1 minute read
Spotlight On Corey Williams
Spotlight On Corey Williams
Meet the drag entertainer who uses makeup and drag as a way to spread creativity and love.
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By Kaylee Duff
The radiant Anisa Love!
Name: Corey Williams / Anisa Love
Age: 40
Medium: All things skincare and cosmetics related
Kaylee: Why are makeup and drag — both of which are forms of art — important to you?
Corey: As a makeup artist, I am allowed to live a creative life and share my knowledge and skill set with the public. Drag is my art form of choice. Anisa allows me comfort on-stage. Drag is my therapy. Drag is my home. Having done drag for almost 20 years, I have watched the times change. The political stance of having drag in the forefront is more prevalent than ever!
Kaylee: Who or what inspires your craft?
Corey: My mother inspires me. Pop culture inspires me. Looking back into the ’90s makes my spirit happy. Justice and equality inspire me.
Kaylee: How did you get started? What was your beginning?
Corey: I was a professional singer and dancer for years and naturally got drawn to other creatives. I ended up choreographing for a couple of drag queens, Lorayne Love and Virginia West. Which led to a dare of putting me in drag ONE TIME. Which has led to doing drag for 19 years and counting!
Corey Williams at Anisa Love.
Kaylee: Do you have a favorite makeup or drag memory?
Corey: All things that Kevyn Aucoin touched; he is my makeup guide! I have also done some amazingly fun jobs as Anisa. I started a charity to raise money for wigs for children going through radiation treatment. In a few weeks, I am speaking at Harvard University on nonverbal communication and gender, thanks to my participation in a documentary called Kings, Queens & In-betweens.
Kaylee: If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
Corey: Ham! Chili! My mother’s fried chicken! Basically everything that can clog my arteries.
