuPaul ā bless her perfectly styled crown and wig! Such a kind woman ā she even gave me her autographed picture from the episode! It was literally the highlight of my time-traveling year!
Speaking of talent shows, another fabulously exciting moment was that the Miss Gay UK Pageant took place this month in 2003! Oh darling! Now you may think a simple beauty pageant would be dull, but my darling, the looks were unreal! Letās just say I took so many inspiration pictures on my trusty pink iPhone. Do you remember the ones we used to buy from Tesco? Before Apple stole all our glory?!
Drag in August 2003 was booming, honey!
You know what else? August 2003 was absolutely buzzing with amazing shows across the globe.
- Did you see Divine's "Pink Flamingos" premiere in 1972?!* Oh honey, if you weren't watching Drag in *72, Iād tell you, you missed the most gloriously trashy, scandalous and fabulously entertaining drag film. Divine, darling, that name was pure camp perfection. She owned that show ā completely owned it. Her drag was beyond fab and totally outrageous. Itās no wonder she's such a drag legend today! This month was a celebration of all things divine, my lovelies ā it even made it onto that John Waters' film. Ooh, those lips! Those curls! Divine! Divine, Divine!. I've seen a few pictures, and swoon, my darlings, it is such an experience. You'll have to watch it for yourselves. If you dare.
While my pink time-traveling tutu had to skip out on this amazing movie showing, I went straight for the main attraction of August 2003! I've told you, itās all about the shows for me! I went all the way to that big, beautiful city for that most wonderful show ā āThe Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert ā in 2003. It was literally EVERYTHING. Let's just say my mascara was completely running ā from laughter, and perhaps the tiniest drop or two of glitter and sequins. Those looks, darlings. That film was absolute camp brilliance and I just had to see it in the West End! It had all the glitz, the glamour and, of course, that fabulous story that everyone needed to experience in 2003. The whole theatre had an absolutely *iconic atmosphere - imagine, a whole auditorium filled with fabulous creatures* all with smiles and sass, all living our very best lives. That was "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in August 2003, my darlings.
Letās not forgetā¦ shopping!
In August 2003 I found a hidden gem! Remember, back then, darling, every town had to have a local fabric store - just for us dressmakers and drag queens - because darling, in those days everything was DIY. Well, darling, let me tell you. I spent an absolute fortune at Jantzenās. Now this wasnāt just any old fabrics store, darling - oh, no. It was a shop on every corner filled with beautiful satins, silk and all those luscious beaded trims to add that special touch. All the *must-have sequins to sparkle from morning till night!* Darling, I went crazy! There were hundreds of spools of pink fabric and, to add to my collection of gorgeous and perfectly crafted costumes, I got the absolute most stunning peacock feather trim!
Darling, let's talk trends for August 2003, shall we?
Make-up, Darling. Iāve never been one for going ānaturalā, oh no! * In 2003 *we were about the fabulous full-coverage look. All those shimmering bronzers, perfectly arched eyebrows, heavy black liner and donāt forget the lips! They were all the rage in 2003! Just think about *how Kylie Minogue looked! *You remember *that iconic āCan't Get You Out Of My Headā music video. It was EVERYTHING!! Now imagine that look ā except for drag! I literally lived in that kind of look! You *cannot go wrong with a little Kylie inspiration! It is what truly defines those times, darling!
Remember, the key is bright, bold colours. Itās not for the faint of heart, but who wants to be faint when you can be fabulous?
I had to see the most iconic makeup trends! There were those glamorous shimmery silver eyeliners, bold black eyelashes - those super-fake lashes with their thick and dramatic looks. There were also those little silver lip glosses and those absolutely dazzling pearl shades, too! They gave such a lush, luxurious feel. Honestly, I havenāt found those same shiny pearlescent lipsticks yet *on my time travels, darling! Imagine! Just the *ultimate sparkle!*
- *Hair, darling! * Think 2003. Thinkā¦
- * * * * Hair extensions galore! And think the iconic high bouffants! And, of course, those big, glamorous wigs which were such a stand-out style! A complete riot of amazing volume. Think everything super fluffy, super voluminous and totally fabulous!.
Letās talk about wigs, darlings! Oh my, the wigs were everything! In 2003 you had your classic choices - all perfectly blonde* or all *black, the high ponytails *that gave those amazing silhouettes or the iconic big bobs. All with perfectly styled flicks and swishes. Iād say any drag queen living in the UK would be guilty of wearing these wigs, darlings! If we were honest, *we all secretly adored them! I certainly loved me a super fluffy blonde* *bob! My god! They were simply perfection.
As a fashion queen, I canāt just talk about the super fab makeup and wigs! It's not fair! It is not right!
Darling, the most iconic look was vintage fashion! Now we all know how amazing vintage dresses look, and my dears, we were ob-sessed with it back in the *2000s! Imagine: the most slinky satin dress* or *vintage skirts paired with sequin tops. *A touch of glamour and dazzling bling. We also had a love for that iconic shiny fabric ā you know the one darling, it looks like plastic but it was just a dream to wear, oh my! It would usually come in an absolute ton of vibrant colors, and was just so much fun! The bright colours added that little something extra!
Darling, do you remember when I wrote *my last blog post? It was all about those beautiful baby pink, baby blue, hot pink* and lemon yellow tutus?! It is so *classic, * darling. Those bright colors are timeless and always fab! They've been the mainstay since the beginning of time or at least since the early 90s, darling, we must not exaggerate!
*Drag performances! Oh, how *I love drag! **
To give you a feel for the vibe of August 2003, I had to take a trip to my hometown! That's right! It is amazing how much has changed since I left! Iād been wandering around Derby and I decided to check out The* *New *Bar *which was very much an established drag venue at the time. Do you remember, darling, it was that famous place where I went with all my drag friends for a good laugh and to be enthralled by the amazing talent. I also made sure I checked out some more drag venues in Derby, you know, just to get the full drag vibe of the times. They were amazing. I took some notes in my secret time-traveling pink notebook. *My notes read: "I will create my first drag show in August. It will be *totally fabulous!*".
I was so excited that I just had to book some drag performances! You know me, I just have to keep up my drag repertoire, so my travels are financed, naturally!. It was so much fun! I went straight back to August 2003! I met some incredible artists!
*I have to say: this was such an amazing month for me! It has brought back so many wonderful memories. Don't forget to share your amazing drag memories in the comments below! I can't wait to hear all your experiences.*
*Check back next month for another adventure into Drag Queen History!*
With all my love, * *Emma xx
PS. I will be performing at The Pink Tutu show at *insert your local town here in September ā come and say hello!* Click on this link to buy tickets insert link.
PSS Did you see how my latest photoshoot turned out? I went for the full āDivineā drag look, it was fab. Click here: *pinktutu.com/photoshoots/2023. * I am wearing that stunning baby pink satin gown - youāve just got to see it, darlings!*
Disclaimer: The pink tutu Emma mentions was NOT a time traveling tutu!
Disclaimer: The show "Pink Flamingo" * did not open in August 2003!
*Disclaimer: Divine was a Drag Queen, but the *The Divine of "Pink Flamingos is NOT John Waters. This blog is for *fun only! Please donāt take it too seriously.
Disclaimer: ** I may have slightly misremembered August 2003.
As a matter of fact, some of the items I mentioned were not available until later years, like those perfect Kylie lipsticks. But, I think that's the fun of time-traveling, isn't it? It's all about living *in that era and letting your imagination run wild!. Have a lovely month!
See you all next time,
Emma xxx.
