An Interview with Lola from @onyour.knees
The accidental best lesbian archive on Instagram
Whether it was divine intervention, or more likely an algorithm that knows me too well, a few weeks ago I discovered the account @onyour.knees during my obligatory pre-sleep Instagram scroll. Within ten minutes of stalking, I learned about the British painter Gluck, the short film A Comedy in Six Unnatural Acts, and the French musician Christine and the Queens (who I unsurprisingly now have a major crush on). While I follow a pretty decent amount of lesbian Instagram accounts, @onyour.knees stands out from the rest. It’s not just a fan account for Kristen Stewart photoshoots and Cate Blanchett’s latest movie, it’s a genuine archive of queer history.
Because my infatuation with @onyour.knees grew so quickly, I knew I wanted to speak with Lola Trifunovic, the brains behind the account, for my first Sohm Body interview. Trifunovic is an LA-based J.D. candidate who’s been scouring the internet for queer content for nearly a decade. Those years of screen time paid off, as @onyour.knees has gained a following of over 50k sapphics, though virality wasn’t necessarily what Trifunovic was aiming for. Like all best forms of art, @onyour.knees has always been, and will always be, purely for shits and giggles… and educational purposes.
Tell me a bit about yourself!
I am a law student with a concentration in entertainment law and working as an intern at an entertainment law firm on production legal for films! My hobbies include reading a lot of books, watching a lot of films, and being very online (mostly researching). Besides researching for my page, I am a research assistant for a Mass Media Law review paper. Also, I am an editor of the Journal of International Media and Entertainment Law, which is the leading entertainment law journal in the country! I also love to travel and am specifically in love with London.
You’ve been posting with @onyour.knees since September 2020. What inspired you to start this account?
I started this account because I needed a place to keep all the images I loved. I would compare it to buying a nice wooden box to keep your marbles in. I did not intend to show those marbles to anyone, but I didn’t mind when people also shared an interest and passion in those images. So, I accidentally gained a following and kept digging and posting all the marbles of queer culture I found in the depths of the internet.
How did you come up with the handle?
It was a quick and horny decision when I did not know anyone would ever follow it. It is definitely inspired by BDSM and queerness.
How long have you been interested in queer archives?
Since I realized I was gay at 15, I was chronically online finding everything I could that related to it. It started on Tumblr with the endless scrolling and now I have found my way into all sorts of strange platforms and sites. Although, I only post on Instagram.
I have to say this is one of the most in-depth archives of lesbian/queer content I’ve seen. Where do you find these images and sources?
In the depths of the internet sometimes. Sometimes on the surface. Abandoned Facebook accounts, deleted eBay listings, archives from academic institutions to archives from less conventional, more interesting creators.
How would you describe this account?
Damp.
Do you have a favorite post you’ve made?
I could never pick.
Do you have a favorite piece of queer pop culture?
My favorite queer movies are Salmonberries, Tár, 52 Tuesdays, High Art, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire. My favorite queer books are Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence, Stone Butch Blues, Giovanni’s Room, and The Monkey’s Mask. My favorite queer musicians are Amy Ray, Christine and the Queens, Ferron, Brandi Carlile, and Fever Ray.
Difficult question, but do you have a favorite individual who embodies queerness?
My partner.*
*This made me swoon.
What do you see for the future of @onyour.knees? Do you have a specific goal for the archive?
The only goal is for it to remain my wooden box of marbles and not have it get deleted like it so often is threatened by Instagram.
Has building the archive changed your perspective on queerness or sexuality?
[I’ve realized] how so much of our history has been erased or hidden and how I want to resurface as much as I can.
How do you like to educate yourself on queer matters/history?
Movies, books, and digging on the internet for a really long time.
Is your research more of a personal interest or is this something you’ve studied for educational or professional use?
Never professional, never for any money, and only as my wooden box.
Do you hope to build a community with @onyour.knees? Is this community purely virtual or do you think it fosters in-person experiences?
This is something I have considered, to bring it to being in real life. The community is pretty large on the page so there is a lot of potential.
A big thank you to Lola for taking the time to answer my questions and for sharing with the world the genius that is @onyour.knees!! If you don’t already, follow this account, all the cool kids are doing it.
And as always, thank you for reading this week’s Sohm Body. Kisses <3