My make-up varies — but I’d never leave the house without just a bit of blusher or lip gloss. I’m inspired by the glamour of icons such as Rita Hayworth, Hedy Lamarr and Lana Turner. People today complain about how awful the paparazzi are, but they existed back then in Hollywood too. You just didn’t see the stars going out in jeans and no make-up. Their job was to look good 24/7 and live up to their fans’ expectations. That’s definitely missing in Hollywood today.

My interest in old Hollywood started when I was seven. I used to watch vintage films with my mother: I loved the spectacle and beauty. Betty Grable was my favourite. Men were crazy over her, and you’d see her lingerie peeking out.

I wanted lingerie like that, so I got a job in the local lingerie shop. I was 13 and obsessed with garters and stockings. It’s probably the reason I work with them now.

Manson and I have a lot of pets: four devonshire rex cats, two dachshund dogs and a white rabbit called Beatrice. I feed the animals before myself. For breakfast I have green tea and one or two eggs in Victorian egg cups, which I collect. They’re not very common in the US, so I look for them online or in little antique shops when I’m travelling. I also collect vintage china and tea sets. I make a ritual of breakfast, setting it out in a nice presentation in my kitchen, which is boudoir-style 1940s, with black and pink art-deco tiles and a huge crystal chandelier. It’s my “alone” time — I don’t have breakfast with Manson.

I make to-do lists and check e-mails and CNN on the net. When I’m developing a new burlesque show there is so much to organise. I’m very hands-on with every little thing: I’d drive an hour to pick up the right kind of fabric swatch.

Everyone knows me best for the giant-martini-glass show. The glass is about 4ft high; I climb in, do a striptease and have a bath in it. There’s another show where I ride a lifesize carousel horse covered in Swarovski crystals, and take my clothes off on the horse. How? With practice! Then there’s the show where I lie in a gilded tub on stage, bathing myself. It’s like someone peeking into my boudoir. I’m not shy if it’s a big crowd. When I did the Louis Vuitton show at the Grand Palais in Paris, my husband was nervous. He usually loves watching me with a crowd, although he can have a striptease any time he wants.

I’d originally wanted to be a ballerina. I started dancing at five. But by 15 I was as good as I’d ever be. It’s helped more than anything else, though. Being a great burlesque performer is about showing your body in the most beautiful way — and ballet teaches you that.

When I was 17 or 18 I worked as a go-go dancer in an LA club. My boyfriend at the time was a DJ there. Though it was at the height of the rave scene, my look was retro: platinum-blonde beehive, corset and long gloves. One night my best friend and I thought we would check out the dancing in the local strip club. I imagined it would be a proper striptease, but it was just girls in bikinis swinging around a pole and not putting any thought or creativity into it. I got a job there and decided to experiment. I only had two minutes on stage but I easily made $6,000 a night. So I treated myself to a 1939 Chrysler, which I still have. When I was growing up in Michigan, we didn’t have much money: my father, a machinist, was out of work a lot. I was afraid to ask for money, even for candy.

I eat things like chicken salad for lunch, as I watch my weight. And a lot of fish — sushi if I’m going out. I grew up eating traditional Midwestern food like stews, chicken soup and chilli. We’ve kept that on, as my husband’s from Ohio; it’s a similar lifestyle. For our supper I love cooking food that takes hours, like a casserole or roast turkey. You have the fragrance through the house all day.

If I’m going somewhere special in the evening I take my time, enjoy a glass of champagne while dressing and listen to music: 1930s stuff or Billie Holiday.

I take two to three hours getting ready for a night out. But I can do my hair and make-up in 45 minutes flat. I apply foundation, concealer, and black liquid eyeliner in a 1950s cat’s-eyes style. And always false lashes. Finally, lipstick. I’ve got 30 or 40 lipsticks, all different shades of red. I wore it from 14, as soon as my parents let me wear make-up.

Some people say what I do isn’t very feminist. I say it’s pretty liberating to get $20,000 for 10 minutes. And as many women as men come to my shows. When I started my website in 1993, it was geared towards men. Now it has more female visitors — not necessarily lesbians, just young women interested in my style. Most women want to be sex symbols, even if they don’t admit it. Imagine being considered not for your mind but for how you look. Sort of fun, don’t you think?

After a show I have a shower to wash off the pearly body paint, then a herbal tea before bed. I need to sleep at least eight hours to look good, and I’m out pretty quick.