Q&A: Lady Clementine's Fantastic Party
Photos By Nicole Hernandez
A REFLECTION OF ARTISTRY IN ITS MOST PERSONAL FORM - Lady Clementine’s Fantastic Party invites us into the world of American Dream, a visualizer embellished with authenticity. Subverting the oppressive patriarchy experienced within the adult entertainment industry, Lady Clementine champions sexual empowerment, femininity, and freedom within American Dream, whilst highlighting the importance of not just the artist, but of the individual to find courage and liberation in sharing their experiences. A project that embodies an often-untold narrative, of the lives of women working within the adult entertainment industry, American Dream tells a story that Lady Clementine is ready to share, and likewise, a story with a message that we need to hear. Read below to learn more about the creative process behind the visualizer and upcoming plans for Lady Clementine’s Fantastic Party.
LUNA: There is great power behind this project & we really applaud you for openly touching on your experiences. How did you know you were ready to talk about such an intimate and personal side of your life?
ADELAIDE: I was very private about my work while I was dancing at the club regularly, in large part for my safety. I knew that at some point I would share this side of my life but I wasn’t sure when or how much. As a dancer, I became increasingly passionate about the beautiful, sacred, and essential work that is sex work, but I felt that it was very important to wait to share my own experience until I was absolutely ready to own and tell my story, otherwise it would feel more like being exposed than coming out. Each aspect of creating American Dream - writing, producing the song, and creating the visual project was like steps in a ritual of release. By the time everything was complete, I was ready to share because it was a co-creation with the Goddesses in service of something higher - which I believe to be sexual empowerment, freedom, and an invitation to worship the Divine Feminine. I took a break from sex work right before Covid-19 lockdowns, and now I’m entering the world of OnlyFans.
LUNA: Why is it important for you to shine a light on both your work and the perception of the “American Dream”?
ADELAIDE: For me, the American Dream is a Patriarchal fantasy. Most of my customers were the epitome of that dream - they had 6 figure jobs and/or were born into wealth, had big fancy homes, a wife and kids, the whole thing or else they were well on their way to this lifestyle. This fantasy relegates the Divine Feminine to the shadows, only to be capitalized on by men if at all. Women who dare to exercise their own power and gifts through sex work are shamed, ostracized and in the case of prostitution, even criminilized and jailed. As a dancer I had to pay the city almost $300 for the right to use my own body to perform. Dancers in Atlanta are required to renew that license every year. The degree to which the government profits off of sex work done by women while providing nothing in return is just another layer of the distortion of power. I want to shine a light on the industry because women deserve to be respected and protected in this work. This protection and legitimacy must be inclusive of trans sex workers as well.
The club is like a microcosm of society where all of the underlying power dynamics are amplified and on display, but where women are free and rewarded for exercising their sensuality. It’s where the American Dream reckons with the Feminine. Where men, who in the world outside of the club hold the majority of the power, resources, and privilege are literally at the feet of women, handing over their disposable income for a moment where the power can be balanced.
The moment we all walk back out of the club, the power distortion resumes. When I leave through the doors of the parking garage at the end of the night, I am on guard again, prey. It is up to me to defend myself. Being in America and a woman, and a sex worker means checking my rearview several times on my drives home at 2 am to make sure I haven’t been followed. It means scanning the parking lot when I get home to see if any neighbors are watching me come in late, and it means making a mad dash for the door because I am actually afraid of what might happen to me between my car and my apartment. For women who don’t have the protection of the club or don’t have a club where they feel safe to begin with, the threat of violence and danger is even greater. Women who do this important work should not have to fear for their lives, nor should we have to live with any amount of shame. We are healers doing the emotional labor of balancing a toxically masculinized world.
LUNA: What do you love about the adult entertainment industry and community?
ADELAIDE: The comradery and sisterhood you feel in the dressing room before hitting the floor is incomparable. The respect and understanding between women hustling men for money has taught me so much about supporting women in my everyday life. It’s important not to view each other as competition. Of course there are always those women who don’t go that route and days when it’s a struggle not to compare my looks, personality, or hustle, but in general being submerged in an environment where there is so much wealth taught me to keep my eyes on the prize and that there is enough for everyone.
LUNA: In the visual for American Dream, nature seems to be a common element shown throughout. How did this translate into your creative process?
ADELAIDE: Nature for me connects the spiritual to the physical realm. I tune into my intuition through time in nature and my work is always guided by that. There is a special flower that I had never seen in real life but had been seeing in a meditative state leading up to the video shoot. On the day we collected the floral arrangements for American Dream, we found the flower and it was called Eryngo. It turns out that Selene is the Goddess connected to this flower which was so powerful as she seemed to come through very much in the scene at the creek.
LUNA: Can you share a favorite moment from the filming of American Dream?
ADELAIDE: There was a moment while we were shooting the red dress scene on the floor when we all became entranced and we all felt something shift into my body and take the wheel. When we cut everything zoomed to the present moment and it felt as if all of us had been holding our breaths.
LUNA: How important is it to create a visual to accompany your music? What role are you playing in the creative side of it all?
ADELAIDE: I was technically the “Creative Director” for the visual but honestly I felt like the 4 of us became one mind and 4 bodies throughout the entire process of working together. I know that whoever hears this song may find different meaning in it but for me the visual allows me to share the interpretation that comes through for me and those I collaborate with.
LUNA: Are there any individuals or other artists who have influenced this project?
ADELAIDE: The creatives that I collaborated with - Nicole Hernandez, Deja Covington, Toni Williams were all so essential in bringing together the vision.
LUNA: Do you have any upcoming goals or intentions you’d like to speak out into existence?
ADELAIDE: I’m ready to tour with Lady Clementine. My band is made up of the most amazing artists and friends - Tyler Berry, Real Soon, Duckie, and Avys Burroughs, and I want to adventure around the world with them.
CONNECT WITH LADY CLEMENTINE’S FANTASTIC PARTY
SPOTIFY
Listen
-
From Pavietra 🕊️ https://t.co/BXVgWlZud8 -
slowthai by Rosie Matheson 🤩 https://t.co/z7SDfFQ5iF
-
RT @i_D: Ian Kenneth Bird photographs young punks on Polaroid: https://t.co/MKT0tMUqO9 https://t.co/a0tTl12ML5
-
RT @AnOtherMagazine: #DreamHome – this isolated idyll in the mountains of Lanzarote 🌵 📸 via Nowness, photography by Clemence Blr 🔁 https://t.co/GUusdxD0cg
