Meet Leah (Bunny) Overstreet: The Princess of Bushwick
Image courtesy of Jenna Ferayo
In this interview, Daphne Bryant speaks with Leah (Bunny) Overstreet, an NYC-based writer, zinester, stylist and party host whose outlook on life is just as whimsical and impressive as her work itself! Read about everything from dream collabs to POC soldiarity below ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗
Q1: Hi Bunny! First, talk to me a little bit about yourself. How old are you, where are you currently based and how did you become involved in fashion and writing?
Hiiii! I’m 22 and based in Bushwick (just like every other dyke in New York). I’ve been wearing stupid little outfits and writing stupid little poems since I was a kid. Now I’m a sex columnist for Dirty Magazine, a freelance stylist, a Leo Venus, and muse above all else.
Image provided by Bunny
Q2: You went to school for Creative Writing. How has that impacted your artistry, if at all?
I have a degree in Creative Writing with a concentration in Gender and Sexuality Studies from Columbia University (yes I am in soooo much debt). I consider my studies to be a symptom of my obsession with sex and femininity. So many of my photoshoots have started off as essays on femininity, hypersexuality, maximalism, etc. I feel like my art is often a Frankenstein of these interests. My most recent project has been my zine Dyke Pretty. The visuals are disgustingly feminine (just how I like it), putting vintage pin ups, alt baddies, and nostalgic motifs of girlhood circa 2008 into conversation with each other. Meanwhile the writing waxes poetic about queerness, love, sex, and hyper-femme fashion.
Q3: To switch gears a little bit, how would you define your personal style?
I’ve referred to my style as Bubblegum Whore in the past and I think it’s still a fitting title. I’m a hyper-feminine babe who was obsessed with goth women as a child. The color pink and I are in this sort of love affair where she lets me fool around on the side (with purple and cheetah print) but I’m ultimately dedicated to her. My muses are Betty Page and Boop, Elvira, the Riot Grrrls, your trashiest auntie, Draculaura, Bratz Fashion Pixiez, The Cheetah Girls, Lindsey Lohan in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, the girls in old issues of Tattoo Magazine, and The Pink Lady of Hollywood.
Q4: Speaking of style, styling is one of your big passions! What has been your favorite shoot to style so far?
My favorite shoot to style was probably the one I did in collaboration with the brands Good Sport and Dykey Drip. It was an ode to Fruits magazine and honestly an excuse to play dress up with some of the most creative and joyful New York based designers I know. I am the ultimate indie brand groupie, I go to all of the pop ups and in Bushwick just to see what’s new. Some of my favorite local designers include obviously the ones I’ve mentioned but also Plaything NYC, Anja Cecilia Shop, and Pepela NYC.
Q5: A lot of your work is really whimsical and liberating. Why do you think that is?
Fancy Nancy RAISED ME, or rather coparented me with Fran Fine, Monster High dolls, and every strange goth cartoon baddie out there. Also I had a deep obsession with Ai Yazawa, Harajuku fashion, and Fruits Magazine in my formative years. Needless to say, I get my whimsy honestly.
Q6: What does your dream collab look like? Who would it be with?
I always love to collaborate with a team and designers that are full of whimsy and are excited to maybe get a little weird. My dream collaboration would be with people who inspire me to push further and take risks.
Q7: I noticed that you started an event organization called Playgirl Presents! Can you talk to me a little bit more about that?
My roommate and I started out just throwing house parties in our tiny, air conditioner-less apartment and we had such an overwhelming turn out that we decided to start hosting at our favorite bars. The main thing people kept telling us was that they felt like they could actually talk to people at our parties. I feel like so much of New York can be a dick measuring contest of who is cooler and more unapproachable and it's exhausting! I’m actually really friendly and super excited to make new friends and I think so many people are wanting parties that actually feel inviting and fun and also happen to be full of sexy queer people. So we try to make that happen when we can.
Q8: What does girlhood mean to you?
Girlhood means everything to me. It means handing out aggressive and specific compliments wherever you go. It means being willing to adopt a stranger at the club because her friends left early. It means hyping up a girl getting her outfit pics in public. It means indulging life’s little frivolities i.e. yummy treats, intellectual discourse, impractical makeup, empathy, twirling in the sun, dreaming of a better world and making it a reality.
Q9: What is your advice for fellow black and brown creatives?
Collaborate!!! Create when no one is watching, when no one is paying you, when you think it won’t matter. I think the most valuable thing to have at your disposal is a network and networking doesn’t always look like Linkedin. For me it’s looked like a crazy night out where you meet another quirked up bitch and you find out she’s a photographer or a designer or a stylist or a model and you have the skills to fill in the blanks and boom you’re planning a photoshoot. And then her friend sees your photoshoot and follows you and you become friends and she posts that her favorite indie magazine is having an issue launch party and so you go and you end up meeting someone who’s looking for an intern or a whatever and then and then and then.
