Anyone whose childhood inspirations were Cruella de Vil and ‘Beetlejuice‘ was born to be a Dazzler of the Day, and Jamie Lee Reardin fulfills that destiny with this crowning. Her exquisite artwork has garnered praise and adoration worldwide, resulting in notable stints with Dior, Burberry, Dior Beauty, Prada, Teen Vogue and the New York City Ballet. With a formidable background in fashion and design, Reardin has translated her talent into illustration, where her unique style and eye have garnered a following from all who enjoy whimsical beauty and fantastical elegance. Visit her enchanting website here.
It’s been a while since I’ve been inspired by a musical artist, but Melanie Martinez has reinvigorated and recharged my inspiration battery. With a gorgeously dramatic visual representation of musical visions, Martinez is as much about evoking an atmosphere and feeling as about writing and singing some stunning music.
Deceptively doll-like, her images drip with exquisite irony, while not detracting from their dark gorgeousness. A tricky balance, that, and Martinez manages it with deft and sure confidence. From the days of ‘Dollhouse’ through this week’s release of her fourth album ‘Hades’ (out Friday), Martinez seems hellbent on staking a substantial career propped up by jaw-dropping visuals and backed by aural audacity – and in honor of this exciting next chapter, she earns her first Dazzler of the Day crowning.
A breathtaking gust of fiercely fashionable fabulosity, Robert Hartwell is a force of joy and hope and promise packaged in the prettiest wardrobe you may ever see. With an impressive Broadway background in shows from ‘Memphis’ and ‘Motown’ to ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Hello, Dolly!’, Hartwell has the theatrical experience and rich knowledge to share with others looking to break into musical theater, hence his running of The Broadway Collective. His reality renovation show ‘Breaking New Ground’ revealed a bit of the man behind the myth while pushing the idea that being unabashedly ourselves is always the best form of progress. With a commitment to beauty, joy, and fashion, and a bedrock of family and friends to populate his wonderfully whimsical rooms, Hartwell earns this Dazzler of the Day crowning as if to the manner born.
It’s been a hot minute since we crowned a Dazzler of the Day for purely superficial reasons, but it may be time for this silly and superficial blog to get back to its thirsty roots. Enter Max Kramer, a male model recently featured in the Dietz underwear campaign. That’s all, and that’s more than enough.
Fresh off his Oscar-winning performance in the should-have-been-Academy-Award-winning-film ‘Sinners’, Michael B. Jordan fulfills a long-promised crowning as Dazzler of the Day first so salaciously teased about in this scintillating post. It’s been a long time coming, as this tease will also attest.
Tik-Tok sensation Jordan Palmer runs the JPalm Hairdressing Salon with their wife Alex, and thanks to an inclusive attitude and forward-thinking frame of mind, they more than earn this Dazzler of the Day crowning. Located in Omaha, Nebraska, Palmer’s salon is a refreshingly supportive establishment, particularly for often-marginalized communities. They make proper pronoun usage and terms of consent a matter-of-fact non-issue, gleefully rendering gender-affirming hairstyles as dictated by their clients. Jordan’s easygoing spirit and infectious enthusiasm works to pump up their client’s hair wishes and dreams in a way that is dazzling indeed. (You can make a hair appointment here.)
Currently traveling the nation as LeFou in the touring company of ‘Beauty & The Beast’ (due in Boston this spring, yay!) Harry Francis earns his first crowning as Dazzler of the Day thanks to an impressive roster of artistic accomplishments. His career has already spanned numerous genres – from artist and performer to filmmaker and personal trainer, as well as teacher and trainer. It’s a heavy load, one that he admirably carries with handsome aplomb. Check him out in the current company of ‘Beauty & The Beast’ which has upcoming stops in Washington, DC, Hartford, CT, and Boston, MA.
Playing JFK Jr. at the height of his sexiness is no easy feat, but Paul Anthony Kelly fills out his boxer briefs and biker shorts with admirable appendage and aplomb. While I haven’t gotten into the latest ‘Love Story’ from Ryan Murphy, all one really needs to get the gist of that romp is a couple of these GIFs. Some of us already went through the 90’s in messy fashion and have no need or desire to do it all over again. Still, Paul Anthony Kelly provides more than ample eye candy, warranting this Dazzler of the Day.
Queer authors will always be heroes to me, as it is within the written word where the magical path to self-discovery and freedom begins. Add in a unique slant of “spicy, queer Appalachian Romantasy” and you have the stuff of literary legend. This is Thomas (TJ) West, who has written a couple of books, including the queer Appalachia fantasy ‘Country Road Romance’ which was inspired by his own experiences growing up in West Virginia. (He also wears the coolest shirts.) Today he is crowned our Dazzler of the Day.
Standing in line for an herbal peppermint tea, I listened as the woman ahead of me told the brief and fascinating story of her book ‘The Message Catcher‘ and how it was a fictionalized journey of her life journey. She turned to me and smiled, inviting me to stop by her table, where several copies of ‘The Message Catcher’ were on display, right beneath a framed rendering of a crow.
Too shy to approach (and by the time I was leaving she was already engaged with someone else), I instead looked her up online and discovered her intriguing body of written work and a tragic and inspiring personal trajectory. Her name is Darryl McGrath, and she lost her husband a number of years ago while on vacation in Cape Cod. He saved her life and lost his – the kind of tragedy that transforms a person irrevocably, and to the benefit of her readers McGrath turned her experience into meaningful artistic expression while navigating her own arc of loss and healing.
The most dazzling people I’ve featured here aren’t usually the superhuman Olympians, the sports stars, the perfect models or the sparkling celebrities – they are the humans who have gone through the adversity of life, rising from tragedy and finding other ways to triumph, ways to find grace in the often-awful hand that life deals out. To that beautiful end, Darryl McGrath is our Dazzler of the Day.
Another wonderful person of many hats, Matt Ortile is editor, writer, host, and educator. He gained early experience as the global publishing lead for BuzzFeed International and was the founding editor of BuzzFeed Philippines. His writing has been published by Vogue, Esquire, Afar, TripAdvisor, BuzzFeed News, Into, Self, and Out, and he has written a book of essays entitled ‘The Groom Will Keep His Name’. A more comprehensive list of accomplishments may be found at his website here, and he can add Dazzler of the Day to the ever-growing list of honors.
Sometimes the strongest and most powerful voices come from the prettiest packages – and when that happens it often results in the crowning of a new Dazzler of the Day. Introducing the amazing Thoren ‘Thor’ Bradley, who has gained a prominent and substantial social media thanks to his combination of fitness, wood-chopping, intelligent discourse, and inclusive championing for all people. A recent post of his particularly moved me, especially in light of the boorish and barbaric behavior of the US Men’s Hockey Team. When white cis men who look like Bradley speak truth about and against centuries of patriarchy, it’s a huge help. Glad there are noble humans still out there to restore a little faith in humanity. For that reason alone, he earns his first Dazzler of the Day.
“My heart goes out to all the daughters, wives and girlfriends in the United State…who have faced the harsh realization that a man in their life is so spineless in the face of clear injustice… that they can’t even form a fucking opinion in private. I’m not even talking about speaking out in public. I know he’ll never have your respect again and I know that must be a lonely feeling. Rest assured you are not wrong. That isn’t normal.” – Thoren Bradley
I love a hairpin turn in one’s career trajectory, and no one has zigged harder of late than Davey Wavey, who went from his popular YouTube and social media impresario role (and some incendiary adult entertainment work) to owning the Frog Meadow Bed & Breakfast in Vermont. Innkeepers Jeremiah and Zac will run the property, but Davey’s hands are already all over the place. The relaxed drama-free atmosphere that has made Frog Meadow such a beloved destination for many years doesn’t look to end, and Davey promises the heart and soul of what is considered sacred space to many will remain untouched and unchanged.
Maintaining and building on the vision of original founders Scott Heller and Dave King, Davey intends to honor the legacy of what they created: a place for the soul to be nurtured. In looking ahead, he also plans on working on the singular item of most interest and obsession for me: a signature fragrance. To that end, and the future of Frog Meadow, Davey earns this Dazzler of the Day for the very first time.
While the US Men’s Hockey Team squandered their impressive win with embarrassing and shameful locker room behavior (that included laughing at the US Women’s Team while on the phone with felon Trump) the US Women’s Hockey Team proved that they had more grit, sense, and grace in their gold medal win, earning them this Dazzler of the Day crowning. It also merits much fanfare that the US Women’s Hockey Team has won way more medals than the US Men’s Hockey team, and still goes egregiously unheralded in comparison. Here’s to the heroic Women’s Hockey Team, putting the men to shame year after year after year after year…
