LYLA'S PRINCESS DIARIES: Introduction To A Young Burlesquer (31/08/16)

*enters the room* This ain't Friendster... 

Who are you?

• My name is Lyla Johnston.
• I turn eighteen in less than a month.
• I come from Bermondsey, London (via Elephant and Castle).
• Next week I start my Level 2 Design/Digital Media BTEC at LeSoCo after passing Level 1 Art and getting a C in both Maths and English.
• I also work for my Mum (who I also disgracefully live with). It's a bit of a secret...
• I was professionally diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome when I was seven. It makes me feel like a walking abortion.
• When I was younger I wanted to be an actress. I decided last year it wasn't for me, despite doing relatively good in acting classes. 
• So I wanted to do fashion, but then I felt like I had no ideas to give. 
• I ended up deciding on doing photography and filmmaking, something I've been doing on and off since I was eleven.
• I've struggled with binge eating for almost all of my life, which has lead to weight loss and gain struggles. Sugar and carbs are just too addictive!
• I don't smoke, I don't take drugs as I'm too scared I'd develop anything because of my Asperger's, but I do drink alcohol once in a blue moon.
• I consider myself a sex-positive feminist but I don't agree with the doctrine of most modern-day strains of feminism. So I'm a barely-feminist.
• I got a free website because I did the typography for a logo of an aborted podcast starring two C-listers. You can find the link at the end of this post.
• Other things I like: BBC Radios 1, 2 and 6Music; the WWE; bad movies; neon and pastel colours; the Internet
• I talk about myself too much. The NSA are going to find me. Privacy is well and truly dead...

What's Lyla's Princess Diaries about?

My Steemit blog - or as I like to call it, my stog - is about my delving in to the alternative/queer clubbing scene of London, which I have been sneaking into (with varying results of success) since December 2014. I have settled on using the stage name "Princess von Chibi" after many other iterations, hence the name of this blog. (Also clock the glaringly huge Princess Diaries pun.) Recently, the female drag queen scene has been booming, with features in Vice and the most recent issue of i-D to name a few. 

(I'm in the middle. It was my first time doing full body makeup. Cut me some slack)

After a trip to Glastonbury that June, I decided to jump on the female drag queen bandwagon as something to pursue, instead of just something to do in your bedroom when you're bored. I got kicked out of a certain drag competition in London for being underage, so as someone who was butthurt (and to be honest still is), I ended up down the burlesque rabbit hole, as a good amount of FDQs are current or former burlesque performers. The incident also made me take a few months to come to terms with accepting my identity as a female drag queen.

Photo by Damien Frost

Due to my age (and the need for Christmas presents), I decided to take a break in December 2015. I feel like I was right to do so, as the Tories slashed the disability benefits soon after, leaving me and Mum with less money than desired. However, as PVC, I did attend Pride this year, and also an event especially for LGBTQ teens (all except for me being from North London, despite the event being held in my home of South East London).

I am coming back full time to the scene this coming month, and I couldn't be more excited. My first performance (as one of the open-mic acts at Bar Wotever) is on September 27th. Information is here:

http://woteverworld.com/event/bar-wotever-with-kate-odonnell/
http://andwhatfest.com/bar-whatever-and-what-presents-kate-odonnell-hayley-me
https://www.facebook.com/events/1567822063525362

During my first burst of activity, I had a good reputation for the photos I took on my little Canon compact. They ended up being used as profile pictures for drag queens and one even ended up on the Dazed and Confused website! I have since upgraded my camera to a Nikon D5200, so get ready to see me with that on the circuit.

Why have you boarded the Steem train? 

By association. My mum knows @allasyummyfood and attended the recent London meetup, bringing me back home one of her cookies.  When I first heard of it, I thought it would be the focus of one of those bullshit motivational speaking seminars that my Mum has recently been frequenting. When I delved a bit more, and saw a Steemit post on Reddit, my perspective changed and I feel like it may be the next big thing. 

(also steem dollars obvs.)

And what do you think about it?

It's early days yet so there aren't many people my age or so on it - most of the people currently on there are anarchic Occupy protesters, but in a year I feel like a lot of kids may be on here because they want money but they don't want to work. RESIST CAPITALISM. Innit.

If I follow you, what will I expect?

I am using this stog mainly as a way to share my musings on my professional life in the cabaret scene, as well as showing highlights of the photos I take when there. Photos of my daily life and full galleries are on my main website, but there will be the occasional off topic post on my stog if it's interesting enough. There'll be posts about once or twice a week. Maybe even three times. Every Monday at least. I procrastinate too much...

Where else can I find you?

• Website
• Twitter
• Instagram (art, personal)
• Youtube (art, personal)
• Reddit
• Kamcord which I'll probably never do because I'm too self conscious

So anyway, au revoir! 

(P.S: I wish we could do coloured text...)