Today we’d like to introduce you to Piper Daily.
Hi Piper, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Like many performers out there, I got into burlesque to discover something about myself. I had just gotten away from an extremely toxic relationship with someone who left me as a shell of a woman. I lost interest in everything I once enjoyed. I had known about burlesque for years, but never thought it was something I could do. For a long time there had been little to representation of plus sized performers in the Burly world. They were out there, but didn’t get the recognition they deserved.
I had been following a local performer at the time that I greatly admired and saw that she was offering burlesque classes. I was emotionally at rock bottom so I figured, “why not?” I had nothing to lose and went into it with no expectations. Well, as it turned out, I was pretty good. So I took the next round of classes, eventually began working in a local show as merch girl/stage kitten, and also working on my first solo act. The train got rolling and it’s still going strong.
Getting to where I am today was SO MUCH work and emotional labor. People see the costumes & the glamour, but rarely know about the business side of the fantasy we sell onstage. But I was trained well in the beginning. And I continue to learn every day.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Not smooth at all. This road is much harder for someone who is plus sized, disabled, BIPOC, or anything else not slim and “traditionally attractive”. It has been an emotional rollercoaster, but after a few years of constant disappointment, I finally understood that I needed to be the change I wanted to see in the world. I stopped being intimidated by my more established peers and got to know them. I learned even more about business, stage presence, and keeping my head in the game despite the outside drama.
Until recently, I was the only plus sized performer actively working in Houston. That alone was hard. I knew I was being booked for my talent, but there was always a feeling of “am I the token fat girl?” In the spirit of being the change I wanted to see, I persisted. I kept working and now we have more thicc girls on our stages in Houston.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a burlesque performer, producer, instructor, and consultant. I produce a show at House of Blues-Houston in The Foundation Room called H-Town Tease. I also currently teach various burlesque classes and workshops at Silk Studio Houston.
I am known for quite a few things, from what I hear! My tassel twirling, my Mae West attitude on stage, my ever-present professionalism, and for being someone other curvy folks can look up to. It makes an enormous difference to be able to see someone that looks like you doing the thing you want to do. If it wasn’t for performers like Dirty Martini (New York, NY) and Chola Magnolia (Austin, TX) claiming their space on stage & demanding to be seen, I wouldn’t have the confidence to do what I do. Or wear tiny panties!
For what I’m most proud of…. One would assume it would be my production, H-Town Tease. While I am immensely proud of HTT and all the work I put into it, I am truly most proud of my relationships and friendships. It is hard to make quality friends in entertainment, but I keep a small circle of trusted and respected peers. People who I can call on for opinions, advice, or a safe venting session. Not many people can say that in our world.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I was originally going to be a funeral director and embalmer. It was my first love and I still have a special place in my heart for mortuary science. I attended and graduated mortuary college, but the job market was practically nonexistent for a 19 year old woman with no real life experience. Back then, it was still a heavily male dominated industry and try as I might, I couldn’t land an apprenticeship. After two years of nonstop trying, my testing time frames expired and I couldn’t afford to retake the tests….womp womp.
Maybe one day I’ll find my way back to it. I still read up on trends in the industry, law changes, collect books on the subject, and also lovingly creep the pages of friends that are actively in the industry. Gifts having to do with funerals and mortuary science are ALWAYS welcomed.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/piper_daily | www.instagram.com/htowntease
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/PiperDailyHTX
Image Credits
Showgirl Studios
Sheridan Original
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