Holly Woodlawn (October 26, 1946 – December 6, 2015) ran away from home at 15 to hitchhike to New York, as noted in Lou Reed’s song “A Walk on the Wild Side”. Initially a sex worker, Holly soon settled down with in a marriage of sorts, passed as a woman modeling clothes at Saks Fifth Avenue. After meeting Candy Darling and Jackie Curtis she appeared in a production of the Playhouse of the Ridiculous, subsequently spending evenings at Max’s Kansas City, gaining instant fame in Paul Morrisey’s film, Trash and subsequently Women in Revolt. After her years with the Warhol Factory, Holly Woodlawn had a cabaret and acting career and wrote a memoir, A Low Life in High Heels.
In this Artifacts Bonus Film: Mary Woronov talks about Holly’s lack of interest in “passing” as a woman, taking it to a theatrical level of “overpassing”. Quentin Crisp observes Holly’s sheer enjoyment of being a woman, and Ron Link presents the trio of Candy Darling, Jackie Curtis, and Holly reflected one of in their favorite movies, How to Marry a Millionaire.
Related series: Gender Benders
Revealing the intimate dialogues and profound insights of groundbreaking icons, bending and transcending the boundaries of traditional gender and identity narratives.
Vaginal Davis
Vaginal Davis
Jackie Curtis
Jackie Curtis
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