Pinup: Stylish Irish
Where are you from? What is your background?
Hello, lovelies, I’m Stylish Irish. I’m a model, burlesque performer, gamer, business owner, and parent to one tenacious, soon-to-be teenager. I’ve been dancing and performing my entire life. If anything, I’m a sucker for anything that registers on my inner nerd radar, there are so many classic cars I wish I could just BREATHE near, and I never say no to tea.
What inspired you to become a model?
Art history and religion. I was raised in a very religious household and, under the radar, was introduced to Harry Potter, Dungeons & Dragons, and popular films by an uncle and a family friend starting at age six. With help, one thing led to another, and the next thing I bloody knew I was creating and modeling my first cosplay. That was when I was 12, but I have been a DM in Dungeons & Dragons since age eight. Can’t turn the creativity or nerd off in this Irish lass!
What are the pluses and minuses of modeling?
Let’s start with the minuses: creeps, unwanted behavior, and attention, fake gigs, so-called “photographers,” actually getting PAID to model, and the constant judgment plus the unwarranted comments ranging from, “Modeling isn’t a real job, you just get paid because you’re pretty,” all the way to comments that I dare not repeat because honestly? They are things I wouldn’t even say to my worst bloody enemy. However, when everyone has clear and open lines of communication, the art and photography that is created can be truly stunning when everyone is acting and behaving professionally. Safety first always!
The pluses of modeling: the satisfaction, accomplishment, endless wells of creativity to dive into and make a reality, and the love of the art.
Modeling isn’t just for the skinny, the confident, or only for celebrities. It’s for everyone of every size, always. Anyone, behind the camera or in front of it, who tells you otherwise? They don’t have your best interests as a creative at heart. I have had the pleasure of working with many photographers, creatives, and other artists throughout the years.
In recent years I’ve been very fortunate to network and collaborate with some truly amazing individuals in the entertainment industry. Not just photographers but other models, entertainers, digital artists, makeup experts, and prop designers. I have successfully helped several creatives get their first published work in magazines in the last few years and several just this year alone. Helping others is just in the Irish mentality. I hope it continues to be a part of the human mentality as well.
What performer or artist/writer inspires you the most?
I’m a big fan of author and writer Francesca Lia Block. Her books were some of the most magical, inspiring, and masterpieces of written words I’d ever read. Just her use of symbolism and coming-of-age viewpoints in her novels to the research and unique way of transporting you to a place that’s real. Through a perfect nostalgic kaleidoscope in a modern-vintage world with real magic, I’ll never forget how much her books inspired me. I also had the absolute bloody pleasure of getting Francesca’s permission to use one of her books as a prop in one of my burlesque routines a few years ago. I was beyond honored! Francesca’s out-of-this-world originality continues to inspire me every day to be exactly that: out-of-this-world original, but always myself. She’s such a bloody inspiration.
What other areas of art are you involved in?
Not only do I model, but as I mentioned I’m a burlesque performer as well. However, two of my biggest passions are dancing and performing, so when I discovered the world of cosplay? I thought I’d had an aneurysm and died, that’s how high on cloud nine this Irish lass was. I create all of my own cosplays, modeling outfits, and performance attire through thrifting, upcycling, and DIY. Then once I’m done with a photoshoot? I unmake it and put it back in my wardrobe. Whenever someone asks me what my favorite cosplay is, I have the perfect answer: The cosplay I have yet to create, so my answer is always a future cosplay.
Do you think your environment, where you live, has an effect on type of art you create?
I absolutely do. Being currently based in the birthplace of Route 66 most certainly affects some of my art. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad for business! I’ve been published multiple times this year and was even invited to be a beta- tester for an insider’s club at an international pinup magazine. No end of creativity and inspiration in this location and certainly no complaints from this Irish lass!
Never say no to positives as a business owner. When it comes to life, personal or business, I must be like a plant: Submit or adapt. I’m always adapting. Plus, I’m a business member of the Route 66 Association of Missouri. Helping to host and attend the annual Birthplace of Route 66 Festival, as well as riding in the classic car parade, was an absolute dream and I look forward to next year, as well as the annual classic car show. We had over 700 classics just in 2022!
What long term goals do you have?
To continue being the best version of myself that I can be every day, being a good role model to my child, inspiring others, and still enjoying all the jobs I do for a living. After all, when you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work! That’s one of the most rewarding feelings in the world. Knowing I do all this as a parent on top of being a non-profit business
What do you think popular culture will be like in ten years?
Popular culture is just that: Culture that is currently popular. Whether the latest trends be wearing a meat suit, dressing up as film icons from the 1980s, embracing veganism, or a musical version of the film Zoolander being made, the masses determine their influences and vice versa. So what will popular culture be like in 10 years? Let’s ask whoever is prevalent in Hollywood in 10 years, I’m sure they will be more than willing to tell us.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve been asked to do in your profession?
I don’t know about the strangest, but I performed burlesque at a retirement party… for a guy who didn’t know he was retiring. Apparently, I was the entertainment distraction to gloss over the fact his family was forcing him to retire because he was a micromanager, older than Methuselah, refused to see a doctor, hated women over 40 except his wife, lost a yacht in a card game, stole seven gnomes from an orphanage, and drank two bottles of red wine at every company meeting and meal. I learned all this information in one five-minute rant from his sloshed wife who tipped me quite handsomely and thanked me for putting up with their drunkenness. I’m Irish, no judgment, plus I was paid. Still, though, it was rather odd.
What projects are you working on now?
I’m always working on photoshoots, outfits, and routines, but on top of being a business owner, I’m also auditioning for 12 events that will occur in the next 2 years as a model and performer. Currently, I’m rehearsing and filming my virtual auditions for several events, but one of the biggest events I am bloody ecstatic about is A Fantasy Ball by Eudantria Events. While you dance the evening away, you will also be assisting an incredibly important mission: to aid those who have suffered domestic abuse and our veterans. https://www.afantasyball.com/
It will take place in February 2024 in Houston, Texas at the historic and beautiful Chateau Cocomar. It will truly be a night of magic and wonder. A Fantasy Ball will be an event for those who love the worlds beyond our own, plus it will be full of a divine display of libations, delicious delicacies, and unforgettable entertainment to help aid some of the most vulnerable and often forgotten members of our society. I hope to be chosen as one of the dancers auditioning for A Fantasy Ball and have the honor of being a part of such an amazing, important event.
