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Dita Von Teese has spent her life turning beauty into power. Born Heather Sweet in small-town Michigan, she grew up dreaming of old Hollywood glamour, satin corsets, and the kind of femininity that shimmered on the silver screen. When she opened her first bra as a teenager—a plain white cotton thing inside a plastic egg—she was deeply disappointed. That moment, she says, is where it all began. If the world wouldn’t make things beautiful, she would. In this conversation, Dita opens up about the art and discipline behind the spectacle that made her a global icon. She talks about her early days as a model and Playboy cover star, the power and intention behind creating the Dita Von Teese persona, and how she’s kept mystery alive in a world prone to oversharing. She also shares what it was like collaborating with Taylor Swift on Bejeweled and how rare it is, even now, to be approached by another artist with such genuine respect for her craft. Dita explains that while many have imitated