One of MethodShop‘s most notorious readers is topless photojournalist Holly Van Voast. It’s not uncommon to spot Holly roaming the streets of New York City, topless, in high traffic spots like outside the TODAY Show in Rockefeller Plaza. It’s not every day that a topless woman with a mustache photobombs a live morning news show. As you might imagine, she usually has both the crowd and NBC Security in a tizzy.
So why does Holly roam the streets topless? What’s with the mustache? Based on your tweets. comments and emails, MethodShop readers want to know! Luckily Holly was kind enough to do a quick interview with us. Enjoy!
How did you first hear about MethodShop.com?
Actually MethodShop kind of found me. I have been marketing myself on the streets in and around New York City, including Rockefeller Center — topless and mustached for awhile now. Then a few weeks ago, I was Googling my image branding keywords – which are “topless” and “mustache” – and your article titled: “Who Is This Topless Woman With A Mustache And Camera Roaming The Streets Of Manhattan?” popped up. I look for blips and blurbs about myself online to entertain my friends.
What do you like and hate most about being a topless drag photojournalist?
I hate being an introvert and walking around New York City topless with a drawn-on mustache for my branding image marketing work. I love my ideas, but don’t look forward to executing them. I’m more of a painter, stay-at-home type — super quiet! Yet I am in clubs at night photographing colorful and crazy punk drag bitches. And if you looked at me you would not imagine I could be an introvert, but I am. I am just a practical introvert. It is possible to be an introvert and market your ideas while being a topless woman walking around New York City, but you must be brave and persistent, and based in reality.
Do you know why we wanted to interview you?
For being awesome? My innovations in topless branding? I am hoping it’s because they see how I am involved in media and original content creation and promotion. Using social media as promotion is such an interesting scene… I love how you can devise a promotional strategy that uses content that can be seen by so many people so quickly online. It’s a lot of power to harness properly!
What are some of your favorite MethodShop articles?
I really enjoyed reading about the story behind MethodShop’s beginnings — I really love the mix of fun and down-to-earth information on the MethodShop website. The story of how MethodShop happened is a story a lot of us can relate to. Wanting to create and give, and following through on a vision for many years — that’s what I admire in others, and the people behind MethodShop are people I admire. They are not heartlessly snarky, reading MethodShop is just like hanging out with your best friend and surfing the web and learning and rockin’ out… in your living room… as if Beavis & Butthead had been more nerdy and good with tech. When I read MethodShop’s story, it really hit home.
Describe MethodShop in 5 words or less?
Tech TMZ, gadget gossip, curious.
What are some of your favorite tech gadgets and why?
If my camera and my laptop qualify as gadgets, they would be my favorites. I don’t have a cool phone or anything gadgety. But I love knowing about new tech items, and new tech issues. Hmmm, I would call Facebook my favorite tech gadget, or even just the web itself. I know that the web isn’t completely a gadget, but it can be used like one.
Tell us something about yourself that your friends reading this right now won’t already know.
It is really hard for me to think of things my friends don’t know about me. Really, I am really trying, but the nature of who I am and what I do has always been so naked, almost like walking around topless in a more profound way… I mean, my friends see me with a drawn on moustache and bare tits all the time… what could I possibly be hiding?
Are any locations off limits?
Since 1992, I can legally go to any public place as a topless woman in New York City. Even churches.
Please complete this sentence: I want everyone reading this to…
…be thankful for all the crazy internet and media tools we have now to do so much with! When I first came to the city — in the 80s — the things I could have done with the web and social media then make my head spin! Try not to bitch too much about anything that is wrong with technology, because it is mind blowing just what has happened in the past 25 years. If you know what life was really like before, you know what has happened to the world — the changes that happened — and I myself am awed.
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