Hello darlings! Emma here, back with another monthly instalment of my pink-tutu-infused time travel adventures! I’m bubbling with excitement about this one, because September 2004 was a big one for drag! I mean, who doesn’t love a good blast of the past to see what our fab ancestors were up to? (And honestly, if it wasn’t for all those talented queens of yesteryear, we wouldn’t be twirling and shimmering with such panache today, would we? )
Well, after a rather glamorous tour of the RuPaul’s Drag Race filming set in season one, where I was told to "sash-ay, away", I packed up my glitter and got ready to jet back through time to see what other magical events were happening in the world of drag. This month, my magical pink tutu has transported me to… September 2004! Now buckle your pink belts, darlings, because we're in for a real treat!
Oh, I’m also absolutely bursting to tell you about a recent gig. Let's just say that Derbyshire is finally catching on to the pink tutu vibe and my performance was a smashing hit! I even taught the entire audience the ‘Pink Tutu Twirl’ dance. Now that’s what I call a night of entertainment!
Now back to this dazzling timeline...
The World of Drag in September 2004!Imagine a time without YouTube or Netflix – I can hardly believe it! We had to find our drag entertainment the old fashioned way – by venturing into the real world. But that didn’t stop the queens from delivering some truly phenomenal shows.
RuPaul's Drag Race: The First Season's Ending
You see, while the Drag Race universe hadn’t exploded into the colossal pop-culture phenomenon it is today, back then, it was the big, fabulous talking point amongst queens all over. The first season of the show wrapped up in September 2004, and, honey, let’s just say the crown went to a truly iconic queen… drum roll intensifies … the fabulous Bebe Zahara Benet!
Oh, it's hard to express just how monumental this win was – it literally put Drag Race on the map! It introduced drag queens and the world of drag to millions and started this incredible journey towards making drag more mainstream and more recognised as an art form!
Imagine a world where we didn’t have these shows and this incredible access to the drag scene, both on a local level and around the globe. We wouldn't have the power and reach these platforms have given us!
A Moment for Miss Fame…On that note, did you know that Miss Fame, the phenomenal model, make-up artist and beauty guru, was actually a background dancer on season one of the Drag Race?
Imagine Miss Fame dancing and lip syncing in those early episodes? That is absolutely iconic in retrospect! This was also a big time for a young queen like her, seeing such phenomenal queens like Bebe, who paved the way, perform in front of such a huge audience. Can’t we just go back in time and give them both a hug?
I’m telling you, honey, drag history is history for a reason. And with my trusty pink tutu, I am on a mission to celebrate each and every milestone!
From the Ballroom Scene to Drag Performance:You may not believe it, honey, but even though we have fabulous drag shows on every corner now, back in September 2004 the drag scene was even bigger – and it wasn’t just limited to stage productions. The Ballroom Scene – this incredible world of balls, vogueing and incredible, diverse fashions – was all the rage, too. And you know what? The whole world has only really started to appreciate and understand the incredible legacy of this incredible culture now, with Pose shining a bright light on its impact on everything from fashion and dance to identity and representation.
Can you imagine a night at one of these legendary Balls, with those iconic fashion categories: Butch Queen, Realness (don’t tell me that you don’t try to wear a super fabulous realness-inspired outfit every single time you leave the house!), Executive Realness (so sophisticated, honey!), Femme Queen, and of course the ever- fabulous Exotic? (Seriously, where would we be without this iconic category? It has *single-handedly redefined fashion as we know it!).
I know it sounds amazing, darlings. I can just imagine the fabulous energy, the music, the movement! And as an absolute drag devotee and, frankly, the world’s number one pink-tutu evangelist, you can believe me when I say I was devastated that I couldn’t have gone back to the early years of the ballroom scene to witness the iconic voguers first-hand.
Perhaps my magical pink tutu will take me back to September 1984 – that is another major year in this wonderful, expressive form of drag expression – for another post!
## A Global Fashion Show
You know, darling, the way we understand fashion now is a product of a slow evolution in drag. As well as these local drag shows and balls, 2004 was also the year that Drag Fashion and culture exploded on a global level – because we had queens like the absolutely legendary Miss Fame on the cover of PAPER Magazine.
This, honey, was an incredibly huge moment in drag history – to see real drag queen glamour on the cover of a magazine like this. This was one of the most prominent examples of mainstream media really beginning to embrace drag as a fashion movement and not just another entertainment fad.
Let's give ourselves a "YAAASSSS, QUEEN!" momentThink about it! We have a phenomenal amount to thank the drag pioneers for; for having the courage to wear their hearts, their art, and their dazzling fashions, on their sleeves and express themselves with pride! Drag is fashion, drag is history and the world is better with more pink tutus in it!
Back to DerbyshireOk darlings, before I whisk myself away back to my own time, I just want to tell you one more thing! My Derbyshire performance was truly a dream! You have no idea, honey! Not only did I perform my best dance numbers in my newest, most stunning pink tutu creation, but I also sold out my entire collection of limited edition pink tutu hats (if you’re reading this, you’ll know how rare it is to get one, because they were gone in a flash)! My favourite moment of the evening was definitely teaching everyone my "Pink Tutu Twirl" dance !
See? You don’t have to travel through time to experience an incredible drag show, even though it makes for a fabulously camp blog post!
Keep an eye out for my pink-tutu-infused time travel adventures next month. What do you think the next stop should be? Where do you want to see me travel through time to, darlings?
Send your suggestions, tips, and recommendations to: pink-tutu.com
Until next time, have a magical time, stay fabulous, and stay pink, darlings!
