SELF-REFLECTIONS WITH: JUNO BIRCH

Juno Birch is most recognised for her glamorous ‘alien 1950s housewife’ persona, which she brings to life on stage (or, more recently, Instagram and YouTube). She shares stories, performs ‘bits’, films beauty tutorials and even plays The Sims – all while being very funny. She’s got that star-quality mix of wry, honest humour and eccentricity that makes her instantly likeable. And you can’t take your eyes off her… Her signature look consists of painting her face blue (or pink, or lavender) while donning fabulous outfits inspired by 50s housewives. Think: elongated cat-eye sunglasses, power suits and oversized pearls. It’s all very intergalactic Jackie O.

Growing up in Manchester, Birch was always artistic. She would draw characters inspired by the films she loved (Tim Burton, John Waters, Joan Crawford et al) and was fascinated by the notion of gender and hyper-femininity, which was later manifested through her retro-futurist sculptures. When talking about the first time she transformed into drag, she explains, “I was a bit of a club kid and I liked to paint myself pink and blue and in all different colours, but it was a lot more like acrylic paint on the face – messy but really glamorous. It just felt so stunning to be otherworldly and like an expression of my inner self. It’s not really a mask. It’s sort of like the inside has come out on my face.”

It’s clear Juno’s drag persona has come a long way since her club-kid days – not just as a performer, but through her (‘stunning’) looks and ability to transform, thanks to the power of make-up and some serious skills. But she insists “make-up is just a big experiment, isn’t it really? We’re all just having fun and dressing up. We’re not doing it to please anyone but ourselves.” It’s this joyful, carefree approach to beauty, combined with a bucket-load of self-confidence, that really makes Juno… well, Juno. And it’s something we could all do with a little more of.