TW's second anniversary!

＜English＞

Translated by faiyaque

As you may have noticed, we changed the header on TW's home page!

On June 9th, 2007 the Tokyo Wrestling webzine marked its official debut with a fabulous launch party in Los Angeles. This year, just as last year, we thought that redesigning our header would be the perfect way to commemorate our anniversary.

So, let me give you the inside story on why we chose the design.

Right now, everywhere you turn, sailor style is flooding the mainstream, with Chanel, D&G, Gucci and other major fashion houses all incorporating it into their latest collections. However, the nautical look was part of dyke culture well before it made its way into the commercial fashion industry.

In fact, over the past several years sailor-inspired style has solidly established itself within dyke scenes around the world. While queer women have given the look a dykey twist, at its core lays the eternal classic "sailor man" image, with not-so-subtle queer undertones, that originated from within gay male culture decades ago.

In its original form, the sailor seemed to perfectly embody so many elements of gay male fantasy. Who could deny the allure of strong, bulging muscles under the fine fit of a uniform...or the freedom of a life far from home in a heroic, macho world inhabited solely by men?

It's an image that has inspired artists across generations. Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 1982 adaptation of Jean Benet's 1947 novel Querelle of Brest is just one example of the enduring erotic appeal of tales about sailors.

The popular 80s kitsch artists Pierre & Gilles incorporated sailors into much of their work, while out fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier -- known for his own signature striped sailor's top -- also uses the iconic sailor image to advertise his fragrance, Le Mâle.

※Two examples of Pierre & Gilles' kitsch sailors. This image of two sailors kissing is frequently used at anti-homophobia events in France.

※An ad for Jean Paul Gaultier's fragrance, Le Mâle: the defiant stance and teasing, come-and-get-it-if-you-dare look are pure gay.

In the 1990s, Diesel released an ad with a David LaChapelle photograph of two sailors kissing.

※The much talked about 1990s Diesel ad photographed by LaChapelle.

Or you can just head to any Pride parade anywhere in the world today and you'd have a hard time NOT finding people in sailor costume. No matter how you slice it, the sailor look has been an inspiring part of gay art and culture since the last century, and it's here to stay!

In lesbian culture too, the look has taken hold of women who get a kick out of dressing sharp and looking tough. Over the past few years, sailor-inspired designs have playfully broken through onto the contemporary dyke scene.

Dyke fashion designer Parisa Parnian, who worked on wardrobe for season 3 of The L Word, incorporates nautical-inspired images into her own queer clothing line, Rigged/OUTfitters.

※Featured on The L Word, the Rigged/OUTfitters lineup includes this vintage-inspired Lady Killer tee.

The seafaring theme is also readily spotted in queer girl media and at events. The legendary 13-year-old French dyke event, the Ladies Room, used it for one of their recent flyers.

※This flyer for the legendary dyke party, the Ladies Room, sure packs a punch!

And I could go on, but I know you don't have all day. Anyway, all the attention that the sailor look has gotten, including its popularity among TW's own staff, made it a natural choice for our new design.

We modeled the pose of our dyke sailors after the famous poster image of Rosie the Riveter, a symbol of feminism and in-your-face, can-do attitude. By combining the sailor theme with Rosie's symbolism we hoped to create a design inclusive of all dyke, queer, and feminist streams of culture.

※Feminist-slash-dyke icon Rosie the Riveter telling the world, "We can do it!"

I hope you all like the new design as much as we do. Tokyo Wrestling would like to thank all our readers for sticking with us these past two years. We're looking forward to bringing you more incredible dyke artists, activists and information for many years to come!

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