People have spent Sassee Cassee's entire life noticing what makes her different. But there is far more to her story than what people see.
In this episode of Ava Devine's Bad Advice, I sit down with entertainer, feature dancer and content creator Sassee Cassee for an honest conversation about confidence, dating, fetishization, self-worth and learning to live without needing validation from other people.
Sassee takes us back to a childhood where her mother made the decision not to shelter her. She talks about being bullied in school, learning to defend herself, becoming a gymnast and developing the resilience that would eventually follow her into adulthood.
Then an unexpected opportunity changed everything.
After appearing on The Jerry Springer Show, Sassee began travelling, performing and eventually built a career as a touring feature dancer before joining Micro Maidens, an all-women burlesque show featuring little people.
But behind the performer is a woman who has spent much of her life navigating the difference between being seen and being objectified.
Sassee opens up about what dating is really like when you constantly have to question someone's intentions, how she separates genuine attraction from fetishization, why being attracted to a little person shouldn't be considered taboo, and the boundaries she refuses to compromise in her career.
## Chapters
00:00 Meet Sassee Cassee
00:00:33 The Mother Who Refused To Shelter Her
00:01:17 Growing Up With A Minister For A Sister
00:02:00 Family, Faith & Spicy Entertainment
00:03:14 How Spirituality Helps Sassee Handle Negativity
00:04:05 What Growing Up Different Was Really Like
00:04:45 The Bullying That Changed Her
00:05:37 How Sassee Learned To Handle Haters
00:06:22 From Gymnastics To Jerry Springer
00:07:18 Why Sassee Felt She Had To Prove Herself
00:08:02 Searching For Acceptance Through Self Love
00:08:54 Sassee Cassee On The Jerry Springer Show
00:09:38 Moving To California & Chasing A Bigger Career
00:10:15 What Dating Is Really Like For Sassee
00:11:03 How She Spots Men With The Wrong Intentions
00:11:38 What Sassee Actually Looks For In A Man
00:12:24 Attraction vs. Fetishization
00:13:06 Why Attraction To Little People Isn't Taboo
00:13:55 When Attraction Becomes Fetishization
00:14:47 Dating Younger Men & Learning What She Wants
00:15:39 Sassee Opens Up About Her Attraction To Women
00:16:33 How Sassee Built A Career As A Feature Dancer
00:17:31 Inside The Micro Maidens
00:18:14 How Sassee Joined Micro Maidens
00:18:56 Feeling Celebrated vs. Feeling Exploited
00:19:37 The Performance Sassee Refused To Do
00:20:28 What Respectful Entertainment Looks Like
00:21:09 What Happens At A Micro Maidens Show?
00:21:45 The Gymnastics Skills Behind Sassee's Performances
00:22:39 What Actually Defines A Little Person?
00:23:44 Would Sassee Date Another Little Person?
00:24:33 How Sassee Entered The Creator Economy
00:25:28 Becoming Comfortable With Her Body & Sexuality
00:26:18 "Treat Me Like A Human Being"
00:26:50 Why Sassee Lets Children Ask Questions
00:27:37 "People Don't Look At Me Like I'm A Person"
00:28:14 The Airport Interaction That Made Sassee Speak Up
00:28:50 How Her Response To Ignorance Has Changed
00:29:35 Sassee Opens Up About Body Image
00:30:27 Why She Chose To Control Her Own Content
00:31:04 Building Her Career On Her Own Terms
00:31:58 The Boundary Sassee Refuses To Cross
00:32:39 Who Is Sassee Cassee Beyond The Persona?
00:33:28 What's Next For Sassee Cassee?
00:35:13 What Sassee's Friends Know That Fans Don't
00:36:08 The Unexpected Thing That Makes Her Laugh
00:36:52 The Money Lesson Sassee Wishes She Learned Earlier
00:37:44 "I Don't Need A Man To Be Happy"
00:38:47 Where Sassee Sees Herself In Five Years
00:40:25 Sassee Opens Up About Drug Addiction & Recovery
00:41:16 Sassee Cassee's Final Bad Advice
If there is one thing to take away from this episode, it's this: you are more than the assumptions people make about you.
Her story isn't about proving that she's just like everybody else.
It's about reaching the point where she no longer feels like she has to prove anything at all.
Follow Ava Devine Instagram: @theoneandonlyavadevine TikTok: @1avadevine
Follow Ava Devine's Bad Advice Podcast Instagram: @avadevinesbadadvice TikTok: @avadevinesbadadvice X: @avadevinespod
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