“Dressing myself is the way that I express myself as an artist. It’s like making a sculpture, I like to put things together that don’t necessarily make sense. The fabrics are different, the colors are different, and it reflects all the different influences that I care about. I fluctuate between masculine utilitarianism and frilly, vintage feminine aesthetics, but it all balances out and works together. I have my frills and my lace but I feel tough, kind of indestructible.

I was an only child, I spent so much time alone playing by myself and existing in pretend worlds. Now that I’m an adult, I get to be that fairy tale person through my clothes. I don’t mind being the weird girl anymore. It’s comforting to get the stares from strangers, I want them to have to think about what I am wearing. I want them to stop and think because even if they don’t understand it, even if they don’t like it, they’re going to remember. Especially in a conservative city like Lexington, I think people are generally uncomfortable with things that they don’t understand, but that just means that it’s going to push them. I want people to have to think about it.”

Ruby Wiggs, interviewed by Cara Montello, Winter 2025/26