• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Wendy Brandes Jewelry Blog

Never Is the Next New Thing

  • HOME
  • SHOP
  • ABOUT
  • FAQ
  • CONTACT

Why I Love Queens

December 5, 2011 by WendyB

Most of my jewelry is inspired by queens. By queens, I’m referring to royal ladies — not one of New York City’s five boroughs or Quentin Crisp.

Double your queenly pleasure: gay icon Quentin Crisp played Elizabeth I in the movie "Orlando." Click!

I love badass women in general and when queens are badass, they are supa dupa badass. Seventh-century Chinese ruler Empress Wu,  for instance, said she would use a whip, a hammer and a knife to train a mean, wild horse:

“First, I shall give him a lesson with the whip,” she said. “If he disobeys me, I shall blow him on the head with the hammer. If he still rebels, I shall slit his throat.”

The horse was lucky. With people, Wu usually went straight to the throat-cutting part.

Detail shot of my Empress Wu earring design. Click for more photos.

About 1400 years later, we frown upon murderous monarchs, so modern-day queens have to content themselves with throwing shade. Still, their shade is better than our shade. I was reminded of that by an article in the New York Times Style Magazine by fashion journalist Sarah Mower, who was named a Member of the British Empire — a British national honor. Writing about the challenges of dressing to meet the queen, Mower mentioned a famous insult dealt to former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher by Elizabeth II. Thatcher asked for advance notice about what the queen would be wearing to state occasions, apparently to avoid winding up in a “twins” situation. The response?

“Her Majesty does not notice what other people wear.”

And that’s how you whip, hammer AND cut a bitch without lifting a finger!

You might also like
Thursday Book Club: Anne Boleyn, Continued
If I Were Marie Antoinette ...
Book Club: Empress Matilda, Part II

Filed Under: queens

Previous Post: « I’m an FGI Rising Star Award Nominee!
Next Post: Cavalli Goes for the Gold »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Megan Mae says

    December 5, 2011 at 12:25 am

    Pwnt.

  2. Cameron says

    December 5, 2011 at 12:34 am

    If it were a different time, the Iron Lady would’ve ended up in an iron maiden for such an inquiry. But I’m sure it would have been messy. Thus, the invention of shade throwing.

  3. Mary says

    December 5, 2011 at 2:44 am

    If only the current royals were as interesting as their ancestors. BTW Orlando is one of my favourite books. Loved the movie too.

  4. Raquelita says

    December 5, 2011 at 8:55 am

    I’m very excited because I’m teaching a women’s history course next semester and I will get to talk about some supadupa badass queens with regularity. And I’m totally putting Orlando on my list for this winter break. I can’t believe I’ve never seen it.

  5. Patti @ NotDeadYet Style says

    December 5, 2011 at 9:06 am

    Well I can’t get on board with horse-hammering, but I’ve always been a fan of the withering glance or cutting riposte. Long live the queens!

  6. Madeleine Gallay says

    December 5, 2011 at 2:37 pm

    Such strong pieces, badass gorgeous

  7. kavery says

    December 5, 2011 at 6:30 pm

    A true work of art. I love how you broke the making of the earrings down for us. And the end result is pure genius.

  8. Silvergirl says

    December 5, 2011 at 7:42 pm

    i was hoping it was the royals you talking about in your queen reference
    they were badass
    i am a geeky anglophile, so i love reading about all of that stuff
    Love HRH answer
    brett

  9. Susan Tiner says

    December 5, 2011 at 8:06 pm

    The Elizabeth II quote is priceless.

  10. ToVogueOrBust says

    December 5, 2011 at 9:04 pm

    It would make perfect sense for a queen to be a jewellery icon, they certainly know their way around it! The Elizabeth II quote in particular is amazing!

  11. stacy says

    December 5, 2011 at 9:48 pm

    strong women inspire me too! now, i want to make an outfit for queen elizabeth!

  12. Eli says

    December 5, 2011 at 10:14 pm

    I just want to say you reminded me of Coming to America and how he goes to Queeens to find his queen heheh

  13. Lara says

    December 6, 2011 at 6:10 pm

    love it! Sigh… I wish I was a benevolent dictator.

  14. Elizabeth says

    December 7, 2011 at 10:31 am

    Dang, Mower got told!

    I’m glad Empress Wu is not running for the Republican nomination.

Primary Sidebar

MEET WENDY BRANDES

Award-winning designer of fine jewelry inspired by women's history and pop culture. A former journalist who writes about jewelry, fashion, medieval history, news, feminism, dogs, cats and whatever else is on her mind. Blogging since 2007.
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

ARCHIVES

CATEGORIES

Facebook Pagelike Widget

POPULAR TOPICS

NEWSLETTER

Subscribe for Email updates.
* indicates required

Original jewelry designs, photos and text are © Wendy Brandes 2007-2016. All rights reserved.

© 2016 · FOODIE PRO THEME COPYRIGHT BY · SHAY BOCKS GENESIS FRAMEWORK · BUILT ON THE WORDPRESS