Lillian is exactly our kind of girl, as you'll discover below... beautiful, sexy, talented and sharing the same interests as us! Here's another nominee to our Adoptive Daughters list!
1) Can you share with us a bit about your background and any info about your ethnic heritage?
I am a Los Angeles native and I grew up in the San Fernando Valley. My family all hails from the south. I was told I have a very small amount of Native American heritage, but I haven’t investigated enough myself to know if that’s true.
2) When was it clear to you that you had an attraction to all things concerning alternative photography, especially pin-up visuals?
It’s funny because I’ve always loved looking at alternative photography and fashion. I’ve always been an alternative type of person, and in High School I would do lots of dark photography, so I think it was only a matter of time before it became an intricate part of my life. Pin-up has always been something I’ve adored. I realized that as a child my favorite movies that I admired were always classic films or set around the 50’s and 60’s… so it was bound to happen. :)
3) Is there a thin line between your modeling personality and your own private life?
It’s a fairly thin line. I do think that there always needs to be a difference between the two but I dress in classic vintage or rockabilly style most of the time, always when going out at the very least. I try to bring all the things I truly care about into my work because it gives me a closer connection and I feel more apart of the process than just being someone put into clothes to fit a certain look. I think that’s the main reason I haven’t done urban/street culture themed shoots, I have no real connection to that lifestyle.
4) Would you be interested in doing something with typical fetish wear (latex, rubber, leather, etc.)? And what could be an ideal bondage project for you?
I am very open to doing bondage shoots. I really admire the model Mosh, who’s becoming pretty big when it comes to fetish wear. I’m more into latex, than I am to rubber and leather but it really depends on what (and who) I’m working with. I’m a fan of restraint bondage. So my ideal project would probably involve latex and some form of chains, ropes and/or handcuffs. That would be pretty dandy for me to experience!
5) Do you think it’s doubly challenging in being a black model working in alternative themes? Why aren’t there more women of color featured in such themes, in your view?
I think it is extremely hard being a black model doing alternative themes! I’ve noticed in the UK it is much more widely accepted. Most people I’ve come across judge at first glance and think you just recently found out about some style and are trying to rip off what they care about. Once I meet the photographer and I blast them with my knowledge of things they wouldn’t necessarily think a black female would know (such as horror movies, metal or rockabilly music which I am extremely well versed on) ,they change their attitude very quickly and accept me. The hard part is getting the gig to show them who I really am.
As for why more black women aren’t featured in these themes, I really just think it comes from supply and demand. Also, I grew up in a kind of odd household. I spent most of my childhood reading Goosebumps books, watching the Sci-Fi channel (before it became Syfy :-P) and watching old television shows like ‘I Love Lucy’ and ‘The Addams Family’. I’ve been a fan of punk, rockabilly and metal since about 12, so I’ve always had closeness to the themes I work with and I think most people try to do that when they model. I can’t say that there are a lot of black women that grew up in the same kind of atmosphere.
6) Considering your fields of interest, you must have some favorite horror films that you adore, right? Care to name a few?
OH! I could name a billion, but I won’t do that to you. :-P My favorite horror/thriller movies of all time (in no particular order) are: Black Christmas (74), The Shinning, Fido, House of 1000 Corpses, Battle Royale, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (74), Re-Animator, 28 Days Later, Drag Me To Hell, Suicide Club, The Omen, Ringu… and lots more but I better stop here before I get out of hand. I also would like to point out that remakes totally SUCK!
7) Tell us a bit about your various experiences as a set designer and about your degree in film.
I’ve worked as a set designer, assistant director, script supervisor and held other various jobs in film. The main reason I became a set designer is because I love the hunt of finding weird or different things. I also collect lots of artwork and posters, which never hurts. I graduated with my Bachelors in 2007, and I plan to go for my masters this year. I love the feeling you get from being on set all day; being exhausted from shooting for 12 hours, coming home and getting up at 5am to do it all over again. It’s a painful process but it’s truly a magical experience seeing an audience laugh or get scared at that exact moment you wanted them to. I think that is why I love film as much as I adore music. It can provoke so many different feelings from people, and no two people are alike. So it is very challenging to try to create something a wide range of people can enjoy.
8) Will you get more tattoo work, in the future? What would you like to express more?
That’s a tough one! I do and I don’t. The thing is, original classic pin-ups didn’t have tattoos and there are so many girls now with sleeves and chest pieces that I feel it sometimes takes away from the beauty of pin-up itself. Some ladies however, (Sabina Kelley and Micheline Pitt come to mind) make that work FABULOUSLY. I have been thinking about getting a half sleeve for about 4/5 years now and I want it to be Halloween and Haunted Mansion themed, but I also don’t want to overdo it. I’d like to be published on my ability to pose and model, more so than because I have big boobs and 20,000 tattoos… which I’ve been seeing a lot of lately.
9) We just adore your witch pictures! Is Halloween your favorite time of the year? Did you ever follow acting classes to be able to play all this colorful characters?
I absolutely adore Halloween, and almost anything that has to do with it! ^_^ Year round Halloween stores are one my favorite places to visit. My house always has some Halloween decorations up year round, though I bring out all the stops in October.
I have taken a fair amount of acting classes and I was in drama in High School, but that was more because I really wanted to be able to sing and dance to Disney musicals like Julie Andrews, haha!
10) So wow… who says that at some point we won’t get to do something together? We’re in Montreal but maybe we could meet halfway at FetishCon in Florida, for example? You’re just our kinda girl! LOL
I would LOVE that! Since I have family over there, it would be pretty easy for me to hop on over… though I might need to come up with another reason why I’m there! Lmao! I don’t think saying, “Grandma, I’ll be back later I’m going to the FetishCon…” would go over very well. ;-)