Random J playlist: Feelin' Pussy (a Vogue femme / Ballroom inspired playlist)

White gays™ history will tell you that Madonna invented Vogue, but it's lies and fairy-tales.

Voguing was born out of the Black and Latino queer community in the 1980s. Madonna's "Vogue" most certainly played a significant role in popularising the vouging and pushing it mainstream. But as with anything Black which is brought to the masses by a white person, said white person becomes the face of it and becomes synonymous with it. But let the records show that voguing came out of the Black and Latino queer community.

Voguing and Ballroom in recent years has seen somewhat of a renaissance after a generational shift of Madonna's popularity being stuck very much to her core fan-base who were all adults and remember the day that song came out. But it isn't a given that the 'kids' so to speak may have heard of "Vogue". Now because of the Internet, memes and things like RuPaul's Drag Race, voguing and Ballroom culture is more than just popular - it is now woven into the fabric of pop culture beyond just a song that Madonna put out. We see it pop up in TV, in music videos, in photoshoots. Sometimes you may not even realise you're looking at something which is derived from voguing, but it's right there. The 'deathdrops' every damn queen does during a lip sync on RuPaul's Drag Race. Perfume's choreography for "Spending All My Time". Lady Gaga's entire aesthetic. The meme of a girl dancing dressed as Sailor Moon. The vibe of Rina Sawayama's "Comme Des Garçons (Like The Boys)". The dancers and the looks in Azealia Banks' music video for "1991", and more besides. Voguing has reached such a point that it even now has a reality show on big ol' HBO and popular TV show Pose is centred on Ballroom culture.

Something born out of a repressed and shunned community in the 80s to help create a space where individuals could shine in a way they couldn't in society, to funnel their interests and creativity, to simply survive - is a part of pop culture now. Wild, but not that surprising.

I've long admired vogue and Ballroom culture, but truly gained an appreciation for it after being dragged to a few classes and a couple of balls and I'm a big fan. Voguing truly is an art form and something to behold. But more than that, when you're doing it, it unlocks a level of confidence in you that you never knew you had. And when you watch others do it and walk categories, you feel inspired to reach a place where you can put yourself out there and claim the spotlight. Whatever that spotlight may be. Whether it's somebody's affection, a promotion, a new job, applying for a mortgage. Anything.

So, whether you are so into voguing right now, an avid living room duck walker 'n' dipper, here's a playlist for you to feel yourself to, channel than confidence and feel inspired to give that big pussy energy out in public.

And know this. It's called a dip. Not a deathdrop.

🎧 Listen on Spotify: Feelin' Pussy | a Vogue Femme / Ballroom Inspired Playlist

📺 The history and origins of Vogue
Paris Is Burning | Prestige
Ballroom culture: The language of Vogue by Ronald Murray | Ted x Columbus
How the LGBTQ community created voguing | Vox

💃🏾 Balls and performances
Vogue Fem (Male Figure) at the Unification Ball | Paris Ballroom TV
Latex Ball 2019: Honey Labeija vs. Makayla Lanvin | Ballroom Throwbacks TV
Inxi vs. Lasseindra | Streetstar 2013

🔊 Another Black and Queer playlist: Black 'n' Queer, BITCH!