This week we chat with Morgan, Bela, Megan, and Gabrielle about Babe Night: the female produced DJ night that benefits local non-profits. Both Megan and Gabrielle also work as Baby & Company stylists. Their upcoming show is happening February 14 at Linda’s Tavern with proceeds benefitting Mary’s Place. The ladies educate us on the power of all-inclusive community spaces, dance-floor fashion, and the influential and limitless possibilities for the future of Babe Night. On a holiday that frequently polarizes the population, spending Valentine’s Day 2018 getting down and doing good is a win-win solution.

How did Babe Night start? 

Morgan: I asked Bela and Meg if they would like to DJ with me on a night I worked at the bar Speckled & Drake. We promoted the night as "Babe Night.” I ended up getting stuck in Las Vegas and Gabby filled in for me! The night was one of the busiest nights Speckled & Drake had ever had, so they asked me if Babe Night could become a monthly event. We decided to turn it into a femme celebration focusing on community involvement. We began adding a charitable component of clothing and cash donation drives for local non-profits, and eventually began to incorporate other femme identifying artists like Marcy Stone-Francois, who now does all the Babe Night visuals. 

Gabrielle: Babe Night is a cool safe space for femmes and LGBT to shake and let go. A space where no one will start beef on the way you look, how you dress, or who or what you are.   

Photo courtesy of Babe Night.

What do you love most about Babe Night?

Morgan: Babe Night's energy is contagious. Everyone in the room is smiling and dancing hard. Creating a space for femmes to release and party and experience community is the reason I continue to do it!

Gabrielle: I love meeting excited new people that have just heard about what we do. In today’s fake society, it’s hard to focus on what’s good and what feels right. Everything is off balance right now and it’s nice to forget about that just for one night and enjoy everyone and everything around you – to feel the love and be at peace.

Bela: I love that we get to come together and provide a femme-friendly space in the community. There is always this amazing and accepting female energy that radiates from the dance floor. We are taking back the word ‘babe,’ and reclaiming it for ourselves while separating it from the male-gaze mentality. Babe Night has a 100% no tolerance policy for creeps, and we work with the security in the bars so that they honor our no questions asked 86ed policy.

Megan: I love the zero tolerance for misogyny, homophobia, and basic negative energy that Babe Night continues to uphold. I love what the night stands for and the ability to raise money for different local causes each month. 

Shop Megan's pants here.

What do you love most about DJ-ing?

Gabrielle: The opportunity to let people experience different kinds of music. I am a huge fan of 60s/70s psych, as well as a lot of Cambodian and Nigerian music. Music is a great way to communicate and unite.

Bela: I love picking songs that get everyone going and then peppering in some weird femme pop oldies we all forgot about but still love. I also really enjoy seeing everyone's outfits. We have such an accepting energy, I think people come out in their best self-loving "I look hot in this and I'm dressing for me" attire. 

Megan: I really love anything themed, theatrical, or over the top, and I love creating a musical distraction from redundancy of daily life. DJing has been a creative outlet for me because it allows me to connect with people through music we both like. 

Do you have a go-to outfit for DJ nights?

Morgan: Mostly we just try to look good. Dressing up for Babe Night is part of the fun and everyone's always throwing out compliments. 

Gabrielle: I don’t have a set outfit for the nights, but it will usually include a lot of glitter and fun makeup.

Bela: I like to push the boundaries of what I wear. Usually I’ll come up with an outfit that is a little too "extreme" for real life and it will make a debut at Babe Night. I am really excited for our event at Linda's because it’s on valentine’s day – I'm thinking boa and a bra. 

Megan: Every Babe Night has a theme, depending on what month it is or what cause we’re featuring. I usually pick some sort of leather and lace combo pertaining to the theme! 

Shop Bela's robe here. 

Do you think your personal style and taste in music are interconnected? In what ways has one influenced the other?

Gabrielle: If I’m wearing a sparkly wide leg pant with a tie-up glam top you can be damn sure I’m going to be playing Sister Sledge more than 2 or 3 times in the night! We as a femme collective have all influenced each other in a lot of ways. We have all shared experiences living in a male-dominated society. I’ve learned that I don’t need to suppress my beliefs; I want everyone to know that the world we are living in right now is not okay, nor is it normal.

Bela: I started dressing like my favorite musicians because I thought they were the shit. In middle school, I went through an unfortunate emo phase including a lot of trips to hot topic. By high school, I discovered the Velvet Underground and my style changed into more of a classic minimalist NYC vibe. Currently, my style is a mix of that with some glam flair mixed in here and there. Music has always had the best style icons. I have lived in Seattle my entire life and still do not own anything with a hood; extremely un-functional for this city but I just can’t do it, I feel like Nico never would. 

Megan: I think for most people they are connected. My love of style comes from musicians of the past; I started working in fashion and went to fashion school because of this admiration. I mostly DJ rock ‘n roll or disco pop vinyl, and I think it’s spilled into how I dress on a daily basis. I’m always taking cues from early ‘70s rock ‘n roll culture. 

Shop Gabrielle's blazer here.

What are some goals for continuing and growing Babe Night?

Morgan: I'd like to eventually add other performers to the mix. Maybe showcase a live band, or artists of other disciplines. Ultimately, I'd like to see Babe Night continue to promote and support the work of femme and non-binary artists in Seattle.

Gabrielle: Raising awareness for different life-changing non-profits all around the city. There are so many beautiful people trying to better the community through safe spaces for women, or shelters for children etc. I hope Babe Night gets big enough that we can continue spreading our message: we (as femmes) are here for everyone.

Bela: I want it to get bigger and better. I want us to become a staple in the community, host larger events, and raise more money for the those in need. In the future, it would be amazing to start a Babe Night scholarship fund for womxn-identifying artists in our community. Think Music Cares, but for femmes.  

Megan: Babe Night has already gotten way bigger than I ever thought it would, but hopefully we can raise more money in the future and have it at bigger venues! I really want to help more bars be safe spaces for the queer community and femmes.

Shop Bela's shoes here.