Thread: Dissertation research! Burlesque - exploitation or empowerment?

Hi!

I'm currently in my 3rd year on my degree and of course have to write a dissertation. Well I chose to write mine on Burlesque and the effects it has on women as I'm really interested in the subject

I have to do some primary research that involves asking questionnaires, and would be really grateful if some of you's could take 5 mins to answer either of the questionnaires for me (depending if you are general public or a performer). If you could answer as fully and as detailed as you possibly can, and if you don't want to answer certain questions then just leave them blank (also I don't mean to offend anyone with the questions, they are just things I have to include in my dissertation)

Thanks again, it'll really help me!

General Public:

1/ Are you male or female?

2/ Indicate your age : 18-24, 25-30, 31-40, 40-60, 60+

3/ Have you ever attended a live burlesque show?

4/ How would you describe the term 'burlesque'?

5/ Would you class burlesque as an art form or stripping? (please explain)

6/ Do you feel burlesque is degrading to women? Why?

7/ Would you consider burlesque as feminist?

8/ Do you think burlesque performances link to current affairs in today's society? If yes, please give examples

9/ Would you consider burlesque as a form of soft pornography? If not, would you agree that it is more socially acceptable than strip clubs?

10/ If you have attended a live burlesque show, how did it make you feel? (uncomfortable, empowered etc)


Performer:

1/ Are you male or female?

2/ Indicate your age : 18-24, 25-30, 31-40, 40-60, 60+

3/ Why did you decide to become a burlesque performer?

4/ How do you feel when performing on stage? (have you ever felt uncomfortable or objectified?)

5/ How involved are you in the creative process? (e.g. do you choreograph/write/create your own costumes for your performances?)

6/ Would you class yourself as feminist? If so, does it affect your performances or the subjects your performances are based on?

7/ Do issues within current society influence you as a performer? (e.g. the recession)

8/ Do you class yourself as an artist or a stripper, or neither?

9/ Is the quality of the performance more important than the revealing of the body?

10/ When performing, would you class yourself as an object of desire?

11/ In your opinion, do attitudes in society shape burlesque?


Thanks!
Lisa

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Performer:

1/ Are you male or female?
Female

2/ Indicate your age : 18-24, 25-30, 31-40, 40-60, 60+
25-30

3/ Why did you decide to become a burlesque performer?
My old Pole Dance instructor asked if I'd like to join her troupe, I thought yeah why not, although until I actually stepped foot on stage I was convinced I wouldn't see it through and would pull out!

4/ How do you feel when performing on stage? (have you ever felt uncomfortable or objectified?)
I've never felt objectified (I feel that more on regular nights out)
I've always found the audience to be respectful, they enjoy the dancing, give the right response to something you've done, you get the occasional person who might say something but I never let it effect me because I know that when you perform you open yourself to a wide range of opinions and your not always gonna like them all.
Mostly when I'm performing I just feel happy, I'm having fun.
I've possibly done one or two shows when I've felt uncomfortable either because there was someone in the audience that I didn't want to see me strip or because the crowd was quiet!!

5/ How involved are you in the creative process? (e.g. do you choreograph/write/create your own costumes for your performances?)
I always choreograph my own performances, and use my own ideas, I have even made outfits. I've always got a million ideas of songs, dances, outfits, or concepts. It's one of the best parts for me.

6/ Would you class yourself as feminist? If so, does it affect your performances or the subjects your performances are based on?
I think this depends on how you define feminism, it seems there are many variations. I have found at times that I can become an extreme feminist when faced with an ignorant presence that riles me, but that the majority of the time I barely consider it at all.
I once argued with a friend of a friend who believed I was exploiting myself by doing Burlesque and Pole dancing and that I was holding back the female race by my actions and letting down those women who fight for equality. My argument in this case was that I was doing what I wanted, what I enjoyed and that I often find the audience is 90% women.

7/ Do issues within current society influence you as a performer? (e.g. the recession)
I'd say the only influence on me as a performer is that I currently can't afford the costumes I want and maybe I have to be careful where I perform, it can be costly getting to venues, and not all venues are able to offer much. So it may effect what shows I can do, and how many people show up, but I don't think it would influence me in any way?.

8/ Do you class yourself as an artist or a stripper, or neither?
Neither, I think mostly I refer to myself as a dancer or performer, if someone called me an artist I think I might laugh, and the stripper term would depend on the way it was used, I've had it used as an insult and that can sometimes send me into defence mode, but I've times when it's been used and I've laughed and said yeah something like that.

9/ Is the quality of the performance more important than the revealing of the body?
I believe so, anyone can take some clothes off, if your not gonna try to put on an entertaining performance then you might just end up looking like you had one too many and decided to strip. I enjoy it far more when I can a performer has put work into the performance, sometimes it's simple, sometimes it's extravagant either way if it's been a labour of love your gonna see that in the quality of the performance.

10/ When performing , would you class yourself as an object of desire?
Maybe to some people, not everyone will want to desire you though.

11/ In your opinion, do attitudes in society shape burlesque ?
It would be impossible for them not have an effect but I don't think it will ever shape Burlesque. I think the performers and the audience who enjoy it are the ones who shape it!

Hiya, I'd be pleased to take part in your research - can I email you the responses, though, please?
If you want to email me your email address rather than advertise it, please do so at thelilylabelle@googlemail.com .
Thank you!
Lily x

Performer:

1/ Are you male or female? Female

2/ Indicate your age : 18-24, 25-30, 31-40, 40-60, 60+ 25-30

3/ Why did you decide to become a burlesque performer? I thought it was something I could probably do, in the absence of having any other creative talent bar writing. Once I started I enjoyed it so much I continued. I didnt start out intending to become a performer, I just went to classes, it just happened as I want along.

4/ How do you feel when performing on stage? (have you ever felt uncomfortable or objectified?). When I am on stage I feel a range of things. I am trying to keep up with my act, remembering what I have to do, trying to do it well, assessing audience reaction, enjoying it if they seem to respond well, worry if they dont. I have felt uncomfortable if I dont feel the audience is responding well, enjoying it etc. I think it is a bit simplistic to ask if a stage performer has felt objectified on stage, as a visual art form requires objectification to an extent- you are a thing to be looked at. I think it is important to have a clear operational definition of what you mean by "objectified" as it is commonly used as a derogatory term but actually has quite complex meanings. So yes, I have no doubt been objectified as a physical performer, but I have not felt weighed and assessed as a female body mainly by the male gaze, negatively, except on a couple of occasions, over 5 years. I am not saying it hasnt happened, just that if people have done that they have kept quiet around me. Also, there are a lot of compliments and support regarding body image in burlesque, is this not also a type of objectification, focus on the body? But its not a bad thing.

5/ How involved are you in the creative process? (e.g. do you choreograph/write/create your own costumes for your performances?) I do everything, most performers do, although people can get costumes made, but it is usually their idea and design. I have collaborated with fellow performers and taken their advice and ideas, but it is my artistic piece.

6/ Would you class yourself as feminist? If so, does it affect your performances or the subjects your performances are based on? Yes. I was always a lay feminist, but over the past two years have become well versed in feminist theory and aware of patriarchy. a person's way of thinking will usually come into their performance in some way. I try to challenge stereotypes lightheartedly if I can, but I class this as much as part of my development as a performer as my being feminist. I think more about what I see and what its intent/affect is, and think about my acts in this way too. I have put on a lot of weight in these last two years also, due to illness, so have had to rethink my approach to my body, which i also think has had quite an influence on what I do in my acts.

7/ Do issues within current society influence you as a performer? (e.g. the recession) Yes, I have no money :-). I really get annoyed with issues of how women are seen, and the assumptions and attitudes people have about burlesque, but I will get to this in the next question.

8/ Do you class yourself as an artist or a stripper, or neither? This type of question bugs me because I dont see why there has to be a division between the two. This is the kind of thing that you see all the time, people just naturally think that stripping cant be art or talent, it has to be either/or. To be an artist is to be defensible, but to be a stripper is not. You so often hear people going "burlesque is JUST stripping though isnt it", as some kind of an insult to belittle burlesque. Just as annoyingly you get a lot of performers going "burlesque isnt JUST stripping, its innocent, no nudity, tease not sleaze" as a way of defending it, by distancing it from the evil dirty sleazy stripping. God forbid we as women actually admit to being strippers, to associating openly with evil dirty sleazy sex! The more we structure our discourse in this divisive way, the more we reinforce the division. Burlesque is art, creativity, theatre, humour, parody, glamour, striptease, sex, randomness. There is no reason to focus on striptease so heavily as it is just one aspect of the package. So burlesque is not JUST stripping, it is a number of things, but that doesnt mean that a moral value should be placed on stripping. If someone doent like stripping for feminist or religious reasons etc, fine, but that doesnt actually mean anything about strippers and their value as people, or about the merit of stripping.

9/ Is the quality of the performance more important than the revealing of the body? Again this division! This is too polarised. You can have a good act that reveals nothing. You can have a good act that reveals all. You can have bad acts that do both or neither. The revealing of the body is frequently part of burlesque, but it is not essential. However, in an act that incorporates it well or focusses on it and does it well, it is very important. So burlesque is not only about the revealing of the body, but this CAN be an important part of it, it just is not necessarily so. A high quality performance will speak for itself, whatever happens in it.

10/ When performing , would you class yourself as an object of desire? Probably not, I dont know what the audience are all thinking, its not an important thing for me to consider. If my boyfriend is there I am his object of desire (or had better be lol). Its possible that some people think I am desirable, but I am not really concerned with trying to elicit that. I just want them to think I am a good performer and to be entertained by my act. If I had to choose it would be better to be desired than reviled, but I would prefer that desire didnt really come into it at all. However, I do comedy and music hall burlesque rather than more glamorous and arguable desire-focussed acts so that could be a factor.

11/ In your opinion, do attitudes in society shape burlesque ? Of course, we all live in society and are influenced by society. If burlesque is parodic, as its meaning states, then it has to be about society because that is what is parodied. Ideas about what is attractive, acceptable, unattractive, funny, risque etc are all socially constructed, so have to be present in people's acts. I suspect you meant something different by this question, if you want to clarify what you were aiming at I will answer it more. xxxxx

Hope that helps. I am an academic tutor, I think you would do well to deconstruct these polarised ideas about burlesque, exploitation or not, stripping or art, performance or body, as they are too simplistic. It would be great to see you tear them apart a bit, and you would get good marks for doing so. Good luck xxxx

Thanks for the replies so far, really really interesting and helpful towards my research!


Please keep them coming

Lisa x

Hey hun,
I'd be interested in completing a questionnaire for you - do you have an email address?

Or email me at daria.d.beauvoix@hotmail.com

x

If you e-mail me at misslibertybelle@hotmail.com with your address I'll do your survey if you want. :-)