“More feather and rhinestones! Better lighting! Bigger production value! Striptease burlesque was invented in America, so it’s not any different. … If you read anything Gypsy Rose Lee ever wrote, she liked being called a stripper. That word was used back then. I don’t really need any fancy terminology to describe what I do. I never correct someone when they say, ‘She’s a stripper.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I am.’ I am proud of what I do.”
— Dita Von Teese is right, of course. Stripping is stripping. But I also found her explanation overly simplistic. I know several burlesque performers, as well as several strippers, and my impression is that burlesque usually begins as a “past time” or “hobby” that involves spending a lot of money on costumes, shoes, hair and makeup, and it can turn into a full-time job for only a select few. My impression of stripping is that it is a full-time job, or a part-time job during school (or whatever), which women get into out of economic necessity more so than a “hobby.” I do not look down on strippers — in fact, one of my fave Frisky commenters is a former stripper! — but I’m definitely more into watching burlesque! [TimeOut London] Keep reading »
