At Coachella, one of her costumes allowed her to dance with an appendage between her legs

Leather belts, and letting one hang out. Screen shot: lilisafairy/TikTok

In numerous reels shared on social media of Lisa Manoban’s Coachella performance of Lifestyle, she was seen jumping and prancing in fierce rock regalia. On the Sahara Stage of the massive music festival, the red outfit was one of five distinctive looks that she wore for the night. She started that set with Elastic Girl and it was fine enough. The outfit was a three-piece, designed for maximum impact on stage or to emanate a rockstar vibe: a cropped top with a cut-out in middle on which was a shiny bustier of an abstract star, and a panty-as-hot-pants secured by at least three studded belts. Halfway through that performance, the middle belt’s long ends came unsecured from a loop, but it barely caught anyone’s attention.

After she finished the track Money in that outfit, she went backstage to change and emerged to sing Lifestyle with additional garments on top of the former. This time, there was a bolero with spotlights as épaulettes and a front-less split skirt (or was it an apron worn at the back?), secured with a belt across her natural waist, adding more belts to the top of the lower half of her body. But now, as she emerged, unmissable was the last belt across what would be her crotch. The end of the belt was dangling from the point where it was secured: the prong of the buckle through a grommet. As she strutted onto the stage, that extra length of leather dangled and swung like an appendage in pendulous penile glory.

The rock ‘shorts’. Photo: zanabayne/Instagram

For the much-awaited Rockstar, it was off with the outer and the half-skirt. The pair of shorts was designed by New York-based label Zana Bayne, known for their harnesses and belts for any part of the body that predated Demna Gvasalia’s Balenciaga. It is not clear whether the belt Lisa wore came hanging out as it did during her frantic costume change/add-on or if it was deliberately undone as part of the styling, but it did not escape notice. As she sang and danced—the performance mimicking sex acts, one could not help wondering if she was imitating wearing a strap-on. Perhaps this was confirmation that Lisa is now, as her fans believe, a grown-up, one who isn’t afraid to explore her Alter Ego(s) or to show her more “mature” and “sensual” side, and to play up a more “sultry” image.

For Lisa, it was not how Jimmy Fallon described Coachella: “Urban Outfitters suddenly sprang to life”. It was her living up to every sexual being’s fantasy of a sex kitten. This included the opening catsuit, her feline hair style, with the two small buns to suggest cat ears. There was even a two-piece outfit by the Italian brand GCDS, featuring their on-going collaboration with Hello Kitty, in which Lisa sang New Woman. It is not clear how the idea of independence and behaviour that challenges traditional gender roles (Hit it when I serve, bitch, you better swerve) square with Hello Kitty’s girlishness and passivity (she doesn’t speak as she’s mouthless). Freed from Blackpink and YG Entertainment, the disparity perhaps came to symbolise the Buri Ram-born’s multi-faceted self.

High kick. Screen shot: asianpopfootage!/YouTube

As a New Woman, the act of singing while wearing costumes suggestive of cat sensuality allow Lisa to tether feline imagery to a seductive yet playful persona. Referring to her debut acting role, she said: “For the White Lotus fans, you might be surprised to see Mook on stage. This is her when she’s not working, you know.” In Lisa’s new fierce image, already much imitated in drag acts during this Songkran season in Thailand, she was pushing for visual representation than vocal might. In fact, it has been said by many online that the backing track of her performances overpowered the live vocals. Even in the fan recordings shared online, we could see and hear that she frequently stopped singing midway to let the backing track finish the line, while she readied herself for the next move or during more intense dance routines. The skimpy clothes may allow ease for harder dance moves, but they did not let her show off any vocal colour.

Despite an earlier star-bodice controversy for the music video of Rockstar, she was back wearing a skimpy top with another chest-obscuring dao (star) in front, but this time, it was more distorted and was framed with a silver border, looking like it could have been a motorbike part. The four pieces of the total ensemble (minus the shorts) of the closing costume were designed by the entertainment wardrobing firm Michael Schmidt Studios. It is not known why two different entities worked on one look. It is likely that, for a closing act, Lisa wanted something that would wow: part sweetness, part sultriness, even sexual aggression. And, as it’s often said, two heads are better than one. But in the end, despite the shoulder protuberances, it was the one appendage that stole the show. As a male Thai fan quipped to us, “So, like me, Lisa hangs left!”