Like most items in fashion, the feather boa can trace its origins back hundreds of years.  Ladies have been accessorizing with boas since the 1820s.  The Victorians and Edwardians even had a go with it.  For many, however, the real beginning for most of us came in the form of a little blonde bombshell by the name of Mae West, who sexed up the fluffy accessory like no other ever could.  With a boa like that, it’s no doubt the boys would come up and see her sometime!

The boa would be put away during hard times, but it was always at the ready for times of celebration.  Mardi Gras and Halloween are prime examples of when the feather boa makes its grandest of entrances.  Though celebratory in nature, the feather boa is hardly innocent.  Who could forget the scandalous side of the boa – the nude dancer?  We think the point pretty much makes itself there…

Celebrities of all kinds have also taken to the feather boa.  Glam rockers like David Bowie and Marc Bolan of T-Rex often wrapped themselves in boas, bending genders and keeping audiences titillated.  Cher, Celia Cruz and Elton John often adorned themselves in feathers, reminding us of the divas in opera and the glam of cabaret.  Even professional wrestlers were into feather boas.  Superstar Billy Graham, Hulk Hogan, and former wrestler-turned-Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura proudly displayed their feathers in such a way that their ‘manhood’ could hardly be challenged; it was a pretty macho and self-sure thing to do. 

There are a number of feathers that are regularly used for boas.  Marabou is super soft, while the stringy ostrich provides a sexy, exotic look for the boa.  The biggest and heaviest of feather boas were made up of turkey feathers, while the smallest boas were made up of ‘chandelle’ another kind of turkey feather perfect for making a quick, light boa.  Though many a feather was given toward the fashion cause, the feather boa has become a true fashion statement.  So, whether you were male or female, or wanted to be somewhere in-between, you could always take up with the accessory that was just enough bad and good, wrapped up into one.