My Mama was a Showgirl

I have always been drawn to feathers, fringe, sequins and rhinestones. I thought that was just part of being a girl, until about eight years ago, my Mama came to Los Angeles for a visit, which happened to coincide with a burlesque show in which I was performing. I was wracked with nerves, never having shaked, shimmied, and twirled (in various stages of undress) in front of my Mother. And from looking through the curtains, I could see that she was nervous, too, putting down the Cosmos like she was starring in her own episode of Sex and the City.

We got through the night, my Mama and me, and on the way home in the car, she confessed that she had once been a Las Vegas Showgirl. I almost crashed our car into a city bus. “YOU WHAT!?!” Was my first response, then came, “But where are all your costumes??? And why has it taken you this long to tell me?” In the next vodka-fueled two hour conversation, I learned that my dear old Ma had danced at Circus-Circus and the Tropicana in the early 70s, but had buried that part of her past when she started a family. It was a different time; one in which being a showgirl wasn’t seen as empowering and artistic, but rather indecent and scandalous. She didn’t keep those costumes, but rather chose to forget that part of her past… until now. Never had I been more convinced that I am my Mother’s daughter., and that the glittered-prop apple doesn’t fall far from the papier mache tree…

And so it is with great joy that I am able to pay homage to the glamor of showgirls past, which couldn’t have been more evident in last night’s shoot:

These are just a few shots taken with my phone camera… to see the real photo spread that Miss Amelia shot, visit my Shows + Events page. And please join us from 5-8pm, on Sunday, April 1st at the Volstead for Dr. Sketchy’s for drinkin’ and drawin’ the dazzling Drea DiPrete!