About three years ago, The Social Lubricant also known as TSL lounge (now El Patio), in Wynwood had a ladies night that was dead in the water. DJ Stephanie Zehno, a popular LGBT entertainer in the local scene and DJ for Aqua Girl, recalls her meeting with the concerned owner.
“How are they giving away all this stuff and no one is here? They had free drinks, hookahs. And no one was coming” she said. Like most ladies nights in male-owned establishments, the evening lured women with free drinks with the idea of making the venue more approachable for the men.
Since the free booze alone wasn’t luring the women, Stephanie suggested an idea to the TSL lounge owner to put a spin on ladies night with a theme of empowerment for women.
Who wouldn’t want to support such a great idea?
Women and men could come out and enjoy talented women, or a healthy balance of both male and female performers. So Blend The Femme, an evening was born, the night took off, and the rest is history.
This past June, Blend The Femme recently celebrated its third anniversary at 1306 Miami. They even took a trip to New York City for Pride Week and hosted a special big city edition at Pianos on Ludlow Street, where hipsters are known to create a packed house at the two-level venue.
“Having the opportunity to spread the movement to other cities is so exciting,” mentioned Stephanie. Eventually, she hopes to go international and take the party overseas.
So what’s her recipe for success besides creating a safe, non-objectifying platform for talented women, that’s “curated to capture feminine essence and consciousness of mind, body, and soul through arts and activism”? Themes. Each monthly installation features a different theme and host. Some highlights from the three years include a Quasar Funk celebration at R House, an Earthstrong feature at Gramps, and most recently an Unplugged edition.
The next installment of the monthly Blend The Femme, “Sunday Funday" will take place at no other than Churchill’s Pub on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017 from 5 to 10 p.m. In September, the party will be at a location TBA. Be on the lookout for it.
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/blendthefemme/ site on Facebook.
