Thread: Major magazine: Looking for teen burlesque star

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Originally Posted by Cari32

Hello,

I write for the UK's biggest teen magazine. We often feature real life stories about teens with interesting or unusual lives. I am trying to find a teen burlesque star to feature in one of these real life stories. It would be completely from their point of view about why they decided to get into burlesque and what it is like.

If anyone is interested in featuring or knows of any contacts please email me at Cari.thomas@sugarscape.com

Thank you
Cari Thomas
Editorial Assistant

thats dangerous ground, hun. burlesque is seen as quite an adult industry. any mention of burlesque in a teen mag isnt going to goo down well with their parents. x

Originally Posted by Cari32

Hello,

I write for the UK's biggest teen magazine. We often feature real life stories about teens with interesting or unusual lives. I am trying to find a teen burlesque star to feature in one of these real life stories. It would be completely from their point of view about why they decided to get into burlesque and what it is like.

If anyone is interested in featuring or knows of any contacts please email me at Cari.thomas@sugarscape.com

Thank you
Cari Thomas
Editorial Assistant

Without Prejudice

This post really disturbs me; my initial thought was to send a PM voicing my concerns, but actually I think this is rather a big deal, and I am slightly surprised that it was allowed to be posted by our moderating team ( no disrespect....)
I never like to think badly of people, but I think in the case of a post regarding this particular age-group and current public perceptions of 'burlesque' and its' associations ( however misguided) with raunch, semi-nudity, sexuality etc. ( I'm thinking of course of Christina Aguillera/X-factor appearance/ recent film) that you might have given us more information about yourself and your publication : the name/target age-range/distribution of your publication, some questions slightly more pertinent than simply "what is it like", a reference to a website so that members could have checked that any information sought/offered was in good faith.....

Viva

I'm so glad I'm not the only person who felt severely uneasy about this.

I'm a 42 year old performer and mother of a 13 year old and 8 year old. I say this because although I am totally comfortable with my kids knowing what I do and seeing the beginnings of my acts, props and costuming, I don't think it suitable in the slightest that they see my acts in full, neither would I be comfortable with them seeing most burlesque acts (some more performance art or comedic acts excepted but only after I'd watched them in full before them). I definitely wouldn't be happy with them dressing in a manner that some high street shops think is 'the burlesque look'.

I know 'teenage' includes 18 and 19, ages at which it is legal for young women and men to start performing burlesque....but it strikes me because I have a teenage daughter and know what she's into that Sugar magazine is aimed at a WAY younger market than 18, to be honest it's aimed at the early teens 13-15, or that's at least the ages I've seen reading it.

The idea that the magazine should be searching for a 'teenage burlesque star' I find incredibly unnerving, mainly because this young woman or man (if they are legally old enough to perform) I assume will be portrayed as a style/lifestyle icon and I'm really not sure that burlesque is a suitable style/lifestyle that the young teens who read the magazine should be aspiring to.

Although I am totally sure there are some incredibly talented burlesque performers out there who may be 18 or 19, this is still an incredibly vulnerable age and to have their stories/photos plastered all over a magazine and probably on the website too for future employers/friends/colleagues who may not be understanding of burlesque to drag up for years after.....well, we warn them about posting photos of normal teenage 'fun' on facebook, myspace etc........what if the 'teenage burlesque star' you discover doesn't want people to know about that when slightly older and a little more worldly wise?

I honestly think that this isn't a route a responsible teen magazine should be heading down, I have no idea if Sugar is a responsible magazine or not, but I am giving it the benefit of the doubt and I hope that the editors think twice about featuring burlesque in this way.

Listen, I'm not trying to be difficult, but I do find this thread worrying, particularly because having done a little research I find the target readership of Sugar magazine is 12 to 17, average age 14.
I've had a good poke around the new improved MoB site, but I can't find a way of contacting the moderators directly ( quite probably because I'm really bad at all things technological, so it's my fault.)
How does one do that?

Viva

Interesting thread. A confusion of what is meant by burlesque and what is meant by teen, perhaps?

In answer to your most excellent question, Viva: On the top right hand corner of each pink box, there are icons. One of them is a triangle with an '!' inside (I think that's what it is). This allows you to 'report post'. Alternatively there is the Contact button on the menu bar at the top, if stuck.

I've just caught up with this thread, having only had a chance to glance at it yesterday.

I'm wondering, how do we know it's Sugar magazine? (Edit: I've just noticed the email address given). I'd have to agree that the target age range for Sugar doesn't seem at all appropriate for finding a 'burlesque star' or even a 'cabaret star'. Variety Star, sure - why not? but burlesque, no.

Having said that, I do also appreciate that many people really do not know the history and adult connotations of burlesque and no doubt see it as a fashionable extension of pop video culture and TV talent quests - after all many of the big names in burlesque have had their 'breaks' or have appeared in high profile pop/rock videos and concerts, on talent shows, have appeared in mainstream marketing campaigns and now as a major feature movie an with a 12A rating starring teen icon Christina Aguilira and so on. It's easy to see where the line is blurred.

I'd put this faux pas down to a lack of insight and an excitement to jump on a trend - rather than anything 'sinister' or deliberately exploitative.

I think it is also great that you guys were able to respond to this and have the article re-considered. Also, if the original post hadn't gone up, none of us would have had the opportunity to suggest impropriety of it. Same is true on another thread which is currently ruffling some feathers (something about a strip-show agency in the USA?).

Anyhoo, that's my tuppence worth.