Heather Renée Sweet (born September 28, 1972), known professionally as Dita Von Teese, is an American vedette, burlesque dancer, model, actress, and businesswoman.

[2][3][4][5] Von Teese has been seen in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, RuPaul's Drag Race, The Masked Dancer, The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell, among other television productions.

Among her special guests on the tours are Dirty Martini, Perle Noire, Ginger Valentine, Jett Adore and Playboy model Gia Genevieve.

She also has her own brand of lingerie, as well as stockings under the name Secrets in Lace and luxurious cardigans for Australian online store Wheels & Dollbaby.

But on weekend afternoons, my mom and I had a front seat on a rocket ship to those faraway worlds by way of the old movies starring the most glamorous creatures – Betty Grable, Mae West, Carmen Miranda, Marlene Dietrich...

Her mother was a fan of old, Golden Age-era Hollywood films, and from her, Von Teese developed a fascination with the actresses of that day, especially Betty Grable.

[12] When Von Teese was a teenager, her mother took her to buy her first bra, made from plain white cotton, and gave her a plastic egg containing a pair of wrinkly, flesh-colored pantyhose.

[12] Von Teese says she was disappointed, as she had been hoping to receive beautiful lacy garments and stockings, of the type she had glimpsed in her father's Playboy magazines.

[14][15] In her first book, she states that she visited a strip club for the first time at age 19 and was soon hired alongside her job at a beauty counter.

[16] Von Teese is known for her signature painted eyes, heavily penciled brows, swipe of crimson lipstick, and blue-black locks.

[26] In her own words, she "puts the tease back into striptease" with long, elaborate dance shows with props and characters, often inspired by 1930s and 1940s musicals and films.

Some of her more famous dances have involved a carousel horse, a giant powder compact, a filigree heart and a clawfoot bathtub with a working shower head.

[28] Additionally, Von Teese became the first guest star at the Crazy Horse cabaret club in Paris with her appearance in October 2006.

[29] In 2006, Von Teese appeared on an episode of America's Next Top Model (cycle 7) doing a workshop to teach the contestants about sensuality by means of burlesque dancing and posing.

[30] In 2007, Von Teese performed at the adult entertainment event Erotica 07 in London alongside Italian rock band Belladonna.

In her early years, she appeared in fetish-related, softcore pornographic movies, such as Romancing Sara, Matter of Trust (in which she is billed under her real name of Heather Sweet), and also in two Andrew Blake hard-core fetish films, Pin Ups 2[36] and Decadence.

She played Rita von Squeeze, a femme fatale version of herself, who seduces Szmanda's character, Greg Sanders, in a plot inspired by film noir.

In 2022, Von Teese appeared in the music video for Taylor Swift's "Bejeweled" from her tenth studio album Midnights (2022).

[45] Von Teese has appeared on a number of best-dressed lists[46] and frequents the front row of fashion shows, particularly Christian Dior, Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Marc Jacobs, labels she is often seen wearing.

I met him the first time when I was doing my first fashion pictorial, which was for Flaunt magazine, and it was a huge story of me wearing the most important pieces from his haute couture archives, and that was a dream!

She appeared in Vivienne Westwood's spring/summer 2005 collection adverts and became the face of Australian clothing range Wheels & Dollbaby for their 2006/7 Spring/Summer advertising campaign.

[9] Von Teese's unique style is "inspired by eccentric women like Luisa Casati, Anna Piaggi, and Isabella Blow.

[52] In May 2012, Von Teese launched her makeup collection "Classics" in partnership with the German cosmetic brand Art Deco.

[61] On January 22, 2020, Von Teese walked in Jean Paul Gaultier's final couture fashion show in Paris.

"[8] After her marriage to Marilyn Manson ended in 2007, Von Teese dated French Count Louis-Marie de Castelbajac from 2009 to 2012.

A larger ceremony was held on December 3 at Castle Gurteen de la Poer in Kilsheelan (County Tipperary), Ireland, the home of their friend, Gottfried Helnwein.

Dita wore a royal purple silk taffeta gown, made by Vivienne Westwood and a tri-cornered hat designed by Stephen Jones and matching Mr. Pearl corset.

[71] Von Teese left their house empty-handed on Christmas Eve, and was not able to get in touch with Manson to inform him of her intention to divorce him.

Vogue was photographing it and it was in this castle and it was like this theater...I'm not going to beat myself up for being in different relationships and not finding a person I'm with until the end of my days.

"[73] Microgaming joined forces with Eurostar Studios to release the "Burlesque by Dita" video slot in which Heather Renée Sweet makes various cameos (as paytable symbols) throughout the game.