Gillian Marwood

Finding Queerio is a stop motion film that inspired my larger project of sculptures and future films about aliens coming to Earth and finding sex work to be the perfect life, as they grew up without stigma or gender norms. The alien in the film, has just come to Earth, discovered Playboy, sees these women as perfect, and feels the need to become them. After trying to shave their legs, they’re distraught as they feel that they will never live up to being the perfect sexual human. It is not until they discover a queer magazine, that they realize that they don’t have to look like a play boy bunny to be happy or successful as a human or a sex worker. As a queer sex worker, I’ve spent years battling the concept of sexuality; “maybe if I shave my legs and armpits and grow out my hair, I’ll make more money and get less hate, but then what if I’m not seen as queer enough?” That’s where the bimbo revolution comes in. Finding my community as a queer, nonbinary person has been vital, it has helped me to understand that being a hairy high fem is beautiful and powerful.

Gillian is a queer sculptor, jewelry designer, business owner, and stop motion animator. They grew up living all over the world, though mainly raised in Scotland, they now consider Chicago home. Their work focuses on sex work, trauma, and queerness which they bring to light through their stop motion films and sculptures. Their work has been featured in Woman Made Gallery, Locus, Elgin fringe festival, The Robin, and Awakenings gallery. When they’re not sculpting, they’re usually working on their business GERM selling handmade jewelry.