Hello darlings! Your favourite pink-tutu-clad time traveller is back with another glorious #DragQueenHistory journey! April 2014? Ooh, darling, you wouldn’t BELIEVE the fabulousness! This is where it all gets REAL – the era of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ REALLY takes off! (Imagine that! Now there's an outfit combo to be had - Ru in a pink tutu – divine, no? ).
Anyways, I’m all ready in my dazzlingly pink, magical time travelling tutu (thank you to Sew Sew Special for the custom stitching, the most talented seamstress in Derbyshire!). Ready to see what fabulous shenanigans April 2014 held in store?
Let’s travel! Boop Boop
April Fool’s - Time For Laughs!Okay, so maybe a bit before April, but darling, can we talk about how much fun drag queens have with a good gag? April 1st was all about laughter and cheek this year! Some iconic queenies even played on the Fool’s Day theme for a laugh. It really brought the FUN out of Drag Queen history – literally. Did anyone see those crazy, outrageous faux pas from our drag darlings? The pun is definitely intended there – the laughs were all over the place – it really was a fabulous April Fool’s day!
Time to talk shows, darlings!
Let’s see what kind of divine performances our fabulous drag queens were gracing us with on April 2014! This is when the world started really tuning into ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’, darling! The season 6 finale had aired and Bianca Del Rio won the crown - What a queen! I still want her Bird Lady dress in my closet! I hear her roast of Ru was hilarious – imagine being witty AND fabulous all at once?! The pressure! fans self dramatically Now THAT’S drag.
I know you're itching to get out there and experience some drag of your own! Oh, but darling, hold your horses! There was also something pretty epic happening on the scene at this time that I really need to share. The first season of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’ was still in development – can you imagine! That’s history in the making – legendary.
But oh, the world wasn't all about ‘Ru’ back then (although, can you even IMAGINE?! ) There were plenty of independent shows going on - Drag is such a big family! In the States, the drag queens were busy, busy, busy! The fabulous queens of Chicago – the 'Drag Race' season 4 queens in particular – were really setting the scene there. It seems April 2014 was full of 'Chicago Queens'. It's definitely one of the hubs of drag right? Even to this day – just check out those legendary clubs - it’s all Chicago Queens. And we don't even need a time machine for those, love! (I’ll have to add that to my itinerary. )
Let's pop back to the UK – those independent gigs, like I was saying – they were the backbone of drag right then! Imagine this – all the shows happening at pubs, theatres and clubs, the underground drag scene thriving! So, imagine this - you walk into a tiny club in that era. It’s hot and crowded, but everyone is swapping stories - that legendary energy fills the place! Just hearing them talk about who saw what, and the drama that's unfolded in that night alone - just that kind of atmosphere gives me chills! Oh, those were the glory days!
*A fashion moment! *
Alright darlings, I know what you're thinking – fashion time, right?! I don't need to tell you how fashion-forward drag queens were in 2014, am I right? The big name fashion houses - they were just starting to take notice, let's just say. You wouldn't be surprised that the runways were filled with those big wig hairdos - iconic, don't you think? We’ve got the fierce, glittery looks that set the trend back then, but don’t even try and get away with a basic makeup look - these queens came to play! I saw this AMAZING set at the GAY* Pride Parade – we have some incredible fashionista queens out there, darling! Remember, Drag is not about how much money you've got! Drag is an ART form, it's about expressing yourself! It’s about letting your true self shine.
And let's talk tutus, darling! In April 2014 the tutu was still a huge part of the drag aesthetic – they even were making waves in those incredible ballroom scenes. Let’s be honest, when Jinkx Monsoon rocked the scene, what did she wear on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ ? A glorious, fabulous tutu! I was wearing mine to watch it at my favorite local LGBTQIA+ spot! It made all the gays and theys jealous! It truly is an outfit fit for the royal Queen!
The shops - oh, darling - it's where my time travelling self gets to have the best time! Shopping is therapy, am I right? The shops, darling - full of the finest * sequins, beads and feathers – they had everything! A drag queen’s DREAM! In fact, this year I'd be scouring those bargain shops for vintage pieces - even to this day - those older pieces? *Vintage is king. The style, darling.
*A bit of history – a touch of gossip – that's drag, baby! *
A bit of gossip – no Drag Queen blog would be complete without a little gossip! The internet wasn't the gossip mill it is today. Now everything's right there on social media - but oh, imagine, those old school Drag queen magazines! All the gossip and tea you could imagine was printed right in the magazines, a real look into what life was like! We'd get our hot gossip through the magazines then. They also printed all the performance dates – that's how we planned our schedules for the weekend gigs - and, you can't go clubbing without your Drag friends. Imagine a whole bunch of drag queens just living it up! It truly is amazing - I’m all for it.
But as the world changed, it made such a big difference. Think about it, the social media age and the blogs they started springing up - that made the internet an amazing resource! They weren’t time traveling bloggers – yet, but darling, that’s the future! Now we can all get our Drag history news from all over the world. (Oh, hello, me!) That's something to celebrate - because now, we are connected as a family – all across the globe! Just imagine the fabulous energy. And all through Drag, Darling – the history is just starting, darling – so get your pink tutus on and let’s shine!
Stay tuned, Darling, I have plenty more #DragQueenHistory adventures in my pink tutu to share with you, my lovely readers!
Until next time, darlings, don't forget: It's the year of the PINK TUTU – don’t forget to share photos on Instagram with #PinkTutuForLife - because when we look good, we FEEL GOOD! Love Emma XX.
