“BURLESQUE HEALED ME”

GROWING UP, ALL I wanted to do was dress up and act out my favourite fairy tales. My love of dressing up never subsided. I was mesmerised by the exaggerated female characters I’d see in old cartoons such as Bugs Bunny. That kind of sultry, unapologetic femininity appealed to me. But I didn’t know I was at the start of a lifelong calling.

I grew up in Australia in a strict, religiousbut the congregation found my interpretation too sassy and dancing was promptly banned.