October 12, 2024 The Newspaper Serving LGBT Los Angeles

“Harlots”: Hot Pink and High Camp in Georgian London

It’s the 1760s in London. Wigs haven’t gone out yet, and neither have STDs. And when it comes to social mobility, women don’t have a lot of choices. You can get married, of course. Or you can sign over a contract to be a man’s sexual property. It’s up to you.

“I wouldn’t wish marriage on a dog.” Sneers Samantha Morton’s Margaret Wells, an ambitious brothel owner determined to climb the social ladder, and bring her daughters up along with her. To Wells, that means selling their virginities off to the highest bidder.

“Harlots”, to put it mildly, is a show about female independence.

That might not sound radical in itsel f—but of all the shows that claim to actually be about women’s lives, Hulu’s “Harlots” is the one that stays truest to a feminist utopian vision of the world. And — somewhat contradictorily — to the past.

Margaret Wells runs a successful shop —she has plenty of girls in debt to her, and a vision of a house in the country once she finally saves up enough money. She has only one competitor: The upper class Madam Quigley (played by Leslie Manville of Mike Leigh films), who runs something of a tighter ship, requiring all her girls to learn about the arts, be able to speak and sit properly, and speak French. Madam Quigley, it’s prudent to point out, was also once Wells’s madam.

Add to this mix a spunky daughter (Downtown Abbey’s Jessica Brown Findlay) who refuses to sign over a sex contract to a whiny lord who wants her all to himself, and another, younger daughter whose virginity is currently on the market.

You could come to “Harlots” for the drama — the pure camp of two women in wigs spitting and fighting and calling each other period insults like ‘quim’ and ‘cunny’. You could come for the acting, which is above and beyond. Or you could come for the canny dialogues about a woman’s relationship to power, freedom, and money. Whatever reason you end up coming to “Harlots”, you’ll find it to be one of the most promising 45-minute televised offerings in recent history, a mess of steampunk editing, hot pink garters, and a filthy frankness about human sexuality. It’s everything Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette was supposed to be, minus the attendant pretension. And it’s bound to be one of the best shows we’ll see this year.

Related Posts

MJ Rodriguez, 1st Openly Transgender Actress to Win Golden Globe

January 18, 2022

January 18, 2022

Michaela Jae “MJ” Rodriguez has made history by becoming the first openly transgender person to win a Golden Globe.  The...

Animal Shelter Donations In Honor Of Betty White

January 18, 2022

January 18, 2022

Animal shelter donations have increased exponentially in honor of late actress gay icon and animal lover Betty White. Over the...

Netflix Launches LGBTQ Podcast ‘The Gay Agenda’

January 6, 2022

January 6, 2022

Netflix has launched “The Gay Agenda,” a new podcast that will look at the lives of LGBTQ+ creatives at the...

Hollywood Star and Gay Icon Betty White Dies Aged 99

January 6, 2022

January 6, 2022

Hollywood Star and gay icon Betty White died peacefully in her Brentwood home in West LA  on December 31st.  She...

Team Trans* Walk-Out At Netflix Office In Hollywood

October 18, 2021

October 18, 2021

Netflix’s trans employee resource group is planning a Team Trans* employee walk-out on October 20th at the Netflix office located...

Sex and the City Star Willie Garson Dead At 57

September 28, 2021

September 28, 2021

Acclaimed actor and Los Angeles resident Willie Garson passed away on September 21 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer,...

GLAAD Responds To Historic Emmy Noms

July 26, 2021

July 26, 2021

GLAAD has responded to the historic Emmy nominations after it was announced that out trans actress MJ Rodriguez and out...

MJ Rodriguez Makes History As First Out Trans Woman Emmy Nominee

July 26, 2021

July 26, 2021

Actress Michaela Jaé, formerly known as  MJ Rodriguez, became the first out trans woman performer to be nominated in a...

“Gayest Episode Ever” An LGBTQ+ Podcast

June 29, 2021

June 29, 2021

Gayest Episode Ever is an LGBTQ+ podcast hosted by journalist Drew Mackie and screenwriter Glen Lakin. The podcast looks at...

Buzzfeed’s Docuseries “The Andrea Mares Project”

June 11, 2021

June 11, 2021

BuzzFeed’s As/Is presents “The Andrea Mares Project,” a docuseries that shadows Andrea Mares, a trans-feminine Latinx, as she embarks on...

2021 Pride Announces “Thrive With Pride” Theme

May 15, 2021

May 15, 2021

LA Pride has announced its 2021 pride theme this year called “Thrive With Pride”.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in...

Ellen DeGeneres Ending 18 Year Talk Show

May 13, 2021

May 13, 2021

After more than 3,000 episodes and 19 seasons it is confirmed that Ellen DeGeneres is ending her talk show The...

Ellen DeGeneres Under Fire For Admitting To Driving Under The Influence

April 30, 2021

April 30, 2021

Ellen DeGeneres is under fire for admitting to driving wife Portia DeRossi to the hospital while under the influence.  While...

Tina Turner Documentary Breaks Records

April 4, 2021

April 4, 2021

Singer, song writer and gay icon Tina Turner released a documentary on HBO Max as a farewell to her fans...

First Gay Teen Captain America Revealed By Marvel

March 28, 2021

March 28, 2021

Marvel Comics has revealed the first look at a new Captain America who happens to be a gay teen.  The...