Hello my darlings! Welcome to Pink-Tutu.com, your one-stop shop for all things pink, twirly, and spectacularly fabulous! Today, let's travel back in time to the fabulous year of 1989, November the 11th to be precise. Grab your tiaras, my lovelies, as we take a little trip through time in my very own magical pink tutu!
As you know, my absolute favourite colour is pink! And honestly, isn't a pink tutu just the most fantastic way to travel through time? Think about it – pink is the colour of sweetness, of fun, of pure girly fabulousness, and a tutu – well, that's all the twirling, elegant joy that a queen could ask for! Together they're like the ultimate portal to a world of glittering glamour and fabulous history!
Right now, I'm whisked away to New York City! This is the city that never sleeps, and the heart of so much drag magic! It's where drag queens have been captivating audiences for decades, and in 1989, the drag scene was absolutely booming!
A Dragtastic Trip Down Memory Lane: The Drag Queens of 1989!Firstly, a bit of backstory, lovelies! This year was pivotal for drag! The fabulous RuPaul was already making waves, creating his iconic music videos, paving the way for drag to be embraced on a grander scale! We're talking big hair, even bigger eyeshadow, and a sense of playful glamour that we still see in drag today, but with a little bit more of a retro twist!
It’s quite amazing when I stop and think about the iconic performers of 1989. You know, legends like Divine. She was already a huge drag superstar, starring in John Waters films! It's like a true “drag goddess” moment, a kind of drag world Queen B of her day. I adore her – her charisma and unique style always take centre stage. Think fabulous bouffant hair, a penchant for bold makeup, and, let’s be honest, she always embraced a certain larger-than-life persona!
Another name that popped up – Lady Bunny! Now, this fabulous dame! Lady Bunny was truly one-of-a-kind: a hilarious performer with a talent for stand-up comedy and the kind of voice that just cuts through the room. This kind of outrageous drag was definitely gaining momentum back then. I adore how she pushed the boundaries and brought so much humour into drag performances!
Then there’s a whole other kind of queen from back in the day, back before those “reality tv” shows … Drag was an art form in its own right! Take for example the famous Jackie Beat! Back then she was a star of a fantastic show at the “The Pyramid Club” … That's some proper New York underground drag glamour.
So, here’s the thing. Imagine all this, back when the gay rights movement was really finding its footing. This was back when LGBTQ+ people were just starting to feel safer to express themselves openly. And let’s be real – for some people, that was really all about a flamboyant drag persona and showing up in an outrageously colourful show! It was really all about embracing your identity, taking the stage, and claiming a space for yourselves! So brave, and so much sass. And remember, folks, “Drag” in the late eighties was also heavily influenced by the big stars from the early to mid seventies! People like Divine were huge inspiration to this whole next generation of queens, I bet, because they’ve been taking things in new and more powerful ways than ever before!
And, well… It doesn’t hurt to add the amazing sounds of the House music explosion going on at the time either. This kind of drag was born of New York nightlife, where people were getting so into the music, the glamour, and expressing their creativity! Honestly, they truly knew how to throw a fabulous party.
London: The Drag Capital of the UKIt's not all about New York, you know! Don't get me wrong, they've got the glam going on, but London is no slouch, especially back in '89. Our London drag queens are famous for their quirky style and playful sass, really getting involved with those classic “pub scene” days! We’re talking more “community drag” you know! In London there was a sense of intimacy, everyone knowing everyone, and a real “support each other” type of vibe … There wasn’t so much the “star system” back then, there was more of a “family” feel! You’d have one drag queen at a particular club that everyone would go and see every weekend, kind of “your regular,” but every time she would bring her unique show with different new styles to bring some new freshness to it. There was still always a new kind of fabulous on display every week! It was truly an era of innovation and passion!
London’s drag queens always knew how to make a statement. I adore their colourful creativity. Think classic looks and maybe a few wigs and some killer eyeshadow for the evening and you have yourself a fabulous, outlandish show!
London’s legendary club, “The Royal Vauxhall Tavern”, was the epicenter of London's vibrant drag scene! If you are looking for drag history, it’s definitely a great place to get yourself an extra scoop of it, darlings! It was always packed full of drag queens and, you know, all the lovely fellas who loved seeing their favourite girls go on stage to showcase their style and talent. A place that always embraced everything wonderful about London’s queer culture! It was, well… the kind of place that became the perfect mix of “come see the show, let’s all have a drink, and let’s celebrate! A great place for community and connection – you know it’s going to have some excellent memories, right!
One of the reasons that I love time-travelling in my pink tutu is because of the magic of being able to connect to those communities – especially from the drag scene of this time, back in the late ‘80s and ‘90s. I feel a deep connection with them. The courage and passion for the artform are inspiring, it's how our community embraced itself, came together and created such an incredible artistic landscape.
This was before RuPaul brought drag queens into every single living room on the planet! It was really so much about community, about celebrating individuality! It felt really much more underground and experimental – with everyone really giving it their all and being authentically themselves! The excitement was incredible, I could see how amazing it must have been.
The Next Step!Well darlings, this has been quite the journey through drag history! If you want to take a look for yourselves at what’s happening with drag on the eleventh of November 1989 then you know you have got to hop on to www.pink-tutu.com because, after this post, I’ll be adding a whole page of fabulous photographs from my magical journey, all in this amazing 1989 style, including vintage posters for all the drag shows that are on, and even a few sneaky snaps of me in my pink tutu (with the very latest “in-date” look to suit this time period) at some of the clubs in both London and New York! Don’t worry darling, if you are planning a drag time travel trip of your own, the tutus that I pick for every decade always suit all ages, races and shapes… We really want you to make it look your own, so no need for an extreme costume, my dears! I promise we have all your pink fabulousness needs here!
But, now I've got to run, honey! A drag ball’s happening later today in Derby, in my home town! I wouldn’t want to be too late and miss out on the excitement. After all, drag is meant to be shared! A big thanks for all my amazing, sassy fans who have joined me for this month's travel, as always you can let me know your thoughts on my blog.
Stay twirling my dears!
Lots of love,
Emma 💖✨
www.pink-tutu.com
