Paulina De La Passionfruit catches up with The Glamazons

Paulina De La Passionfruit catches up with America's hottest burlesque group, The Glamazons, discussing why curves are in, their love for Piers Morgan and their secret weapon - the corset!


Hello Glamazons! And thank you for this fabulous opportunity! I don't normally have the privilege of being around celebrities, let alone burlesque ones!




I am a great fan of burlesque, from the gorgeous outfits to its whole sex appeal! Where did you get the inspiration from? Why Burlesque?

MERYL: I have always loved singing and dancing and even played the part of 'Mazeppa" (a stripper) in the musical "Gypsy" at the age of 12! In 1997 I was introduced to the burlesque scene after being cast in a musical called "Sin" that was performed in the east village. I did a striptease act in the show. It was very liberating and empowering to show my curvaceous figure on stage every night! I got great feedback from audience members who thought it was refreshing to see a "real" woman stripping on stage in a tasteful way. I continued to perform song and dance routines at cabaret clubs and incorporated the burlesque aspect. I loved the glamour, glitter, sequins ruffles and, of course, corsets!

And how did the band form, have you always been friends?

MERYL: I started to perform a one woman show and continued to be a featured act in variety shows. I was inspired by groups like "The Pontani Sisters" and "The Wau-Wau Sisters" and wanted to be part of a group. I imagined performing on stage with other full figured women, like myself. And that's how The Glamazons started! I auditioned girls and formed the group. As the members of The Glamazons have changed through the years, the group has morphed into something different. We don't strip anymore, but our act is infused with the tease of burlesque.

SANDY: I joined The Glamazons back in 2003 when the group was revamping. Some girls left to get married or to go back to school. So Meryl took me under her wing and showed me the world of Burlesque. This is when I truly learned to love my body and I grew to love myself more than I ever thought possible. As the rest of the group formed, we created a bond that no one can break. We love each other like sisters and fight like sisters. Haha!

LAURA: I joined the Glamazons in 2005 as more of a pop style performer/addition to the group. I was just singing and modeling at the time and met the girls on a photo-shoot for a book called "Big Girl Knits." I never pranced around in my undies or a corset before, so my first performance was so invigorating. There's no better way to get over stage-fright than singing and dancing in ruffle panties! The whole time I was thinking "well... I better perform my heart out, because my bum is all the way out!"

What made you decide to go on America's Got Talent?

LAURA: We were all a little skeptical about doing "America's Got Talent" because we didn't want to be made fun of for our size. When we walked on stage, the audience started to laugh, but then we sang, and the crowd stood up immediately cheering us on. The judges loved us. I was so surprised. But, we do know how to rock the house and have fun doing it, so I'm glad everyone else thought so too.

Who was your favorite judge?

SANDY: My favorite judge was Piers Morgan. This guy was the toughest and most critical judge on the show and he loved The Glamazons. He has a thing for curvy women and he thought we were truly talented, so it felt really good to have him in our corner. All of the judges loved us and they were really inspired by us. I think they were all pushing for our success.

LAURA: I really loved them all but Sharon Osborne was definitely my favorite. She was like mom: honest and loving all at once.

MERYL: I loved them all! But I grew up watching David Hasselhoff on television and it was so surreal to perform for him. He has a special place in my heart :

So you found fame on America's Got Talent, you got into the final eight I believe? How did it feel?

SANDY: It was really a humbling moment for me when we made it to the finals. I felt that people in America were realizing that talent comes in all sizes and I was so proud to be a part of that. We received a lot of fan mail from people saying that we had inspired them to go out and do things they never thought they could do because of their size.

LAURA: I had so many mixed emotions. It was amazing to be there and make it that far with our talents and by being ourselves just the way we are and knowing the country voted us there. Our fan-base grew tremendously and we inspired so many people to start loving their body no matter their size, shape, or weight. But it was also an up hill battle because we were also being judged just because we are plus-size. It was sad to read what people wrote at times. It just made me wonder how much they must have been suffering to say hurtful things. But in the end, you always have to push on through and shine!

Let me just say I think it is just great how you are all proud of your curves and flaunting them in such style!
Do you feel that you are representations of lots of girls out there who are proud of their curves? That you are putting the message across that Diva Rocks!

SANDY: I do feel that we represent girls across the world who want to prove that curves are sexy! It concerns me that young girls look at thin models in magazines and think that's how they should look. The Glamazons work out and try to eat healthy, but we still embrace our curves. We are not trying to be a size 0 and that is okay. We want people to be the best "you" that you can be.

LAURA: After the show, we went on tour and we found that so many of our fans look just like us! It was great to hear "hey you girls look like me! Thanks for being you!" I felt like I was fulfilling my mission of "size/real woman-acceptance." This made me see how seriously under-represented women size 12 and up are in the media. People are starving to see plus-size ladies representing proud, talented, fierce females! We are here to set off that revolution!

Here at True Corset we represent the curves Divas and are proud to say that we cater from size 8 to dress size 30! Do you find that corsets are key to making the most of curves?

SANDY: I LOVE corsets and I have a closet full of them. My curves really come out when I put on a corset and it gives you a feeling of power that you didn't know you had. The true talent comes when you have to do a 1 hour sing and dancing show in a corset and heels. That's The Glamazon way!!!!

LAURA: Corsets are like our secret weapon! Well, I guess not so secret for us since we flaunt them on stage. So, maybe more like the icing on a cake. There are so many various styles which allows for each of us to take on different personas. My favorite is a vinyl corset it just screams "I'm in command."

What fashion tips can you share with our readers?

LAURA: Most important is not to be in denial about your size. So many times women (of all sizes) don't wear their right size because they are so confused or scared to admit they are really a size 18 instead of a size 14, so clothes don't look right. Also, you have to know how to work your body so you can flaunt your assets and hide your "less "desirables" which is different for everybody. It's all about play and attitude when getting dressed and not being afraid to plan outfits. There are so many styles out now and retailers like, "Torrid," or "Evans," or "OneStopPlus.com," for examples, are finally recognizing plus-size, so you can really start to have fun. Also, speak up to your favorite designers. If you don't see your size tell them and let them know they are missing opportunities.

What is your favorite item of clothing?

SANDY: My favorite item of clothing would have to be little ruffly skirts. Every girl should have one. They make me feel flirty and sexy!

MERYL: My favorite item of clothing is a corset! If it's the right fit and holds you in the right places there is no better feeling than having your curves smoothed and accented!

LAURA: I'm a big fan of the summer, so any off the shoulder long flowing dress or a cute romper with some fierce heels or boots hits the spot for me!

So...what is next for the Glamazons?

MERYL: We would like to continue to travel and perform throughout the world, have a sit down show in Las Vegas for a while, release our sophomore album, have our own reality TV show, appear in a feature film, and have our own line of clothing and merchandise!

Would you also be interested in giving our corsets a test run??

MERYL: We would love to! We will send you our measurements ;)

LAURA: I can't wait! Let's get to lacing them up.