The Frisky: You were crowned the Queen of Burlesque: Miss Exotic World, won “Best Body” at the New York Burlesque Fest two years in a row, and are now all the rage in the V Size Issue. Are you ever surprised by the attention your shape gets?
Dirty Martini: Always surprised! Lately, I’m surprised when people aren’t open to it. When I started, people were really more than accepting, they were excited about me. Like last night, I did this show at the Bubble Lounge and this guy who had never seen burlesque before was like, “You’re even more sexy than some of the women who are more acceptable by today’s standards.” And I was like, “Yeeeeah! Thanks.”
The Frisky: Do you think that your size has helped or hindered your career?
DM: I think that it’s shaped it. I think it’s funny, because I started out with Juli Atlas Muz and Tigger, and [World Famous] Bob and so, if you think about the way we’ve filtered into the popular consciousness, nobody’s ever talked about body positive image crap when they talk about Juli. They talk about the art she makes. On the other hand, I can’t be mentioned without there being some talk of my size. So, in a way it’s limiting, and in a way it’s created a platform.
The Frisky: By that same token, do you feel that having a V magazine Size Issue separates you or ingrains you in our lexicon of models?
DM: Well, it’s funny because when you mention the Shape Issue or something involving shape, nobody ever thinks there’s going to be a thin person in the magazine. [Laughs] Actually there is a major range of sizes of the people that are in the issue, which I think is really great. But I also think it’s ghettoizing people with curves to put them all [separate] in one issue. It’s like, I don’t want to do a burlesque show that’s all about curvy women. I want to have a range of sizes because I think that makes sense.
The Frisky: So, what made you agree to be in the issue? The lure of Lagerfeld?
DM: You know, I don’t mind doing the V Shape Issue, even though nobody told me that’s what it was when I went to do the shoot. I thought, Oh my God, how amazing they picked me to work with Karl Lagerfeld. How interesting! I had no idea that it was going to be a full issue about plus-sized women. Then I was like, Oh, that figures! I was kind of upset 'cause I thought, Wouldn’t it be nice if they just chose me to do this editorial out of the blue?
