Episode Three: Return of the Interview with Missy Suicide

Ladies and gentlemen it is that time of year again! The Blackheart Burlesque show is rolling into town! We have covered this event both in 2015 and 2017, both of those times we had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Missy Suicide who is the owner of Suicide Girls. In those those interviews I asked her more of the standard questions we normally ask but this year we wanted to be a bit different!

If you are unfamiliar with the Suicide Girls, they are a group of Alternative models typically covered in tattoos, piercing, and/or exotic hair colors. It is an active effort to promote beauty in all of it’s forms in a professional manner. We absolutely support Suicide Girls in everything that they do and are so excited to cover their Blackheart Burlesque show again this year! Their upcoming shows will be here in Tempe, Arizona and Tucson, Arizona on March 4th and 5th!

Check out our past coverage here and here!

The Geek Lyfe: Starting off, just in case this is the first time some one has ever heard about the Suicide or or does not know who you are, what is Suicide Girls and who are you?

Missy Suicide: I am Missy, and I created Suicide Girls 17 years ago. It is a place where women who are uniquely beautiful can be appreciated for being themselves. I created a pin up style website and community! I should have a better answer for that but I just don’t!

TGL: I think you did a great job! The even that is coming up is the Blackheart Burlesque could you talk a little bit about that and explain what it is?

MS: Blackheart Burlesque is our burlesque show that celebrates pop culture. Every skit is pop culture themed and has an amazing sound track that is available on our soundtrack however I suggest not listening to it until after the show so you don’t get spoiled! It is our unique take on the classic art of burlesque and give it a modern twist. It is all super chreographerd with themes like Ricka dn morty, game of thrones,,adventure time. It is sexy, silly fun, engaging and all the women are so diverse. The utilize all fo their unique skill sets to ensure that it will be impossible to leave without a smile on your face.

TGL: This will be my third year going and every year you guys just seem to raise the bar that much higher. Who do you believe would enjoy the show the most?

MS: I feel like women would really appreciate the show even more so than men. Mainly because they will see women with similar body types exuding beauty and confidence. The dancers feed off of the energy of the audience and the audience always is filled with so much energy and love! It is really amazing because the women who come get a little bit of a bounce in their step because they get to see these performers give their all and it gives them more confidence in their own bodies. It really is very unique and beautiful.

TGL: Unique and beautiful is exactly how I would describe the Blackheart Burlesque show! I am always so surprised on how Suicide Girls can take various non sexy fandoms and flip it on it’s head for the show. I do not want to spoil anything but there is one specific fandom that I personally never thought in a million years could be turned seductive and yet it happened. The show is always so enjoyable and continue to improve.

MS: Thank you! We have been doing this show for a number of years now and I really feel that we have perfected our craft.

TGL: Okay so now for some new questions! We just got through 2017 what would be your proudest moment both professionally and personally?

MS: That is a tough one! We just had a bunch of the burlesque girls come down while we were holding rehearsals for new girls. Watching them grow was wonderful to watch as they came into their own. We had a podcast that we are doing now. I can tell you about a big disappointment though! I was supposed to finish my memoir in 2016 and it is now 2018 and I still have not yet finished! But this will be the year!

she has tattoos all down her legs because she said ‘It makes me celebrate them. If I ever feel self conscious about a part of my body I get it tattooed that way I make sure I love it.’ So I applied that thinking to my thighs and now I celebrate and appreciate them!

TGL: Of course it will be! That actually leads me to my next question, when it comes to creative blocks what method do you mind most effective in order to move past it?

MS: One thing that I have learned is that we are better when we are whole. If you focus on one thing for too long it can consume you. So it helps to do anything else to clear your mind of that problem that way when you return you’ll have a clean slate. That will help you focus on the task at hand. Of course I say this when I personally have to been focusing on my own memoir project!

TGL: I mean, you have a lot on your plate already I think you have a pretty valid excuse! Often times when people get tattoos it is for a specific reason. What is your favorite tattoo and what is the story behind it?

MS: I personally think that all tattoos are a reflection of what is going on internally but it is presented externally. My thigh tattoos that are wrapped around to look like high highs. The reason for this is because when I went with the girls to Australia, I was focusing on how much I hated my thighs. The reason for this is because I am a shorter, curvier lady and my legs were always something I was self conscious of. I was sitting around with all of these women who were professional dancer who had different bodies and none of them were perfect in any way physically and yet still gorgeous. Our dance coordinator Sunshine, she has tattoos all down her legs because she said ‘It makes me celebrate them. If I ever feel self conscious about a part of my body I get it tattooed that way I make sure I love it.’ So I applied that thinking to my thighs and now I celebrate and appreciate them!

TGL: That is so smart! So in the time you have worked on Suicide girls, what was as situation you encountered that was incredibly difficult that you thought was overwhelming. How did you actually meet it and over come it?

MS: That is a tough question! I feel like there was a time in 2005 when the internet hated me and that was really rough. I got through it by not listening to the negativity in order to just work through it. I had to recenter myself and over come it all.

TGL: I am so grateful that you did because it has become such a great brand. This is a question that has been asked multiple times and now I am going to ask it! What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

MS: Oh man! I am actually one of the kinds of people that when I go to the ice cream shop I just have to try a new flavor. There is Jeni’s company out of Ohio that is a cream puff and I went through pints of it when it was released! Now it is only ever rarely available but if you can get it, it is amazing! But yeah! Why choose one when you can have a different experience every time?

We grew up hearing that we should be ashamed of our bodies and have to hide them and I was fascinated with the subject of ‘But why?’ you know? ‘Why should I not fell sexy and empowered by my body?

TGL: I remember back in the day when Suicide Girls was very indie and now it has become a brand that is world renowned. There are those girls out there whose whole goal in life is to become a Suicide Girl. How do feel about this transition over the years from indie to mainstream?

MS: It has been a crazy journey in general as the internet has grown. Suicide Girls was really one of the first social media sites that even predates Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, and others. Back then it was a lot more difficult to convince people of the power of connectivity and the ability for us to share our unique take on the world. The original reason I started the site was because I was interested in the the female gaze.

We grew up hearing that we should be ashamed of our bodies and have to hide them and I was fascinated with the subject of ‘But why?’ you know? ‘Why should I not fell sexy and empowered by my body? How come I can’t be a boss and be be sexy? How come I have to fit into one category and not the other?’ Now women are more empowered by their bodies and it is no longer the same level as taboo as it once was 20 years ago when we started the site! It really has been an amazing transition.

Just because something doesn’t exist currently doesn’t mean you can’t be successful or be appreciated. Just focus on creating what you are passionate about even if it doesn’t fit the norm.

TGL: What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs/models/photographers etc. that you wish someone had given you?

MS: I fell like the whole reason Suicide Girls started was because I wanted to create a space where women could feel appreciated for being myself. Where I could be passionate about something and use my skill to help move into a direction that I wanted to be in the world. In creating a space where I could do what I wanted, I realized that I had also created a space for countless other women to pursue their passions and to do what they wanted for a living.

You should never be discouraged by what is out there currently. You don’t have to follow the rules because when I created Suicide Girls there wasn’t anything like it before and social media was not a thing. Just because something doesn’t exist currently doesn’t mean you can’t be successful or be appreciated. Just focus on creating what you are passionate about even if it doesn’t fit the norm. Personally, 20 years down the line and Suicide Girls is looking pretty good!

We want to thank Missy Suicide for taking the time to chat with us about herself and her work with Suicide Girls! Make sure to check out their website at: https://www.suicidegirls.com/ and Blackheart Burlesque at http://www.blackheartburlesque.com/ . Once again their upcoming show will be here in Tempe, Arizona and Tucson, Arizona on March 4th and 5th!