Today we’d like to introduce you to Lady Mekaella DeMure.
Lady Mekaella, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As Cliche as it sounds, I was a rebellious little feminist in the making despite a VERY Conservative British upbringing. A childhood love of old films like “Lady Of Burlesque,” “Gyspy” “Zeigfeld Girl” & “Funny Girl” led to me becoming a theatre student (and later four year theatre major) but was constantly met with “You’re a talented and fantastic actress but you need to lose weight and get a nose job” far too many times than I could count. I cosplayed as a teen and even picked up other nightlife entertainment skills along the way, as performers do, like fire eating/performing, stilwalking and gogo dancing. Then I stumbled onto burlesque gigs around ‘09 or ‘10. The transition away from theatre was easy as it was still the flash & storytelling, with the by-women-for-women industry and a rich feminist history plus the vaudeville roots I was yearning for.
I combined all of my skills from 15+ years of being on stage and backstage, with my cosplay hobby skills for costuming I just fell into this pleasant niche of Nerdlesque. It all really just fell into place once I realized I had purpose in this industry. The first time a woman came up to me after a show, braving the smell of fuel and soot my fire pasties give off, and thanked me, saying “I saw my body on stage, in you I saw myself, that made me feel good. Like, sexy. Thank you”
IT JUST CLICKED.
I cried. I ugly cried all the way home. And this kept happening more and more and it really fueled my fire, pun fully intended.
In every art except burlesque, I had never seen women who looked like me be empowered and sexy, unless it was the punchline of a man’s joke or a display of villainizing women as “wicked beings”. I had never seen myself as attractive and here was the opportunity to not only be a storyteller, reclaiming my bodily agency & gaining confidence without compromise in the process, but to do my part in representation for audiences who needed to see openly Queer, curvy, non conforming, nerdy women onstage doing things only reserved for those who didn’t upset the status quo. Then when I started producing, I took it the next step. In small towns that, for the most part, had never heard of “Burlesque” or had forgotten what “Vaudeville” was, I was putting on shows that featured every race, gender, and body type I could book on my stages. To make a long story short; Producing helped me grow as a performer tenfold on and offstage whereas gaining a bigger platform as an entertainer helped me do more good as a smalltime activist using my privilege to help others. Whether it’s for artists getting paid properly, or sex workers’ rights or lgbtq+ rights and so on and so on. I just keep trying to grow as an artist, while still trying to make a difference, learning to find that balance. Now I travel as far as LA, New Orleans, and as far south as Miami doing my craft and being unapologetically authentic for those that can’t be.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I always love encouraging new talent but I also have to be realistic. To be honest, I paid a price to be who I am where I am today and I haven’t even reached my final form yet, so to speak. There is a huge stigma about women being sexual, sensual, openly queer and our authentic selves. And how dare we profit from it! The scandal! And the societal misogyny runs truly deep; frankly, I know first hand. When I was outed to my family, there was a lot of contempt, slurs and slutshaming thrown at me before being disowned for disgracing the “good family name.” I’ve lost jobs/opportunities, friends, and relationships. I had to defend both my burlesque shows and the Vagina Monologues at City Hall from sexism silencing women’s artistic expression. Don’t even get me started on the unwelcome online harassment & cyberbullying you experience regularly… and on top of that it’s still hard work. It’s not all glam & glitter; it’s blisters, blood, sweat, tears, fire fuel & even fake blood stains. The first thing I tell newbies of any gender when they come into our industry is that it’s not going to be easy. No one will hold your hand through everything as showbiz is indeed a business, and be prepared to have angry old men force you to fight them at city hall because they want to shut you down (True Story, and yes, darlings you CAN win!). You will fight a lot of battles, but don’t forget that you are a warrior queen!
What else should we know?
Oh wow, I guess I am called “The Fangirl With Fangirls” and introduced often as Florida’s Naked Nerd because my most well known acts are nerdlesque based. Which is still mind-boggling to me that I even have fangirls and it be notable enough to be a tagline. It also so unreal still that my two most fun acts both won awards/titles: My Mad King George act (Inspired by Johnathan Groffs performance in Hamilton that parodies my British heritage) and my Connie the Hormone Monstress parody act (a body and sex-positive act in the form of the Big Mouth character giving a sex-ed lesson)….I also have fans on social media thanks to my Anastasia parody act, where I recreated the “Once Upon a December” transformation dress effect with an onstage quick-change that went a little smidge viral, as I am told.
I love traditional vaudeville too since I love recreating history with my own neo twist, like with my fire-eating stripteases and bed of nails acts. I love paying homage to the amazing history of showgirls that came before me, that paid far worse prices than I, and keeping that history moving forward with our generation.
But I think Nerdlesque is what i’m known for most, besides fire burlesque. And I am so grateful I can use that to keep pushing the envelope as a feminist artist.
What advice would you give to someone at the start of their career?
Stick to your career and know that no one can take your art/fire away, because your craft/career won’t decide to wake up one day and decide it doesn’t love you anymore.
It’s not wrong to put yourself first. To keep to your goals, as a woman it’s revolutionary. You are a living, breathing rebellion from a society where our only job is to marry rich.
But understand it’s a lot of nights not home, missing holidays, birthdays, and special life events from friends, beloved pets, and family. You spend more time in transportation than onstage and most of that time offstage you wear so many hats. You are your own receptionist/agent, marketing team, costumer, wig stylist, makeup artist, sound tech, prop builder, and sometimes security.
I also constantly tell nerdlesque babies and vaudeville budding stars to know their worth, stand by it, charge going rates, and if you are lucky enough to find the community within your areas industry, stay connected to it, appreciate that community, as that network keeps us safe and establishes stability so you can thrive together and no one takes advantage of you as local struggling artists. Don’t let anyone profit off your art while they offer you tips and drink ticket, you are worth more.
Darlings, you are worth the world and your art is valid!!!! I can not stress that enough. You are worth it! And not everyone will respect that or respond well to that, and that’s *fine*… That’s not the gig for you, go where your value is respected.
Not everyone will be kind, but you may find a new family backstage, within your industry’s community should it exist, I know I got VERY lucky. I would not be who I am without the support system I have stumbled upon over the years.
Artists are always growing, improving… Evolving, like Pokemon. It takes work.
But It will be worth it. Every time you get to perform, every time you pay a bill or months rent by doing what your craft, every time you have an impact on someone or just entertain someone, it is worth it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ladymekaellademure.com
- Email: ladymekaellademure@gmail.com
- Instagram: @LadyMekaella
- Facebook: @LadyMekaellaDeMure
- Twitter: @Lady_Mekaella
- Other: TikTOK: @LadyMekaella
Image Credit:
Bo Bradshaw Photography, Justin Drain Photography, EPBOT, Anne Marie Bolet Photography, Rok Solid Images, Three Little Birds Photography, Gary Wiley Photography
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