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Modern Day Representation of Burlesque

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THE MODERN DAY REPRESENTATION OF BURLESQUE

INTRODUCTION TO DESIGN AND VISUAL CULTURE Module reference: DAVC10100 Module leader: Martin Bonney Batch No: BFMDI 1202A Student: Chinmay Mahesh Daswani FIN No: G1181475T NTU Id: N0474714 Date: 16th July, 2013

The glamorous and fancy word ‘Burlesque’
The art of the striptease today has come a long way since its early stages and presently burlesque has been widely stereotyped among society. This has clothed its actual purpose and representations today, which will be highlighted in this essay. As we know it today, burlesque is a theatrical dance performance showcasing ‘The art of the striptease’. Becoming a high-end form of entertainment in the 21st Century, it has evolved, changing its original identity and purpose. Burlesque in the 1860’s was originally a form of ‘pastiche’ art during the Victorian era; it started off as a lower end form of entertainment for middle class people. It consisted of comic skits, dances and songs mocking dignified subjects like politics, Shakespeare and the opera. The late nineteenth century was the period during which the entertainment business was spiraling at a furious rate, from circuses, minstrel shows, amusement parks, burlesque and vaudeville. "Burlesque moved from several lavishly staged spectacles in respectable theaters to 'leg shows' "(Leroy. A., 2006) Igniting the growth of the striptease through leg shows was English immigrant Laura Keene. She opened up a theatre on Broadway, seeking to appeal to women. Trying to keep her theater alive in the 1860, she identified the potential in male audiences. She released a Broadway show called ‘The seven sisters’ this incorporated “short-petticoated ladies”, legs in flesh colored tights and plunging necklines. This created a craze in town, men loving it and tickets sold out in no time. Soon followed similar theater and ballet plays were women revealed their bodies a step further. By this time Lydia Thompson and her troupe ‘The British blondes’ made their debut and was America’s first professional burlesque group. The roaring success of their shows according to Robert Allen (1991) was that it combined different elements of the feminine spectacle and was the “most thoroughly feminized form of theatrical entertainment in the history of the American stage to that time” (P. 137). Modern day burlesque still stays true to its roots through the playfulness of its acts and story line they incorporate. However, modern day burlesque is a platform which embraces feminism and encourages the empowerment of women. Women on stage are given the opportunity to embrace their body through costumes and serenade an audience. They have a chance to be in control and draw the attention of a number of people. But looking back, during the 1920’s, the growth of the striptease caused a frenzy, causing city councils to pass laws in cities like Philadelphia and Utah making in illegal to wear skirts more than 3 inches above the ankle. And expose no more than two inches of neck (Von Teese, 2006). Women those days were undermined and not given equality. All over the world women come about different obstacles that restrict their ability to play significant roles and be a part of the broader society. ‘The symbolic annihilation of women’(Strinati.D, 1995) talks about how mass media trivialize women today and their interests, confirming their roles as just mothers and housewives due to past cultural representations, making such roles appear as the natural prerogative of women. Today burlesque performances, acts, personas’ and messages being put across are fully controlled by burlesque performers. They compel all eyes on them and control messages they put across through the act of the striptease. It gives women a form of voice and a stepping stone to achieving women empowerment all over the world

Feminism and empowerment of women during a burlesque show is aided by the fetish “something, such as a material object or an often nonsexual part of the body that arouses or gratifies sexual desire” (Von Teese, 2006, p. 7). A fetish can basically be an individual’s fantasy, something that an individual is drawn to. The fetish can be just about anything, from a type of material, type of clothing, body part or even a scenario where a woman is tied to rail tracks, sobbing, waiting for her hero to come rescue her as the train roars near. The fetish today is a huge part of burlesque, burlesque and the fetishes are peas of a pod. The most widely acknowledged burlesque performer according to a survey, Dita Von Teese in Fig1, is a depiction of her fetish. A life-size martini glass to bath in reveals this performers fantasy through her acts. A burlesque performer doesn’t get down to nipple tassels and panties just at once. She is clothed in costumes which describes her style. The costumes and materials that they are made out of are mostly fetishes of the burlesque performer, which exhibits sexual chemistry. Miss Von Teese begins by stripping away layers and layers of clothing to reveal more and more flesh. At the latter part of the show, the fetish goddess is transformed into a seductress with the captivating objects she keeps on, panties and nipple tassels. By just changing costumes, burlesque and the fetish draw the audiences mind closer and closer to sex and as good temptresses, snatches it away. If you are there for just the show, you may not be aware that when she sits in the martini glass, squeezing water down her body through an olive like-shaped object, with immaculate, perfected, untouched hair and red lipstick, explains that she might have a fetish for ‘dirty martinis’ at the end of her work day. It’s easy to think that the use of the martini glass is another creative idea to capture our attention without any hidden connotations. Only a fetishist and audiences who understand the art of burlesque will be able to identify the hidden connotations and meaning within an act. The use of different fetishes and performers is what makes each show differ.
Figure 1 The Swarovski Martini performance (daily mail, 2007)

Figure 2 The powder puff pinup show (dita-von-teese, 2006)

The glamour of the fetish and the different aspects of burlesque like costumes, jewelry, sequins, lace, stockings, makeup, hairstyles no doubt are meant to create an alluring image. Glamour in burlesque exists by displaying confidence and not being afraid to stand out, but the use of glamour today represents much more. The use of Glamour is a powerful nonverbal form of persuasion because of its transformation powers. Fig2, of Dita Von Teese shows her emerging from a life-size bedazzled compact powder. Her hair immaculate in pin curls from the 50’s, portraying a ballerina, the most glamorous dancers till date. These ideas of glamour are used to Alter your thoughts and create a feeling of escapism and a world of perfection for the audiences and the dancer herself. The use of glamour gets one fantasizing, sending you off to dreamland, a place where anything is possible. It can also be said that Miss Von teese’s Idea of using the compact powder is that she wishes our world was glamorous, free from imperfections, hence the compact powder which can hide reality. She wants to be a ballerina; they are considered the epitome of perfection during a performance, because of the skills and preciseness required in this form of dance. They ooze glamour and are the most graceful dancers today. Through this, Dita evokes a lifestyle of glamour and fantasy in this image. Her acts enable her to bring her desires and fantasies to life on stage, making them seem attainable in reality. “A glamorous object—person, place, or thing—is a kind of alter ego, a magic mirror in which we can see our desires realized” (Postrel.V, 2010), making audiences feel their desires are attainable too. However, glamour from the use of feathers and rhinestones, glitter, high-heels, jeweled costumes and other fetishes are meant to create an illusion or an imaginary door which fades out the reality of today’s world. Because

in reality, when we watch burlesque shows, we see just the dance but not what goes into the rehearsal, we watch Dita gracefully walk the stage in ballerina shoes but we don’t see the blisters on her feet, the beautiful corset accentuating her curves, but we don’t see the bruises it leaves on her waist, her skin looking as smooth as silk, underestimating the power of makeup which makes her look perfect. The Glamour of the different elements of burlesque allows the performer and audience to fantasize and escape reality, absorbing the viewers into the world created on stage.

Glamour and the fetish of burlesque together have brought about a nostalgic element to the performance and has also become a preserver of the ‘olden day glam’. Though the combination of music and outfits mostly seen in burlesque which follow the fashions of the 1950’s, it can be said that burlesque shows are like living museums. They showcase a variety of styles inspired from different era’s and provide viewers with the superior pleasure of easing into another era or time. This image of a performance on a glittery carousel instantly brings a feeling of nostalgia. It reminds you of your childhood, the memories of your trips to carnivals. The thrill of sitting on the musical carousel with cotton candy in one hand, moving up and down to the repetitive orchestral music it played. Miss Von Teese’s ballerina look also brings memories of one’s youth. Perhaps she resembles the perfect little ballerina doll inside your music box which moved round and round to the music, putting you to sleep as a little girl. This act could give off different feelings; it could be happy ones or nightmares to different viewers, depending on an individual’s experience. The fashions of burlesque also have nostalgic connotations. Hair styles for instance during burlesque shows are consistently in different forms of pin curls. Pin curls were a part of the glamour of women in the 50’s because of their perfection of the pin curls. These hairstyles were also signature looks of Bettie Page, Mae West and Marilyn Monroe. Different elements of burlesque are inspired by old Hollywood glam, and most importantly the music that is performed too, completes the setting. Traditional burlesque music genres are classical and jazz music, produced or sang by artists like Peggy Lee, Louis prima, Sly Meaera and David Rose. Through these elements, burlesque brings to life different eras on stage creating a feeling of nostalgia; it brings back memories from those periods of time and a sense of continuity in the lives of the viewers. The viewers are given Figure 3 Dita’s carousel horse (The fashion spot, 2004) the opportunity to live in the past in the present. Burlesque keeps alive prominent parts of culture from different eras and particularly the music of legendary artists.

Figure 4 Stripper (strippers and strip clubs, 2013)

Over the years, an element that has been associated with the striptease from its hay days till today has been the reputation it casts on women. During the boom period of burlesque in the 19th century, burlesque has always been criticized because it was seen to be degrading and lowering standards of women. Women were supposed to act like ladies with manners and standards, were their jobs were at home in the kitchen fulfilling the duties of a housewife. And even through the success of the shows, which drew large crowds, it was still considered an abomination within the society. People were arrested for attending such shows and eventually theaters were forced to shut down. Till today this image of women and burlesque dancers still greatly lingers among the society. A part of today’s culture associate burlesque with sex and the porn industry, saying it’s exploitative and degrading of women. It’s viewed as a male run industry and the concept of burlesque is compared to

strippers at strip clubs. I feel this judgment comes from society because they are unable to differentiate the culture of the two, its deeper meaning and its post-modern representation which is being clogged by past connotations associated with burlesque. It is being viewed from just the outer layer, like the everyday saying goes, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. Burlesque dancers and strippers, both involve taking off clothes, however the process and purpose between the two are on different ends of the world. Strippers work in bars, dancing on poles and are solely meant to arouse men sexually. It attracts businessmen after work and low-life’s who tip these strippers to take off their clothes and give them lap dances. Fig4, of the woman at work, displays no form of glamour or sophistication. The setting within this image shows dingy lights, men drinking and smoking, having direct access to the women without any barriers, surrounding her and throwing money on her to take off more, to arouse the men sexually. Strip clubs are about pleasuring men. It shows how this woman is being objectified as a sex object for the satisfaction of these men, degrading the status of the woman. However, according to research, the feeling is not exactly mutual. A study showed that strippers have high levels of job satisfaction and earn about $74,000 according to a study by Leeds University (The week, 30 August 2010) Burlesque dancing is usually held in theaters, it’s a performance sometimes with a group of dancers with a mixture of both men and women which tell a story. It relieves era’s through costumes and music, it requires skill, the ability to act, express emotions and swerve your body elegantly. Burlesque dancers need to portray confidence and be able to entertain audiences through glamour and the use of different fetishes. It’s been called the ‘The art of the striptease’ because these dancers show the art of taking of your clothes while still portraying class and sophistication. One beautiful aspect is burlesque dancers are women of all sizes; there’s no hard and fast rule about performers

looking like tall skinny models. Miss Dirty Martini in Fig5, is one of the most celebrated personalities in new burlesque, and has been taking New York by a storm with her performances and her dance classes. She was named the ‘best body’ in burlesque during the New York burlesque festival and her performances described as “The decadent expression of female sensuality in action” by the NY daily news. The process of burlesque today, seeks to instill confidence in women. The Setup of burlesque schools around the world teaches aspiring performers not only the art of the striptease but it teaches women to feel comfortable in their own skin, no matter their size, skin colour or race. They teach women not to hold any negativity towards their body and it being about showing off your beauty. According to Chloe Emott(The f word, 2007), an archaeology student who took up burlesque classes, from her experience, being taught not to please men and rather to enjoy herself, the sexuality and thrill of the tease and sensation of being in the spotlight, has never been more satisfying she says. The experience made her feel like a new woman, she felt sexy in her own skin and confident about herself. Achieving self-confidence and being happy with who you are, is a problem we face in society. We hear never ending stories about how very few people are happy and confident about their bodies, the constant yearn to become size zeros and the high demand for cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic surgeries account for 83% (ASAPS, 2012) of the total surgeries carried out in the United Figure 5 Dirty Martini (burlesque beat, 2010) States alone, telling us about the many unsatisfied people. Society also tends to criticize this aspect of culture, because they feel that our society is becoming very selfish and self-centered. From this, it also reveals the hypocritical side of society who degrade women for participating in burlesque only because it involves the act of the striptease and looking down on people that go through cosmetic surgery.

Even through the criticism of ‘The art of the striptease’, burlesque has endured these setbacks with support from fans patronizing the shows. Burlesque has become a mainstream form of entertainment, and it can be said that, Miss Dita Von Teese the queen of new burlesque is responsible for this. Her first appearance in the martini glass in the 1990’s made such a huge impact on the burlesque industry no one would have predicted, making nipple tassels and Gstrings seem normal because of her focus on the ‘tease’ rather than the ‘strip’. The art of the striptease today has moved from low culture to high culture in the cities. It represents high-end form of entertainment and is a part of what makes up the culture in our postmodern cities because of the presence of fashion, glamour, nostalgia and fantasy which can both be found in burlesque and our city today. These elements are what pushed this form of entertainment to become mainstream. There are burlesque Festivals worldwide in cities like London, New York, Toronto, Berlin, Las Vegas, Montreal and many more as well as burlesque schools around the world being taught by the most talented burlesque dancers like Miss Dirty Martini. Blockbuster Movies have been produced about burlesque like ‘Moulin Rouge’ and ‘Burlesque’ starring stars artist like Christina Aguilera and Cher
Figure 6. burlesque movie (Movie web, 2011)

Today burlesque represents a form of art ‘the art of the striptease’ the art of taking of your clothes and still being classy and sophisticated. Burlesque has become what it is today because of its association with the fetish & glamour. The use of high-heels, fully-fashioned seamed stockings, corsets, gloves and furs during a performance. The experience is seeing someone dressed and undressed, accessible and untouchable.

REFERENCES
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Images
FIGURE 1: Das, L., 2007, Swarovski martini performance [ONLINE]. Available at:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-560368/Im-just-oldfashioned-shy-girl-says-burlesque-queen-Dita-Von-Teese-signature-act-stripping-bathing-giant-Martini-glass.html [Accessed 13 May 13]. FIGURE 2: Von Teese, D., 2006, The powder puff pinup show [ONLINE]. Available at: http://dita-von-teese.org/shows/[Accessed 20 June 13] FIGURE 3: [Dita's Carousel horse] n.d [ONLINE]. Available at: http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f50/dita-von-teese-december-2004-march-2010-a11283-15.html [Accessed 07 July 13] FIGURE 4: Cortez, D., 2013, Seducing strippers [ONLINE]. Available at: http://strippersandstripclubs.com/[Accessed 25 June 13]. FIGURE 5: Leman, M., 2010, Miss Dirty martini [ONLINE]. Available at:http://burlesquebeat.com/2010/11/22/maddog-swing-burlesque-fashionspectacular-a-photo-gallery-by-monty-leman/ [Accessed 09 July 13] FIGURE 6: Gallagher, B., 2011, Burlesque [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.movieweb.com/news/burlesque-blu-ray-and-dvd-arrive-march1st [Accessed 12 July 13]

BIBLOGRAPHY
BOOKS Allen, R.C., 1991. Horrible prettiness: Burlesque and American culture. University of North Carolina Press. Ashby, L,. 2012. With Amusement for all; a history of American popular culture since 1830. University Press of Kentucky. Cary,D., 1997. A Bit of Burlesque: A brief history of its times and stars. San Diego: Tecolote Publications. Docker, J., 1994. Postmodernism and Popular culture. Cambridge University press. Edwards, T., 2007. Cultural theory, classical and contemporary positions. London: Sage publications Ltd. Essex, K., Swanson, L.J. 1996. Bettie Page: The Life of a Pin-up Legend. Santa Monica: General Publishing Group, Inc. Harrington, C.L., Biebly, D.D., 2001. Popular culture: production and consumption. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers Ltd.

Jarret, L. 1997. Stripping in Time: A History of Erotic Dancing. London: Pandora-Harper. Morton, M., Machlin, M., 1986. Minsky's Burlesque. New York: Arbor House. Radstone, S., 2007. The sexual Politics of time: confession, nostalgia, memory. London: Routledge Rockwell, D., 2006. Spectacle. New York: Phaidon Press. Ltd. Rothe, L., 1998. The bare truth: stars of burlesque from the 40's & 50's. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd. Sobel, B., 1989. Burlesque: An underground History of Burlesque Days. New York: Blast Books. Steele, V., 1996. Fetish: Fashion, sex and power. New York: Oxford University Press. Strinati, D., 1995. An introduction to theories of culture. London: Routledge. Stuart, A., 1996. Showgirls. London: Random House. Szeman, I., Kapsoy,T., 2011. Cultural theory and anthology. Sussex: A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication. Von Teese, D., 2006. Burlesque and the Art of the Teese. HarperCollins Publishers Inc. Von Teese, D., 2006. The Fetish and the Art of the Teese. HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2006 ONLINE SOURCES Galore, A., 2013. Burlesque and feminism. [ONLINE] Available at: http://auroragalore.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/feminism-and-burlesque/. [Accessed 13 May 13]. Spencer, C., 2010. The revealing truth about modern burlesque. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/7858584/Therevealing-truth-about-modern-burlesque.html. [Accessed 01 May 13]. Emmot, C., 2007. Can burlesque be feminist?. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.thefword.org.uk/features/2007/08/can_burlesque_b. [Accessed 11 May 13]. Creative taboo. 2010. Modern Burlesque and the Creation of Identity. [ONLINE] Available at: http://creativetaboo.wordpress.com/2010/08/24/modern-burlesque-and-the-creation-of-identity/. [Accessed 28 April 13].

Dinardo, K., 2004. Burlesque Comeback Tries to Dance With Feminism. [ONLINE] Available at: http://womensenews.org/story/commentary/041207/burlesquecomeback-tries-dance-feminism#.UZI0R7X-FaA. [Accessed 13 May 13]. Ivory, R., 2005. Burlesque style - achieve the burlesque look. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.mookychick.co.uk/alternative-fashion/burlesque-vintageclothing/burlesque.php. [Accessed 12 May 13]. Acocella, J,. 2013. Take it off. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/dancing/2013/05/13/130513crda_dancing_acocella. [Accessed 26 June 13]. The week. 2010. 5 surprising facts about strippers. [ONLINE] Available at:http://theweek.com/article/index/206640/5-surprising-facts-about-strippers. [Accessed 07 July 13]. DeVore, J,. 2008. Mind of man: Why we love strippers. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.thefrisky.com/2008-12-03/mind-of-man-why-we-lovestrippers/. [Accessed 04 July 13].

Marraccini, L,. 2010. Dirty Martini. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.missdirtymartini.com/html/home.html. [Accessed 04 July 13]. Surgery. 2012. Statistics. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.surgery.org/media/statistics. [Accessed 07 July 13]. Harris, T.W.,. 2013. Shimmying toward freedom. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.racialicious.com/2013/04/24/shimmying-toward-freedom/. [Accessed 10 July 13].
Rao, M,. 2012. 20 Burlesque Stars To Know And Their Wildest Signature Acts. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/04/20burlesque-stars-to-know_n_2166928.html?. [Accessed 01 July 13]. Postrel, V,. 2010. A Power to Persuade. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/power-persuade. [Accessed 30 June 13].

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