What a Drag...

I remember the first time I saw this music video I was totally gob smacked by Freddy Mercury's sexy mustachioed housewife.

The song and the video have a special place in my heart and never fail to cheer me.

I love drag queens because they can dress  like women but without all of the pressure to look pretty or be sexy. I know there are plenty of women who dress like drag queens  but they are few and far between and they tend to be Pop stars.

In the fashion world anyway, I would say Lynn Yeager, Anna Piaggi, Betsey Johnson, Zandra Rhodes and Vivienne Westwood have the Drag aesthetic and attitude totally nailed.

To me anyway, Drag culture is as much about attitude as it is about aesthetic. It seems to exude a sort of 'Don't give a fuck' attitude which I think everyone could benefit from. Ultimately there is a humour born from sadness underlying the aesthetic.The theatricality used as a kind of armour against a world that is so un accepting of others.

If  I could be a part of either world I just feel that I would be freer some how. I find myself, inpsite of a vast collection of clothes and accessories, dressing drably from day to day. I guess I fear judegement by small minded people and on a deeper level just want to dissapear sometimes (hard to do with electric coloured clothes, spiked accesories and gigantic hats).

An excellent film to see is Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Prior to watching it I knew very little about the film and had no expectations so I was very pleasantly surprised indeed. I would say that it is now one of my favourite  films of all time. It is all at once, beautiful, sad, humorous and ultimately full of hope and strength. And it was filmed in Toronto!