7 new queer’s resolutions to make your 2022 delightfully gay
Happy New Queer! (Pexels)
New Year’s resolutions can often feel daunting, clichéd and ultimately, unrealistic.
This year, instead of trying to eat less, exercise more, or give up something you know you won’t, why not have a little fun with it all by making 2022 your gayest year yet?
1. Have a bleach blonde moment
If you’ve never impulse-dyed your hair, this is a sign to make 2022 the year you do. The bleach blonde look is the quintessential queer response to emotional crisis. An act of self care that might not solve any of your problems, but will reliably make you look hot. When everything is on fire, you can always count on a bottle of peroxide to help turn that frown, upside down.
Gays when they dye their hair blonde to solve their problems instead of going to therapy, getting 8 hours of sleep a night, and not drinking iced coffee in substitute of water: pic.twitter.com/G2SbtoImdM
— Sam Stryker (@sbstryker) June 19, 2019
2. Get into a gay subculture
The best thing about the LGBT+ community is that there’s truly something for everyone. From leather to ballroom, bear culture to the drag scene, the options are endless. For those with spiritual inclinations, there’s the Radical Faeries, as well as a burgeoning queer witchcraft scene. And for those who want to get physical, why not join a queer sports team… or a queer fetish club? If none of that appeals to you, you can always create your own niche subculture.
3. Make a zine
Zines have played a prominent role in queer communities, as a way of sharing stories and experiences otherwise ignored by established media outlets, and as a way of documenting and archiving queer lives. The DIY nature of zines means they’re super accessible. Anyone can make them. And they can be as crafted and designed, or as stripped back and punk as you want. All you need is some paper, scissors and an idea to get started.
4. Embrace ink and piercings
We’re all aware of the queer-coded tatts and piercings that flag us as family to other queers in the know: whether a nose-ring, padlock earring, arm band or triangle tattoo. A piercing or tattoo can be a powerful way of signalling you’re part of the community, and expressing yourself with an alternative and – let’s face it – highly attractive aesthetic.
5. Volunteer for an LGBT+ cause
Get into the giving spirit of the season by lending some of your spare time to a project supporting the queer community. Almost every LGBT charity needs volunteers, from helpline services to sexual health charities, mentoring networks to local pride events. You can also consider other ways of showing solidarity such as attending protests or direct actions. Find a cause you believe in and be part of LGBT+ liberation.
6. Say yes to the mullet
The mullet is undoubtedly back. It’s the style du jour of today’s edgiest queers as well as a number of celebrities, from Joe Exotic to Billy Eilish. If braving the big chop and saying yes to the resurrected 70s look feels overwhelming, just remember that if last year’s disastrous quarantine haircuts taught us anything, it’s that your hair will grow back and you won’t look ridiculous forever.
7. Turn up the trans media
Is your bookshelf looking a little cis-heavy? Read Torrey Peter’s critically acclaimed Detransition Baby or Shola Von Reinhold’s award-winning Lote. Inject your playlists with the hyperpop of SOPHIE, the genre-bending sound of Shamir, or the captivating hiphop of TrannieBoi. And be sure to dial into trans podcasts such as What the Trans, Gender Reveal and Marsha’s Plate for trans perspectives on news and pop culture.
