- Amanda Lepore
Infobox Person
name = Amanda Lepore
caption = Amanda Lepore from an August 2008 photoshoot forPlayboy magazine.
birth_date = birth date and age|df=yes|1967|12|05There is disagreement regarding Lepore's age as she refuses to comment on it. A birth record has not been made available but sources online claim she was born in 1967.]
birth_place =Cedar Grove, New Jersey
death_date =
death_place =
other_names =
known_for = Muse of photographerDavid LaChapelle
occupation = Nightlife hostess, model, entertainer
nationality = AmericanAmanda Lepore (born Armand Lepore on
December 5 , year unknown) is an Americantranssexual icon who has received attention for her modeling, fashion, partying, and business skills. She has been the advertising face forHeatherette , M.A.C. (cosmetics), Mego Jeans,Swatch , CAMP Cosmetics and more. Fashion design company Heatherette has used Lepore's image on much of their clothing and has chosen her several times to model their brand duringFashion Week . [YouTube|rDRGQs7C6A0|Amanda Lepore for the Heatherette runway show] She had a cameo in the film "Party Monster", directed byFenton Bailey andRandy Barbato .Amanda Lepore was also featured in "Another Gay Sequel" in 2008. [imdb name|id=1242945|name=Amanda Lepore] Lepore resides inNew York City and works as a nightlife hostess at many of the city's popular parties and clubs. She has also had cameos in music videos for artists such asElton John , theDandy Warhols ,Girl in a Coma ,Cazwell andTIGA for his "Sunglasses at night". [YouTube|bnx_wU89zcA|"Road to Home" music video featuring Amanda Lepore] Amanda Lepore have a strong relationship with Cazwell, she appears in most of his music videos, including "Watch my mouth" and "All over your face".Serving as
David LaChapelle 'smuse , Lepore has been included in advertising campaigns for companies such asArmani [YouTube|OZkK4NW8gHM|Armani ad campaign] andMTV . Lepore is also noted as a regular subject in much of LaChapelle's work. She participated in his "Artists and Prostitutes 1985-2005" exhibit in New York where she "lived" in avoyeur istic life-sized set. [ [http://www.davidlachapelle.com Official site of David LaChapelle] ]Currently, Lepore is exploring musical projects with producers Fatal Art Syndicate. Her first single "Deeper" is a trance dance song written by
Lady Bunny , adrag queen and hostess ofWigstock . Other available songs are "Champagne," "My Hair Looks Fierce" and "My Pussy (is Famous)". [http://www.amandaleporeonline.com/bio/ Amanda Lepore by Nicky London] ] Many of her songs were produced byCazwell , whose 2006 album features Lepore in the title track "Get Into It". Lepore also sings the main title for "Another Gay Movie ", "I Know What Boys Like". There is an unreleased track that was played in NYC nightclubs circa 2003, entitled "Up In This House". It was produced byDJ Gomi and featured additional lyrics byKevin Aviance . Another track, "Turn Me On, Turn Me Over", has not yet been released.Amanda Lepore performs on international scene and night clubs.She is represented by "Classic entertainment group Inc.", but she's also managed by "Peace Biscuit" corporation for her music production.Amanda Lepore also got a dedicated management for merchandise items.
During mid-2007, Lepore was a part of the multi-artist True Colors Tour, which traveled through fifteen cities in the United States and Canada. [ [http://www.truecolorstour.com/ True Colors Tour] ] The tour, sponsored by the Logo channel, began on June 8, 2007. Hosted by comedian
Margaret Cho and headlined byCyndi Lauper , the tour also includedErasure ,Debbie Harry ,The Gossip ,Rufus Wainwright ,The Dresden Dolls , The MisShapes,Rosie O'Donnell ,Indigo Girls ,The Cliks and other special guests. Profits from the tour helped to benefit theHuman Rights Campaign as well asPFLAG and TheMatthew Shepard Foundation.Lepore is expected to make her first feature film cameo appearance in years, in the much anticipated indie film, "
Shifting the Canvas ," written and directed byChuck Griffith , and set to start production in Summer 2008. The film, which highlights current issues such asgentrification and gay enclaves, will star John Paul Pitoc ("Trick ," "Thank You, Good Night"),Scott Thompson ("Kids in the Hall ") and others.Background
The child of a
chemical engineer father (Italian-American) and a schizophrenic mother (German-American), Lepore was born as a male in Cedar Grove,New Jersey . At the age of 11, Lepore professed a desire to have a sex change operation after seeing a TV show on the subject. Unable to tolerate dressing as a boy, Lepore made the decision to go to school dressed as a girl, which concerned herguidance counselor ; Amanda was not allowed to attend school as a female, so she received a tutor at home. At the age of 15, she began designing costumes for dancers at a localstrip club . During this time, she receivedhormone s from an underage transsexual friend who accepted outfits as payment. After her body developed breasts, her tutor recommended apsychiatrist . Lepore was diagnosed as a transsexual. The psychiatrist informed her parents and helped in getting the hormones legally. [http://www.amandaleporeonline.com/press/amandastory01.php Amanda's Story from Mao Mag] (online in seven pages)]Her first surgical operation was a sex change operation, occurred at the age of fifteen, which she received for free from her then-boyfriend, a plastic surgeon. Amanda Lepore has undergone many plastic surgeries, such as rhinoplasty, eye lifts, and three different breast implants. In an interview for "The Insider" in 2006, she acknowledged that she spent a lot of money on that transformation.
More precisely, Lepore has had three
breast augmentation s, her eyes slanted twice, her forehead lifted, her hairline pulled down, and her brow bone reduced. She has also had her forehead, buttocks, and hips enlarged with liquid silicone injections. Most notably, she had her lips enlarged with liquid silicone injections (and subsequently reduced) and has had her lower rib broken and pushed in.Afterwards, Lepore became involved with a bookstore owner. He was initially unaware that Lepore was transsexual, but when Lepore told him so, he accepted her anyway and revealed the situation to his parents who were compassionate and allowed her into their family. His parents took Lepore to a doctor for the operation, but couldn’t continue until her mother gave her consent because she was a minor. By the age of seventeen (through a legal
loophole ) Lepore had a full sex-reassignment operation. Eventually, she married the bookstore owner and moved in with his family. Because of her husband’s jealousy and worries about others finding out that his wife was transsexual, Lepore was house-bound. Over a period of seven months, Lepore planned an escape, during which time she saved money and finally left. Her husband hired a detective to find her, resulting in Lepore filing a restraining order against him. She kept in contact with her husband’s father, because he understood why she had to leave.At her new home in
New York City , she made $45 a day working at a salon. She took the advice of a friend and became adominatrix , fulfilling the erotic fantasies of others. A friend took her toMichael Alig ’s party “Disco 2000”, where she was immediately accepted for who she was and became the center of attention. Working at a Bowery bar, LaChapelle met her, and they became an important part of each other’s life.Amanda Lepore is in a relationship with the model
Timothy Visnosky , who was recently photographed by David LaChapelle for the film "72 virgins".Merchandise
released "Time Tranny", a watch designed by LaChapelle with Lepore on the face displaying a printed crack on the glass and marble stripes as the background. LaChapelle however was not pleased with the results and had the first version withdrawn and destroyed making it a rare collectible. The original version was accidentally sold in the UK, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. The second version displays no cracked glass and a blue and yellow striped background. To date “Time Tranny” is the fastest selling limited edition Swatch. [ [http://home.arcor.de/folon/lachapelle.html "Time Tranny" signing] ] [ [http://www.torstensjourney.de/Swatch/Artists2.htm "Time Tranny" at Torsten's Journey] ]
On August 7, 2008, Lepore announced she would be introducing "Collection Lepore," a line of cosmetics in partnership with Glen Ellyn, Illinois-based CAMP Cosmetics. The line will be distributed in boutiques and online in 2009. [ [http://perezhilton.com/2008-08-06-wanna-look-like-a-tranny#respond] ]
Lepore is also launching two fragrances under the names of "Happy Hooker" and "Lemore". Another perfume under the name of “Virgin Juice” is being produced with LaChapelle. [ [http://peacebisquit.com/ Peace Bisquit record label] ] It was also announced via Amanda's MySpace page that there was a publisher interested in producing a biography of Lepore. Lepore has also spoken of a possible
reality TV show entitled "Amanda Cross-Country"In April 2006, Integrity Toys launched an Amanda Lepore doll produced by
Jason Wu . All proceeds went toAIDS charities. A doll auctioned at the after-launch party sold for $1,500. It was announced that the doll has already raised over $50,000 forDIFFA . The dolls have fetched up to a few thousand dollars oneBay and are now extremely hard to find. Some going from $700 to $2,500.Lepore recently released a remix album, entitled "Fierce Pussy", which can be found on her website. [ [http://www.everythingamanda.com/cart.php?target=category&category_id=64 Album at EverythingAmanda.com] ]
Legal action
Sophia Lamar and Lepore both filed lawsuits against the nightclubTwilo Miami , after being fired and replaced by “biological” women. According to Michael Bindra (club manager) he was ordered by the owner Steven R. Pastore to fire them for being an “eye sore”. [ [http://www.prweb.com/releases/2001/4/prweb24328.htm Twilo's Management Criticized For Gender Identity Discrimination] ] The case was filed in the New York Supreme Court, where it was eventually settled. Fact|date=February 2007References
External links
*imdb name|id=1242945|name=Amanda Lepore
* [http://www.amandaleporeonline.com/ Official website of Amanda Lepore]
* [http://www.campcosmetics.com/Collections.htm/Collection Lepore at CAMP Cosmetics]
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