Amanda Lepore is an American model, singer, and

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

ist. A former

Club Kid The Club Kids were a group of young New York City dance club personalities popularized by Michael Alig, James St. James, Julie Jewels, Astro Erle, Michael Tronn, DJ Keoki, and Ernie Glam in the late 1980s, and throughout the 1990s would grow to ...

, she has appeared in advertising for numerous companies. Lepore is noted as a regular subject in photographer

David LaChapelle David LaChapelle (born March 11, 1963) is an American photographer, music video director and film director. He is best known for his work in fashion, photography, which often references art history and sometimes conveys social messages. His pho ...

's work, serving as his muse, as well as many other photographers, such as

Terry Richardson Terrence Richardson (born August 14, 1965) is an American fashion and portrait photographer. He has shot advertising campaigns for Marc Jacobs, Aldo, Supreme, Sisley, Tom Ford, and Yves Saint Laurent among others, and also done work for ma ...

and Ruben van Schalm. She participated in LaChapelle's ''Artists and Prostitutes 1985–2005'' exhibit in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where she "lived" in a

voyeur Voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions of a private nature. The term comes from the French ''voir'' which means "to see". ...

istic life-sized set.Williford, Daniel (2009)
Queer Aesthetics.
''Borderlands'', Vol. 8. No.2. Lepore has released several singles, many written by and/or recorded with

Cazwell Luke Caswell, known mononomously as Cazwell, is an American rapper, record producer and songwriter. He has released the three studio albums '' Get Into It'' in 2006, ''Watch My Mouth'' in 2009 and ''Hard 2 B Fresh'' in 2014, along with videos and ...

. In 2011, she released her debut studio album, ''I...Amanda Lepore'', on Peace Bisquit.

Early life

Amanda grew up in the Essex County community of

Cedar Grove, New Jersey Cedar Grove is a township in north central Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 12,411, reflecting an increase of 111 (+0.9%) from the 12,300 counted in the 2000 Census, w ...

, with one sibling, an older brother. Her father was an

Italian-American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...

chemical engineer, and her mother was a

German-American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...

housewife. Her mother had

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social w ...

and spent much time in mental institutions. Lepore later wrote that "Ever since I can first remember, I knew I was a girl. I couldn't understand why my parents were dressing me up in boys' clothing. I thought they were insane." When she was 15-years old, Lepore befriended a

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...

dancer named Bambi. Lepore then started making costumes for Bambi in exchange for female hormones. Having already grown isolated from her peers and schooling, her parents withdrew her from public school and hired a private tutor. They also took her to a

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the pre ...

, who helped her obtain a prescription to begin hormone therapy. At the age of 17, and through a legal loophole, Lepore married a male bookstore owner. She was granted permission for

gender affirmation surgery Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a transgender or transsexual person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their identified gender, and al ...

, which she had at age 19 in

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as en ...

. Lepore later left her husband. In 1989, she relocated to New York City. In the early 1990s, Lepore tried to establish herself as a nightlife figure (including being a member of the

Club Kids The Club Kids were a group of young New York City dance club personalities popularized by Michael Alig, James St. James, Julie Jewels, Astro Erle, Michael Tronn, DJ Keoki, and Ernie Glam in the late 1980s, and throughout the 1990s would grow to i ...

). She supported herself by working in a

nail salon A nail salon or nail bar is a specialty beauty salon establishment that primarily offers nail care services such as manicures, pedicures, and nail enhancements. Often, nail salons also offer skin care services. Manicures are also offered by ge ...

, as a

dominatrix A dominatrix (; ) or femdom is a woman who takes the dominant role in BDSM activities. A dominatrix can be of any sexual orientation, but this does not necessarily limit the genders of her submissive partners. Dominatrices are known for inflic ...

, and later as a cosmetics salesgirl for

Patricia Field Patricia Field (born February 12, 1942) is an American costume designer, stylist and fashion designer. Early life Field was born in 1942 in New York City to an Armenian father and a Greek mother, who emigrated from Plomari, Lesbos, Greece. ...

. After meeting photographer

one evening while hosting at Bowery Bar, she began collaborating with him.

Modeling and acting

Lepore has appeared in fashion magazines, including ''

French Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'', '' Ponytail'', ''

DAMn Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment and torment in an afterlife for actions that were committed, or in some cases, not committed on Earth. In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, citizens would recite t ...

'' and '' TUSH''. She is on the cover of

Lords of Acid Lords of Acid is a Belgian/American electronic dance music (EDM) group led by musician Praga Khan. They are best known for making songs with sexual lyrics and sexually explicit tracks, such as their hit " Pussy". History Lords of Acid deb ...

's 1999 album ''

Expand Your Head ''Expand Your Head'' is a compilation album from Belgian electronic dance music band Lords of Acid. Consisting mostly of remixes, three of the album's sixteen tracks were new compositions. Several of the remixes included on ''Expand Your Head ...

'' and on

Thighpaulsandra Timothy Lewis – best known by the stage name Thighpaulsandra – is a Welsh experimental musician and multi-instrumentalist, known mostly for performing on synthesizers and keyboards. He began his career working with Julian Cope in the late 1 ...

's 2006 album '' The Lepore Extrusion''. Because of her association with the

, Lepore had a cameo in the documentary '' Party Monster: The Shockumentary'' (1998) and the feature film '' Party Monster'' (2003). She can be seen briefly in the fashion spoof comedy ''

Zoolander ''Zoolander'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by and starring Ben Stiller. The film contains elements from a pair of short films directed by Russell Bates and written by Drake Sather and Stiller for the '' VH1 Fashion Awards'' television ...

'' (2001). She was featured in the documentary '' Dig!'' (2004) and in '' Another Gay Sequel'' (2008). In 2016, Lepore had a major role in '' José André Sibajas film '' The Zanctuary'', where she played a drug dealer called Miss Divine. Other cast members included

Joey Arias Joey Arias is an American artist based in New York City, best known for work as a performance artist, cabaret singer, and drag artist, but also as a published author, comedian, stage persona and film actor. He also goes by the names Joseph Ar ...

and Sophia Lamar, with whom she also appeared in 2018 documentary ''I Hate New York'' from Spanish director Gustavo Sanchez. Lepore has had cameos in

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

s for artists including

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

Thalía Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda (; born 26 August 1971), known mononymously as Thalía, is a Mexican singer and actress. Referred to as the " Queen of Latin Pop", she is considered one of the most successful and influential Mexican artists. Havi ...

The Dandy Warhols The Dandy Warhols are an American alternative rock band, formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1994 by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström. They were later joined by keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford. H ...

Girl in a Coma Girl In a Coma was an American indie rock band from San Antonio, Texas, United States, formerly on Joan Jett's Blackheart Records label. The band consisted of Nina (vocals/guitar), Phanie Diaz (drums) and Jenn Alva ( bass). The name is a refe ...

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a model, singer and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for ...

, Keanan Duffty,

Sharon Needles Sharon Needles (born November 28, 1981) is the stage name of Aaron R. Coady, an American drag performer and recording artist. A self-described "stupid genius, reviled sweetheart, and PBR princess", Needles rose to international attention on the ...

, TIGA (for his cover of "

Sunglasses at Night "Sunglasses at Night" is a song by Canadian singer Corey Hart. It was released on January 21, 1984 as the first single from his debut album, 1983's ''First Offense'', and became a hit single in the United States, officially rising to number 7 on ...

"), and the alt rock band

The Drums The Drums are an American indie pop band from New York City. Formation Founding members Jonathan (Jonny) Pierce and Jacob Graham became friends as children, having met at Bible camp at age 11 or 12. Some years later, they formed a short-lived ...

(for "Days"). Lepore appears in many of

's music videos, including "Watch my Mouth" and "All Over Your Face". She was Chief of Parade at the 2010

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or Sydney Mardi Gras is an event in Sydney, New South Wales attended by hundreds of thousands of people from around Australia and overseas. One of the largest such festivals in the world, Mardi Gras is the ...

in Australia.

Book

On April 18, 2017, Lepore released her autobiography, ''Doll Parts''. It was co-written with Thomas Flannery Jr. and published through Regan Arts. The book features numerous pictures of Amanda by photographers such as David LaChapelle, Tina Paul, Josef Jasso, Rob Lebow (who photographed the cover), and Joey Falsetta.

Music

Lepore's first single, "Deeper," was a 2003 trance dance song written by

Wigstock Wigstock was an annual outdoor drag festival that began in 1984 in Manhattan's East Village that took place on Labor Day. Continuing, with a few gaps, until 2005, the festival would traditionally act as the unofficial end to the summer for the ...

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part of ...

Lady Bunny.

Page Six The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established i ...

(July 10, 2003)
How Lopez lost ''Vogue'' cover.
''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'' In 2005, Lepore released her first album, ''Introducing... Amanda Lepore'', which contained "Champagne" and "My Hair Looks Fierce". In 2007, she released two remix albums, ''Fierce Pussy'' and ''My Pussy E.P.'' Lepore performed the main title for ''

Another Gay Movie ''Another Gay Movie'' is a 2006 American romantic comedy film directed by Todd Stephens. It follows four gay friends, Andy, Jarod, Nico and Griff, who vow upon graduating high school that they will all lose their " anal virginity" before their fri ...

'', "I Know What Boys Like" and "Cotton Candy" from the soundtrack of '' Another Gay Sequel''.Monroe, Kennidi (December 22, 2008)
Interview: Season Finale, with Amanda Lepore.
''TrannyTalk 101'' Lepore was a part of

True Colors Tour 2007 True Colors was an annual music event created by American recording artist Cyndi Lauper. The concerts were headlined by Lauper and featured various music and comedy acts. Beginning in 2007, the trek supported the Human Rights Campaign, PFLAG and ...

, a 15-city North American benefit tour sponsored by the

Logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wo ...

channel, hosted by comedian

Margaret Cho Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American comedian, actress, LGBT social activist, and musician. She is known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially regarding race and se ...

and headlined by

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

. The tour benefited the

Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for ...

, PFLAG and the

Matthew Shepard Matthew Wayne Shepard (December 1, 1976 – October 12, 1998) was a gay American student at the University of Wyoming who was beaten, tortured, and left to die near Laramie on the night of October 6, 1998. He was taken by rescuers to Pou ...

Foundation, and it included

Erasure Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a membe ...

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

The Gossip Gossip (or The Gossip) was an American indie rock band formed in Searcy, Arkansas, originally active from 1999 until 2016. For most of their career, the band consisted of singer Beth Ditto, multi-instrumentalist Brace Paine, and drummer Hannah ...

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded 10 studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical operas and set ...

, The Dresden Dolls, The MisShapes,

Rosie O'Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American comedian, television producer, actress, author, and television personality. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series '' Star Search'' ...

Indigo Girls Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The two met in elementary school and began performing together as high school students in Decatur, Georgia, part o ...

, The Cliks, and other special guests. In 2009, Lepore performed at the

Majestic Theatre Majestic Theatre or Majestic Theater may refer to: Australia * Majestic Theatre, Adelaide, former name of a theatre in King William Street, Adelaide, built 1916, now demolished * Majestic Theatre, Launceston, a former cinema in Tasmania designed ...

during Metro Pride Fest in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

with The Divas of the Majestic: A Divine Lites Productions and Founder, Electra Lites. In June 2011, Lepore released her full-length album ''I...Amanda Lepore'' at the Highline Ballroom with

Kat Deluna Kathleen Emperatriz DeLuna (born November 26, 1987) is an American singer. DeLuna began pursuing a career as a singer when she was a teenager and later signed with Epic Records. Her debut single, " Whine Up", released in 2007, went on to become ...

, Neon Hitch,

Ana Matronic Ana Kirby (; born August 14, 1974), known by her stage name Ana Matronic, is an American singer, best known as the female co-lead vocalist for the pop rock band Scissor Sisters. Career She joined Scissor Sisters, founded by Jake Shears and ...

, Jonté, and many others. Her debut full-length album ''I...Amanda Lepore'' was released in 2011 on Peace Bisquit.Visco, Gerry (June 29, 2011)
Bash Compactor: Golden Girl.
''

New York Press ''New York Press'' was a free alternative weekly in New York City, which was published from 1988 to 2011. The ''Press'' strove to create a rivalry with the '' Village Voice''. ''Press'' editors claimed to have tried to hire away writer Nat Hen ...

'' In 2013, her version of the Marilyn Monroe song " I Wanna Be Loved by You" was released through Peace Bisquit. In 2014, Lepore was featured on drag performer

' single, "I Wish I Were Amanda Lepore", and she guest starred in the music video for the track, depicting Needles as a fan obsessed with getting plastic surgery to look like her. In 2015, she collaborated with

Alek Sandar Aleksandar Nikolov ( bg, Александър Николов, born June 13, 1987), better known as Alek Sandar ( bg, Алек Сандър), is a music producer, songwriter and recording artist. Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, Alek Sandar has been rais ...

in his song "P.O.R.N.", even appearing in the cover of the single and in the music video. On July 31, 2015, she released the remix album ''I... Amanda Lepore – Make over sessions''. This album included 2 digital CDs that contained remixes of her first studio album ''I... Amanda Lepore'', released four years prior. On December 8, 2017, the song "Buckle Up" was released from her forthcoming EP ''Lepore.'', which was released on February 16, 2018. The EP contained four new songs: "Buckle Up", "My Panties", " The Jean Genie", and "

Too Drunk to Fuck "Too Drunk to Fuck" is the fourth single by Dead Kennedys. The record was released in May 1981 on Cherry Red Records with "The Prey" as the B-side. Both songs from this single are available on the rarities album '' Give Me Convenience or Give ...

Merchandise

In October 1999,

Swatch Swatch is a Swiss watchmaker founded in 1983 by Ernst Thomke, Elmar Mock, and Jacques Müller. It is a subsidiary of The Swatch Group. The Swatch product line was developed as a response to the "quartz crisis" of the 1970s and 1980s, in which ...

released "Time

Tranny ''Tranny'' is an offensive and derogatory slur for a transgender individual. During the early 2000s, there was some confusion and debate over whether the term was a pejorative, was considered acceptable, or a reappropriated term of unity and pr ...

", a watch designed by LaChapelle with Lepore on the face, which displays a printed crack on the glass and marble stripes as the background. A second version displays no cracked glass and a blue and yellow striped background. In April 2006, Integrity Toys launched an Amanda Lepore doll produced by

Jason Wu Jason Wu (; born September 27, 1982) is a Taiwanese-Canadian artist and fashion designer based in New York City. Born in Taiwan and raised in Vancouver, he studied fashion design at Parsons School of Design, and trained under Narciso Rodriguez ...

as a benefit for AIDS charities.Lopez, Vincent (May 9, 2006). Toys, p. 64. '' The Advocate'' Lepore has a line of cosmetics in partnership with CAMP Cosmetics, called "Collection Lepore", as well as a signature perfume.Iannacci, Elio (March 17, 2011)
The new transsexual chic.
''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian pers ...

Filmography

Television

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

Videography

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lepore, Amanda 1967 births Living people American people of German descent American people of Italian descent Club Kids Nightlife in New York City LGBT people from New Jersey People from Cedar Grove, New Jersey Transgender women musicians Transgender female models LGBT singers from the United States American women in electronic music Muses 21st-century LGBT people