by CHRIS BARRY

In the 10 years or so since she first started modelling, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve gal Bianca Beauchamp has gone on to become “the world’s foremost latex fetish fashion model.” Now, who measures and awards this distinction remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt that in the land of latex, Beauchamp is huge—and we ain’t just talking about them sweet and hefty DD silicone sacks she carries around with her either.

Working closely alongside her boyfriend of the past 10 years, photographer Martin Perreault, the couple’s Web sites, www.LatexLair.com and www.BiancaBeauchamp.com, are both doing booming business, and Bianca’s been featured in both Playboy and Bizarre magazines on several occasions. She’s also just written a book about her life as a fetish model, entitled Fetish Sex Symbol: A Fetish Icon’s Photographic Journey, and will be hosting the opening festivities of the 2006 Montreal Fetish Weekend this Friday night at Club Cleopatra (1230 St-Laurent).

Mirror: So Bianca, how does one go about becoming “the world’s foremost latex fetish fashion model”?

Bianca Beauchamp: Truth is, I never planned on becoming a model, it was circumstance that brought me here. When I was 18 I was working at McDonald’s. One day I went shopping on St-Hubert with my boyfriend and we saw this latex dress at a sex shop there called Il Bolero. My boyfriend really got turned on by that dress so I went back later and bought it in secret, you know, and he really liked it. So I started buying more kinky dresses for him and he started taking pictures of me, and, after a while, he got the idea to create a Web site. So I figured why not? Back then I was a student, I had no intention of becoming a model, but the Web site became very successful and soon afterwards I just quit school. Actually, what happened is that the school administration discovered my Web site and kicked me out of university. But that was okay, I decided it was better for me to be a model than a teacher anyway.

M: What was the administration’s problem with your having a Web site? That’s none of their business, no?

BB: And there was no nudity on it back then either! It was only about latex. I guess it was because I was studying to be a teacher and they said they couldn’t have any teaching interns modelling sexy stuff.

M: No, you wouldn’t want kids fantasizing about their lusty student teacher, nobody’s ever done that before, huh? Especially in a bondage/S&M context.

BB: Actually, there was no bondage on my site then. I knew I could always go back and study to become a teacher, but there wasn’t much chance of my becoming a model at 40. And I’m very happy with my decision. I have a lot of fun, I travel everywhere in the world—it’s very nice.

Glam on top

M: I’ll bet it’s nice, man, you’ve got to be making a fortune with your Web site.

BB: Let’s just say I’m doing well enough that I don’t have to have a day job. Most models have to have a day job.

M: How many members do you have to your various sites? And if I recall correctly, membership ain’t cheap either, right?

BB: Well, I dunno, the LatexLair costs $40 a month, but I can’t tell you exactly how many members I have, that would be revealing too much about my business.

M: So I understand you have a book coming out, right?

BB: Yes, it’s called Fetish Sex Symbol and it’s essentially about my career and how I became a model. It’s full of photos taken of me around the world, at parties, backstage, shots of me in latex, nude, shots taken of me when I was a kid. It’s about 200 pages long—oh yeah, it’s a big book. It’s very personal. I want my fans to really get to know me.

M: What are your feelings about the local fetish scene? Do you find it’s become more about fashion lately than, say, BDSM?

BB: I find in Montreal and Quebec it’s more about BDSM, but if you go to the States or London, which is a city very big into fetish, it’s more about glamour. Very glam, very young crowd, very expensive, eccentric clothes. Personally, I’m more interested in the glamour stuff than BDSM.

M: Do you think the fetish scene here has gotten better, or worse, over the past several years?

BB: I think it’s gotten more glam, especially since Eric from Club Sin started doing his parties every first Friday of the month, and now with this Fetish Weekend thing we’re doing. Eric creates very glamorous shows—which we didn’t really have here before. Before it was more like, “Let’s dress up and have a drink,” and most people would wear leather.

The rise of PVC

M: It seemed not so long ago, what with the Fetish Café and so on, that there was more of a BDSM thing going on here.

BB: Yeah, but there were no shows at the Fetish Café. It was just about having a chit chat, a drink, spanking people—it was really BDSM-oriented. The parties we’re doing are more about show, about how to seduce people. Sure, there’s BDSM too, but it’s not only about BDSM.

M: Do you experience much animosity from the BDSM crowd for arguably kind of subverting their scene?

BB: Well, there are some people who come to my Web site thinking there will be BDSM on it and then call me a fake when they discover there isn’t any. But I never said I was into BDSM. Of course, behind closed doors I have my fun games with my boyfriend, but this isn’t how I present myself. So if I go into a club and people expect to see me get spanked and stuff like that, well, this really isn’t what I promote on my site, so, like, it’s not my problem. The Montreal fetish crowd is changing, the BDSM players are doing more private parties, and there are lots of Goths in the scene now, mixing with the fetish people.

M: So do you think fetish culture is gradually becoming more mainstream, and if so, is this actually a good thing?

BB: Oh yes. You see latex and PVC on all these pop stars like Britney Spears, or in movies like The Matrix or Batman. So yes, I believe it’s helping and it is a good thing, because the more people who are exposed to fetish, in a way, the more it becomes accepted by the crowd.

M: Okay Bianca, thanks, I guess I can let you go now, I’ve….

BB: Can I just mention one thing? Can I mention that I’m going to be having a launch party for my book at Cabaret Mado (1115 Ste-Catherine E.) on Sunday? I’ll be signing it and it will be very nice. Free for everybody and if you want to dress up sexy, you can. It’s a 5 à 7. Dress in leather or whatever you want, hey, it is Cabaret Mado after all.