Amanda Lepore: living doll, downtown legend, glamour girl. If you don’t know her, you’ve heard of her—and you’ve definitely seen her. For decades now, Amanda has been a fixture not just in Manhattan and magazines, but in the cultural conversation at large.

In a culture obsessed with reinvention, Amanda remains consistent. Not because she’s stuck, but because she’s already who she wants to be, who she knew she was meant to be from a young age. Fleeing New Jersey, her husband, and her past life for New York City was only the beginning. She did what she needed to do not just to survive, but to succeed. These days, Amanda has settled into the life she built on her own terms. “I always knew where to go, where I would be accepted,” she says over a short, sweet summer phone call. “I don’t know anything else. It’s kind of what I’ve always done.”

It would be easy to revere Amanda Lepore’s legacy as a relic of a wilder time. While she’s been an inspiration to a younger generation trying to find themselves, too, maintaining a presence in the places that saved her is admirable in itself. She still goes out to the club, she still rocks her iconic red lip and she never forgets her sunscreen. “It’s glam! Because you’re preserving yourself.” And that she has. In case you haven’t heard: you can’t take the doll!

You’ve inspired generations of especially trans and queer kids with your vision of glamour and self-expression. What do you feel has been the biggest shift in how the culture defines those things today? Is there anything you miss from the past?
Not really. Everything kind of blends together. I always knew where to go, where I would be accepted. I didn’t dive into situations where I’d be harmed. So, I don’t really have that contrast between “then” and “now,” because I always stuck to safe spaces.

That’s really beautiful.
I don’t carry a lot of bad memories from then or now. Except for childhood, of course, before my sex change. That was enough for a lifetime. But I always figured out how to dodge negativity.

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You came up in a time when nightlife was such a fantasy. In some interviews, you’ve even called it your escape from mundane life. When you go out now, do you still feel that same magic? That same escapism?
Yeah, definitely. I don’t know anything else. It’s what I’ve always done. I modeled and did other things, but my regular jobs were always in nightclubs. That was the dream, except for when I was a dominatrix at first. But that was a long time ago. When I was doing that, I was told not to tell anyone I had a sex change. I had to say I left my husband, which was true, but I’d also say I had a daughter so they wouldn’t suspect anything. If they did, the opportunity would go away. You’d make more money that way back then. In nightclubs, they didn’t know at first. When they found out, they celebrated it. That was such a difference from the dominatrix world.

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You once had to keep that part of yourself private to survive, and now you get to thrive and be celebrated for exactly who you are.
Exactly. I related more to the kids working in the nightclubs, too. A lot of them came from other cities where they were harassed for being different. I related to them more than the cisgender girls I worked with as a dominatrix. They could be really nasty if you did better than them, they were threatened by that. At Limelight, I did lap dancing, too. At first, the girls were fine, but when they saw I was making more money, they got awful. Other girls made money, too, but they weren’t targeted the same way.

They can't take the doll!

They can’t take the doll.

Without even trying, you ended up inspiring other kids on a similar path: running away from what’s hard, finding something that feels good. What’s been inspiring you lately?
So many things. I love dressing up, high glamour, high drag; that inspires me. Sometimes fashion, if it’s fantasy and done well. I love creating things, and people who are creative with their looks. And makeup, the whole thing! Just...glamour.

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Amidst the current administration’s attacks on trans rights, there’s been a recent rise in the sentiment “Protect the Dolls.” As the Doll herself, I would love to hear from you about what people can do to protect the dolls in a time like this, where a lot of things feel out of our control.
You just have to be open-minded and accept things. I wish people would just do it. The most hurtful thing is people being so negative and hateful. We’re just like everyone else, you know? We’re all born this way, we can’t do anything about it. I wish more people that aren’t in our community would be more accepting. They are where I live and where I put myself, but when I hear about things down in the South I feel really sorry for the kids. You’re helpless at a certain point until you can get out of your situation. That’s the most heartbreaking part.

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What can we expect next from Amanda Lepore?
I have new music coming out. I also got the rights to my book, so I’m planning to do an audiobook, and a new book with new pictures… and you can always expect me in all the nightclubs around the world.

Photographed by Martin Gatti

Styled by Marisa Ellison at Opus Beauty

Written by Alaska Riley

Producer: Jennifer Pio

Set Design: Colin Phelan

Models: CT Hedden, Hailey Rose, Taviana, Sandra Dede, Rori Grenert

BTS: Janelli Saavedra

Photo Assistant: Celso Asuncao, Rufus Barkley

Styling Assistants: Coniese Banton, Tyler Rose, Lauren Lynch, Halley Ferg, Tabitha Millines

Hair Assistant: Akihiro Kamada

Production Assistant: Jenny Garcia

Set Assistant: Kelly Dekenipp