LOOK AT ME I’M WORTH SOMETHING I’M WORTH SOMETHING
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Copyright Š 2015 Phylandra McFaddin All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or in any means – by electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise with-out prior written permission. Printed in the Unitede States of America.
LOOK AT ME I’M WORTH SOMETHING Phylandra McFaddin
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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DAN PRETTY GIRL STEPHEN ANN ARTIST AFTERWORD I’M WORTH SOMETHING
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DAN
With his lanky limbs hanging from his 6’4’’ body, his feet living
comfortablely in his worn out black low top Doc Martens, grey cut off slim shorts, and a stained floral short sleeve button down shirt, he appears to be a very interesting character. Daniel Hart, 25, spends most of his days working at McGlinchey’s Bar, located in Centery City, Philadelphia, Pa. Walking into this quaint bar, you can tell that most of the customers are regulars and are ready for there 11AM ritual beer. After have bartended there for five years, Hart has seniority and is able to do whatever he pleases, including working on creating a new mask for his upcoming drag queen shows.
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PRETTY GIRL
“I’m not like, ‘Oh look at me, I’m real pretty,’ that’s where the whole
pretty girl thing came from… its actually terrifying, sometimes I’m scared, myself,” Hart explains. It all started one Halloween, when he put a panty hose over his head, threw some paint across his face and said, “I’m a pretty girl!” When Hart first started to participate in shows, “the real drag queens” wouldn’t let him into the show, even if he had a gig. They would tell to take his face off. They didn’t understand his purpose of wearing the mask. Hart has been what he calls a, “drag terrorist,” for about three years now. He considers Pretty Girl, Ann Artist, and Luna Lavey, “Drag Terrorists,” because they are the misfits, who do the weird and messy performances. For example, for one performance Ann Artist peed in a cup on stage and then drank it.
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He considers himself to be a very anxious person and someone who
never wanted to be in the spotlight. He just wanted some new excitement in his life. He was tired of going out every weekend doing the same stuff with the same people in the Gayborhood. Once he put the mask on, Hart, said, “The gays would be like, ‘What the Fuck,” now they’re like ‘Yassss Pretty Girl Yassss.” He believes that when people don’t understand something, they get angry, and automatically don’t like it. His goal is to make them understand by performing in a way that will make them feel something they’re not use to. “People have been coming up to be telling me, ‘You’ve made me feel something different, something weird.’ That’s what I love. It’s not supposed to actually make sense... I like being the different one,” Hart said.
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STEPHEN
You can feel Stephen’s presence radiating throughout the room before
you even walk in. His chiseled bone structure, outrageous style, his tall and skinny frame, and lively smile capture the eyes of everyone. When he isn’t working at Urban Outfitters, he says he “explores the world and its’ realities.” He then takes his new philosophical ideas and turns it into art. He feels like a social outcast every day of his life. “I believe in numerology. My numerology number is one, it’s just a natural thing for me to be an outcast.” Although he feels lonely at times, he embraces the fact that he is different and capable of bringing different perspectives to different situations. “It makes me feel powerful and lonely at the same time.”
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ANN ARTIST
“I came out at 19, went through an essentialism crisis...Why do I exist?
What am I here for?” He wanted to do something that would make him happy and also make a little money, so he decided to enter the drag world. His mom really supported his decision and even helped him out by providing him with supplies, such as wigs. “When I was younger, she caught me in a bustier. So it wasn’t a surprise that I wanted to dress in women’s clothing.” Quick said. Although, his dad, who is from a military and football background, was very uncomfortable with his son’s decision to become a drag queen. Luckily, now he fully supports and respects Stephen’s decision to be Ann Artist.
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He never felt like he was worthy of calling himself an artist, because he
lacked a professionally trained background. Quick said that his stage name is Ann Artist “so that the world stresses me how I see myself in my heart… to quote Socrates, ‘be as you wish to seem.’” Quick, 23, has been performing for three years. He does very dramatic and weird performances. “[Regular drags] didn’t get it,” Quick said they would constantly tell him, ‘I don’t get what you’re doing, that’s weird, you’re not pretty, and you’re not doing a Beyoncé song.’” “I really just want to connect with at least one person in the audience.” Once he makes his connection, he feeds off the energy, which allows him to feel more open on stage, allowing him to be himself.
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AFTERWORD
Alongside Pretty Girl and Ann Artist, there are many other drag
queens and burlesque dancers who partake in the eccentric, nontraditional, “ugly hot” performances. This book is dedicated to the people who go outside their comfort zones and who aren’t afraid of being different. The following images show moments of Keveline Squish, more or less, paying homage to Frida Kahlo, Dena Colada being a sex kitten and a part-time history teacher, and Margot Go being as bad to the bone as possible. Lower your expectations because this isn’t what you think it is.
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