Coolest Person in the Room: Beaujangless
Nightlife

Coolest Person in the Room: Beaujangless

Interview & Photography by Megan Walschlager

Popularity is relative, and especially in the digital age. You could have hundreds of thousands of followers online, but be completely unknown in the streets — massively famous on Instagram, YouTube or Twitter, but lack any kind of real, authentic cool in person. For our new series, Coolest Person in the Room, New York-based photographer Megan Walschlager pinpoints all the people whose energy is contagious regardless of their following count or celebrity. Meet Beaujangless, the meme-making, look-turning, spotlight-stealing New Yorker you need to know.

Tell us about your day job.

I do visual styling — I'm the lead stylist here for the ready-to-wear team — so women's clothes — at Bloomingdales. It's pretty much day by day making sure the store is updated with the newest merchandise that we get and that the girls [mannequins] look as stylish as the people that shop down here do.

I try to stick more to the styling part because I don't really enjoy the building part. But here I am making all these sea urchins for the windows!

How did you get into this?

Well, it's funny because I didn't go to college for this job. I went to school, but it just didn't work out because I started getting promoted at my jobs. So, I was trying to go to school for this, and I'm already making money doing this, so it was like why would I go to school? Plus, my schedule was so crazy — I was working at Uniqlo for like 4 years — so my schedule would be like overnight for 3 weeks and then all of a sudden I'm back to 7 AM to 4 PM, so it was just really all over the place. And I was younger so I was like I'd rather have money than be going to school. But now I don't have debt, so!

Photo by Megan Walschlager

So, you won that round!

Oh, yes! Hair flips!

You're also really involved with NYC nightlife — how did that come about? Did you grow up here?

Yes. Well, I moved to New York from Puerto Rico when I was like 10. So, in Puerto Rico — I know this sounds crazy — but I was doing nightlife stuff in Puerto Rico. Like I've been partying since I was 9, 10 years old. Everybody just had little house parties everywhere.

But in New York, I went through a lot of different phases. The first thing I did was get a fake ID and I started hanging out in the clubs downtown and in Meatpacking, bopping from table to table. I was one of those girls who was like 17 and with a promoter always — or with the pretty girls with the promoter. Then I just started going to a lot of different parties and getting invited to all these different places. Especially uptown, I spent a lot of time uptown.

But I was like never in the gay scene. Like ever. This is all very new to me. I would say like the past 2-3 years is the most I've ever explored the gay scene. I was always at straight parties and I was very heavily into EDM for like a good 2 years.

We love a raver queen!

I really was a raver queen you have no idea. I was raving for a good 2 years, then I started going to special event parties like Pizza Zoo and Brunch Bounce, 9 AM Banger — so I was just doing designated things.

Photo by Megan Walschlager

Then I met my friend Fahad and he was like, "Let's go to Hell's Kitchen!" And I was like, "...ugh, oh my god, the gays!" I always felt so uncomfortable in gay clubs because they're so judgy. At least if you go to a straight club and you're gay, you know why people are judging you. You go to a gay club, you don't know why these motherfuckers is judging you! They just lookin' at you up and down. And you don't know if you're wearing something wrong or who you're pissing off, so I was just like, "Ok, I can't do this shit." But then I started getting more comfortable and meeting more gay people and was like, "This is nice."

Then I met Matthew [Mazur] and he introduced me to a lot more of the downtown, scene-y things. From there, I started meeting other people and they started inviting me to their things. And everyone was nice, so I was like, "Sure, why not?"

That's true I feel like people are always drawn to your energy and crazy things are always happening to you, like, out of the blue. Like that show you were on — can you talk about it yet or no?

Well, yeah. I didn't sign an NDA! I was on that show "Caso Cerrado" — it's like the Spanish Judge Judy — I don't know when the episode is airing. But they flew me to Miami after randomly hitting me up on Instagram. I thought they knew I had my mouth sewn shut — so they called me and we're like, "Why are you talking like this?" And I was like, "Well, my jaw is wired shut." And then they were like, "Oh… Well, are you still interested in coming?" And I was like. "Are YOU still interested in ME coming?"

So they flew me out there and it was this ridiculous episode of me just like — I was supposed to be a masseuse that was massaging the wrong man. They used my broken jaw as a part of the episode, so they were like, "This is the man that is going to have broken your jaw." And I was like, "Ok, well, sorry man! Hope you don't get any hate mail after this!" I didn't know — I thought it was all real to be honest, but being there you realize they are just trying to run different storylines, so they picked the one that made the most sense.

Photo by Megan Walschlager

Right. I bet it's like inspired by real crime and then they recycle it.

Totally. They really wanted to use my broken jaw in the storyline. They even made me show them pictures of me in the hospital that they were going to print out —

No! That's too much!

[Laughs] They didn't use them I don't think. I saw them print them out, but I don't think they used them. I was like, "This is so not right, but they are paying me and they flew me out here, so… eh."

Do you want to talk about your injury?

Sure, I don't mind. I was out at this club, at Boxers'. I was out with my friends. A few people had left earlier, but I stayed with my friend behind. And these guys were just kind of like harassing him, and they got into a weird argument. He said they squashed it apparently in the club, but when we were leaving the guys were starting shit again, now towards the both of us. And I didn't know like any of this had been happening, so I was just kind of shocked, and I was drunk, so I blacked out after the first hit. So basically, they maced us first and then they started attacking me, and then they went up to him. But they did most of the damage to me because I was like a deer in the headlights. I had no idea what was going on. I had no idea why I was being maced, I didn't know why I was being hit. They literally kicked me in the face and I had to get stitches in my eyebrow and they broke my jaw. So, I was lock jawed for like 2 months. And now I can talk again so… We're back with a lot of things to say!

Did you have any revelations while you couldn't speak?

I did. It was kind of overwhelming because I got a lot of love, but I've never had people on me like that before. Like, "Are you ok? Is everything ok? Do you need something to eat?" I didn't realize that would annoy me until it was happening like every single second of the day. People were acting like I was — well I guess I was impaired — but I could like, move.

I was a little traumatized the first few weeks. I didn't really want to leave my house. Then I was just like, "Fuck it! Leave and see what's out there! If anything happens, you have your clippers and you can cut the wires open."

Photo by Megan Walschlager

That's so crazy.

Yeah it was really bizarre. I spent a lot of time with myself and feel like I learned a lot about my thoughts, the things that I want for myself. The things you think after a near-death experience — but not really —

It was pretty traumatic!

It was.

I feel like I saw you get so much love.

I did. I can never be more appreciative. I was like, "Oh ya'll really fuck with me like this?"

You're a local celeb. Do you have any style inspirations?

Honestly my inspiration is walking down the streets, seeing how people dress and trying to avoid that. I truly try to avoid that. If I was wearing something that someone else was wearing, I would make a hole in it or do something just to not make it look like someone else is wearing it.

Right, you cropped your denim jacket on the fly the other day.

Literally. Because I was like I know someone is wearing a denim jacket out there, but is it cropped? I don't think so! I'm very DIY. If I buy something, I will DIY it no matter what it is. I don't care how expensive or how cheap it is. I'll just cut it or put wires in it.

What is your favorite drink?

Hennessy and RedBull. It's amazing. I've never had a hangover. That's why I always make it to work on time.

Do you have a getting ready routine?

I used to always post about this on my Snapchat — that's kind of how I became more known — because it was always so ridiculously excessive and I was open about literally everything in my life. I was one of those.

But to start I pour the Hennessy, of course. And this is all happening in the bathroom, by the way. So I grab the Hennessy bottle from the freezer and the RedBull, bring the hair, the makeup — the hair is always last though. I always wear a bandana because I think no matter how natural the wig looks, it always looks unnatural, so I'd rather not deal with it at all. Then I start playing music. It's usually a mix that I have on my Soundcloud. It's by YesJulz —

Not YesJulz!

I know I hate that bitch, but it's really good. It starts with Beyoncé and then goes into "Back That Ass Up" into Lorde. It's all very high and low, but there's always a twerk element in the background. If it's not that, then it's the Mazurbate-Laquann Smith mix. But right now it's the Beyoncé Live album.

Photo by Megan Walschlager

What song do you like to hear when you're out?

I have two. My first one — that I've had for the past 10-12 years is "Back That Ass Up" by Juvenile. Then I have "Gasolina" by Daddy Yankee that I've had since I was like 13-14. I was like 13, twerking on the floor and my mom was like, "Get your gay ass up! What is he doing?" The third one right now is "Twerk" by City Girls. Anything twerk-related really just gets me. Just get the fast little beat and I'm there for you.

Do you have any formal dance experience or is it all energy?

None at all actually. I should actually get some proper training at this point. I'm gonna be thirty in a few years, my joints aren't working the same.

I feel like you are known for your dancing, your looks and the memes.

Yeah, that's true for sure. The memes came about from my old Instagram captions. When I first started Instagram in like 2012, all my captions were funny and ridiculous. I started to explore doing memes a couple years ago. Then I would only meme myself — never other people. But then I started thinking of captions for other people and stopped being so selfish and only thinking of them for myself.

A generous memer.

A generous memer! But, yeah, I just do it for fun. The 20 mins on the train to work or to go home, that's literally all I'm doing. Memeing random shit I found on the internet.

Photo by Megan Walschlager

Has anything cool happened out of your memeing?

I've met a lot of friends. A lot of friends. I actually reconnected with one of my friends who is now on a reality show. We met a long time ago, but just got busy doing different things and now she's on Love & Hip Hop. I've got hosting gigs here and there, but nothing extravagant.

Oh! I did meet this woman when I went to Paris. This woman — God bless her — I remember her sending me a DM a couple years ago, and I finally read back to it and I was like, "This is the woman that is going to help me!" Because I was in Paris by myself for 2 days and I was waiting for my friends to come because we were staying together, and she opened her doors for me.

You stayed at her house??

Yes! She took me everywhere!

Some random French woman?

Some random French woman. She was French-Moroccan, I believe. She was so nice. And we were both kind of sketched by each other because we only knew each other kinda sorta. But it was amazing — she took me to eat, sightsee, she took me to Moulin Rouge. You just never know who you can meet or who can help you down the road. It could be somebody with 8 followers, you never know.

What's next for you?

This summer is looking amazing. I have some things lined up for Pride. Matthew and I are getting flewed out to Anguila for a wedding. I'm doing this Frankie Sharp party on Sundays. I'm doing Cinco De Mayo for 9 AM Banger. This one's called El Bangero. This was necessary for the community because I was tired of partying at brunch and partying at dinner — it's time to party for breakfast.

Photo by Megan Walschlager

What time do you start time pregaming that?

Like 6:45 AM.

Wow.

Well, I don't go out the night before. But I have done that before and gone home and taken a 90 minute nap. I'm usually always there at 9 AM.

The energy!

Well, that Sunday after catches you and it's not pretty.

Do you like when people recognize you from Instagram on the street or at the club?

I love when people say hi to me! I don't have a problem with that. I know my face usually does look like I have a problem with that but I'm just thinking. I'm like Cardi B — I'm always thinking and talking to myself. Like, what song is going to play next? What song am I gonna dance to next? Is my bra tight enough? How's my stamina? Am I tired? I always have things in my head. But I love people and I have always loved people.

What do you think it is about your energy and personality that everyone finds invigorating?

I think that's it's just that I'm willing to have fun no matter what. It feels like that is my storyline in life — to just have fun. And it shows everywhere I go. I'm here for a good time. Always. No matter where I am.

Follow Beaujangless on Instagram (@beaujangless).