Historically, lesbian history has been relegated to the margins, submerging the lives of queer women into the shadows and subtexts of cultural documents. It can be tricky to locate a lineage of lesbians — and without a sense of community queerness can be isolating. That’s where lesbian archive account @dykeanotherday steps in. Through her feed of lesbian (and would be lesbians) icons, such as Lily Tomlin, Greta Garbo, Susan Sontag, Tina Chow, Jodie Foster and Tracy Chapman, curator Alexandra Julienne, hopes to emphasise that “you’re not alone in navigating the way you feel.”
Although Alexandra began the account as a personal project back in October 2017 — as an attempt to navigate queer identity and step away from her old social media presence — the account has quickly garnered as strong and steady following (29k+ and counting). A self-proclaimed “purveyor of lesbian fashion and culture,” Alexandra describes her posts as ranging “from [the] educational to the digital equivalent of junk food on the couch after a long day” shared in the hope that others will “appreciate” or “commiserate.”
The popularity of @dykeanotherday is an indicator of our insatiable appetite for queer history. “Seeking out queer heroes really helps you to validate the potential within yourself” as well as the “sense of others having come before you,” confirms Alexandra. Growing up, Alexandra describes the stereotype of lesbian identity and experience as negative. But “by finding these incredible women in history (and from the present day), you get the sense that there’s so much you can do with this lesbian life.”
Traditionally, the image that’s been projected of lesbians is one that’s categorically unfashionable, and for Alexandra, this “has a lot to do with heteropatriarchal beauty standards.” “A butch or gender nonconforming presentation in women is still most reviled by the mainstraim (read: mostly straight, mostly male) taste.” Plus, while the cultural currency of queerness continues to surge in popularity, the term ‘lesbian’ hasn’t ascended to the same heights of cool. “There are a lot of straight women these days running around looking like lesbians, but the actual association with the word is still uncomfortable for some people.” says Alexandra. “The stereotypes are changing, sure, but not going away entirely. The reality of lesbianism still has baggage, but maybe the baggy “boyfriend jeans” don’t?.”
On her feed, Alexandra often pays tribute to honorary lesbians, as well as particular moments that are unwittingly suffused with a touch of the dykonic. Ultimately, under the gaze of the lesbian spectator, figures of all genders and sexual orientations have the potential to fall somewhere along the dyke spectrum. “Even though people can get annoyed about it sometimes, there are men and straight women who I count as vital to how I cobbled together my precarious sense of a lesbian self,” admits Alexandra. And it’s true: lesbian culture and fashion can often emerge in unexpected places and within a heteropatriarchal society. For Alexandra, “any woman who’s going against the grain deliberately and who’s questioning the prescribed notions of femininity or masculinity” can provide a valid source of inspiration.
For some, @dykeanotherday’s reference points might seem esoteric or perhaps overly specific, but as Alexandra explains, “our current visual culture is so fragmented these days that a social media community that remains insular and based on inside jokes can be a real balm against that onslaught.” Here’s to that.