When We’re Not Hustling is an interview series by Jessie Sage that features sex workers talking about what they do when they’re not working.
In this new Peepshow interview series, I talk to sex workers about a unique part of their lives outside of sex work. This week, I talk to Sunny Cheex, a stripper and performer in the North East, who also designs and makes… MERMAID COSTUMES!
How did you learn to sew?
I started sewing a long time ago. My grandmother taught me when I was still a child. I got my first sewing machine when I was 6 years old. I come from a large family and she tried to teach all of us [my siblings and I], but I was the one who clung to it.
How did you become interested in making costumes?
I just liked dressing up, and I liked making costumes. Regular apparel is so boring, but costumes are so interesting!
I went to a technical high school, and I had to make a costume for school. I remember I made a bumble bee in high school out of scrap material. But I also make costumes for fun. For example, I made a Glenda costume for one of my sisters.
What do you enjoy about costume-making?
I like taking a basic idea, a simple inspiration, and spinning it into something that is mine. For this reason, I really enjoy doing mash-ups. Recently, I made a Barbie Tank Girl costume: it was military-inspired with lots of spikes, but also a lot of neon.
You started selling your costumes at Renaissance Fairs. How did you get into that?
I started going to Renaissance Faires five years ago when I was trying to get sober. I had always wanted to, but hadn’t made time for it before then.
When I started going to the festivals, I realized that there was so much there that was similar to what I loved about being a stripper. Except, the people who were dressed up weren’t trying to hustle people for money; they were just doing it because they wanted to.
In a way, it was a nice reprieve. I have been a stripper for a long time, it was nice to be able to dress up, but not have to be a sexy thing or try to sell anything.
But I am forever the entrepreneur, and I started selling mermaid costumes at the faire. Some of the parents were complaining that the shell tops were too risqué for children, so I decided to make a design for children’s mermaid costumes from scratch. I also make unicorn costumes, dragon costumes. All beings fantastical! I design all of the patterns for all of my costumes, so I can make a lot of different things.
I also dress up like a mermaid when I’m there and tell children’s stories. For the kids, it’s magical. It’s their imaginations coming to life. They say, “Oh my God, mermaids are real!”
Learn more about Sunny’s costume business on Facebook and Instagram.
Jessie Sage is a sex worker and writer based in Pittsburgh, PA. She’s also the co-founder of Peepshow Magazine and the co-host of the Peepshow Podcast. Her words can be found in the Washington Post, VICE’s Motherboard, Hustler Magazine, Men’s Health, BuzzFeed, and more. She’s currently writing a book on sex work, motherhood, and illness called An Unexpected Place (forthcoming on West Virginia University Press).
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