1 Members of Toronto's Pillow Fight League in action
Slumber-party slams
Issue #31
Toronto’s Pillow Fight League gets official
By Amy Westervelt
Published: March 1st, 2007 | 12:00am
In the same kitschy, punk-meets-burlesque vein as the ongoing roller-derby resurgence, a handful of Toronto residents looking for some new fun decided a few years back to reclaim the pillow fight, transforming it from frat-boy fantasy to legitimate sport.
The Pillow Fight League’s (PFL) first two events (New Year’s Eve 2004 and 2005) featured performers from Canadian burlesque troupe Skin Tight Outta Sight as the fighters. A full-fledged sport since May 2006 with regular events, a World Champion (Persian Princess), and a roster of fighters, the league still has a strong burlesque vibe.
Each of its 14 fighters has her own schtick: Eiffel Power dresses in a red beret, black-and-white boat-neck tee, and tight black pants; Sarah Bellum looks like a naughty librarian; and Trashley sports curlers in her hair and zebra-print leggings. It’s all highly entertaining, but this is no mere performance-art piece. These chicks seriously rumble.
The rules of engagement are simple and few: women fighters only; fights last five minutes and are won via pinfall, surrender, or referee stoppage; if there is no clear winner at the end of a fight, the winner is declared by a three-judge committee; punching, leg drops, clotheslines, and other moves are allowed so long as they are executed via pillow; no blocking a pillow strike by holding onto your opponent’s pillow; no eye-gouging, biting, scratching, hair pulling, or low blows; no rude, lewd, or suggestive behavior; and loading a pillow with a foreign object such as a brick is strictly forbidden.
The PFL released a Brawl for It All DVD in January 2007, and several fighting clips are available on their Web site, gopfl.com, if you want to check out the action. And if you’re interested in joining, take heart: the PFL’s first U.S. match was held in January 2007, and the league is continually holding tryouts and looking to expand.
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