Gem Sweaters, Spandex and Granny Glasses

It takes a lot to shock me. I've been a journalist for a long time now, and pretty much thought I had seen it all. That is, until I read about Leslie Hall.

Let me summarize Ms. Hall for you. According to CNNshe's 210 pounds, she lives with her parents in Ames, Iowa, she' a white rapper who crams herself into head-to-toe spandex outfits, she has a museum dedicated to horrifyingly over-bedazzled sweaters and she performs gay wedding ceremonies, offering a special package known as the Gem Sweater Wedding of Grands. (We'll explain later.)

Got it? OK, we don't fault you if you don't. But here's the thing. Although my initial reaction was to simply mock this truly bizarre individual, the more I read about her the more I find her incredibly fascinating... and more than a little bit brave.

Leslie, who also sports over-sized grandma-style spectacles, is apparently motivated by a common American fear: a desk job. Five years ago the art-school grad set out to avoid the nine-to-five grind, and has certainly succeeded.

Her first was stroke of genius were those aforementioned sweaters. She says she was sifting through an Iowa thrift store when she came across her first plastic-jewel-encrusted sweater. She soon began collecting what she quickly dubbed gem sweaters and created an online photo gallery of herself in them, striking an American Gothic-style serious pose in each post. The site went live in 2004 and quickly became a huge Web hit.

Emboldened, Leslie then expanded her kooky empire. She formed the group Leslie and the LY's with two art school friends and they began posting videos on BeatGreets.com, an online greeting card Web site that preceded YouTube, and money started to roll in... or at least trickle in.

"Make a couple of albums and do a couple of dances and you make money, honey," she explained in her own unique way.

The group just wrapped their fifth national tour, and when Leslie travels she brings along her mobile gem sweater museum, which is housed in a converted 1974 Starcraft RV. The sweaters can also be incorporated into her wedding package. A Gem Sweater Wedding of Grands includes a live performance from Leslie & the LY's, including a personalized song "that captures your love." It also features illegal fireworks and a ride to your hotel in the mobile sweater museum. What else could you possibly want??

HBO has expressed interest in a show about Hall and it's clear she's setting her sights high. "I think I can take this all the way to Hollywood," she declared to CNN.

I, for one, definitely hope she does.

Photo courtesy of ubershibs via Flickr.