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Raquel Reed was born in Secaucus, N.J., on April 11, 1988. She grew up living in Southern California until she moved to New York at 17, quickly becoming one of the leading alternative-scene models in the industry. Standing at 5-foot-six with bright red hair[currently], big-brown eyes with thick-blinking lashes, and a sassy sense of humor, Reed is best known for images that shockingly incorporate sex with comedy and childhood fantasy. Her ethnic background is mostly Peruvian and African American, part Welsh and Puerto Rican. Since Reed was a pre-teen bright-girly colors, candy and cartoons were the staple in her style on a large scale from hair to toe, a theme that has been noticed and directly inspired many mainstream artists. While this was extremely discouraging and stressful to Reed at times, she takes it as a compliment, and remains an original trendsetter true to her own image. Although Reed is well connected within the industry through various lasting relationships, she maintains creative control in her work and has always steered her career with independence, serving as her own manager. “I’m used to myself,” says Reed. “I wouldn't be able to just let anybody into my life, just because of bad experiences. I just only really trust myself at this point in my life. But hopefully that will change, and maybe in the future I’ll use a manager, but I need to find the right person as well as at the right cost. I’m still a beginning artist.” Reed began leveraging herself at the age of 12 using Myspace as a means of publicity. Since then she has been on the covers of Tattoo Life and Alt Magazine, been featured in Retro Lovely, Bizarre, Inked Girls, walked runways for Ed Hardy, Patricia Field, Jared Gold, is a model for Tom Tom Fashions, and a Dr. Sketchy’s favorite, to name a few.INK-N-iron 2011 Pageant Winner, and also a recording artist. Reed works full time as a makeup artist at MAC cosmetics. But life wasn’t always glam and runways for Reed. Reed says she doesn’t remember most of her childhood, just moving, a lot. Pictures reveal an energetic little girl with dark skin, long-brown hair, and big pink bows. Her parents met in Germany where they were stationed in the military, her father as a US soldier, and her mother as a military secretary. When Reed was 4 they divorced and she moved to San Diego with her mother and older brother. |
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Despite riffs in the past, Reed now speaks to her mother regularly, but the rest of her family, who she describes as “very conservative,” has never been supportive of her dreams or related to her as a person. “They don't really know anything that I do,” says Reed. “They've just seen my hair, my tattoos, and that’s really enough for them. I don't think they even know I make music to be honest.” x By 15 Reed was throwing wild house parties when her parents went away, driving an old-beat-up car that she bought from her friend for $400, and making a name for herself as an alternative model on Myspace. “I was always singing, or performing, or doing talent shows, or just in front of people, and I think that I got used to it. Maybe from an outsiders view I lack family, so I see other people admiring me for what I do, since my family didn't.” She met Jeffree Star, popular Myspace-model musician, at a house party in Long Beach and lived with him for 3 years. They would cut the hair of Myspace fans for cash and tear up LA. It was with Star that she officially began her music career, touring as his back-up singer. The inseparable duo came to a part in their joint path in 2005 when Reed moved to NY to further her career independently. Contrary to popular rumors, the pair remained close friends. Star was one of the first long-term friends to fill the void of acceptance for Reed, and since her mother “didn’t know how to handle her,” according to Reed, she was emancipated prior to moving east. In New York Reed worked at various clothing stores from small shops on St. Marks to the Patricia Field Boutique, the designer of Sex and the City’s store in the Bowery. She supplemented her income as a go-go dancer for Susanne Bartsch parties and various nightclubs in NYC, and became a well known club kid in the underground-party scene. She began building her portfolio, shooting with hundreds of photographers, and establishing herself as a fierce-solo entity in the industry. For such a wildly inspired girl with a rollercoaster past, Reed is actually more “normal” then one would imagine. Yes, stepping into her bedroom is like boarding a giant-rocket ship to cupcake land. Yes, her idol is Jem from the 80s cartoon “Jem and The Holograms.” And yes, a lemon-drop shot is her drink of choice. But she hardly parties, works full time, and lives up-state, keeping a tight circle of trusted friends and associates. From photo shoots with baby pigs to music videos featuring Redman, Reed has done a lot, but she is one of the few outlandish models in her industry that will not do nude shots; a self-proclaimed tease. “I want people to know that there are a lot of creative individuals out there,” says Reed. “I also wanna tell people that if your family doesn't support you in what you’re doing, if people don’t agree with what you’re doing, and your not hurting anybody, and it makes you happy, then continue your dreams. Who cares? Do you!” She is also currently putting together a few non traditional burlesque acts..check some of them out on her new burlesque page of this website! |
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