Thread: Do you recognise this picture of Burlesque?

Originally Posted by Kittie

Hi Merch Girl,

Thanks for re-posting on your blog:

The Merch Girl- Kittie's response to The Guardian's burlesque article

- "Queen Mother of British Burlesque" ? We are most amused

That can be my new moniker for a while - especially since James is now calling me 'ma'am' .

Well aren't you?

I've enjoyed the essays on your website greatly. You should teach a university subject or do a textbook or something

It's now being quoted on the BBC website, although that article seems to be a bit more balanced BBC NEWS | Magazine | Empower burlesque?

Last week I met various people who asked me about how I felt about this article. I let rip slightly only to find they were friends with the journalist.....
They'd found it a bit strange as well though.

Was even more annoyed as I was surrounded by a lot of people who'd read the article (spent a week at the Guardian Hay festival) and had a lot of them trying to 'help me see that I was in fact in denial about burlesque....'.

Why are people so shocked at the thought of people taking off their clothes?

"Oh no, someone taking off their clothes!" FFS. I think we should bring back bathing machines. I mean, have you been to the seaside. Women wear bikinis! It's shocking! And we should also ban the sunshine and sue God because when it gets warm, people want to wear less clothing, and that's terrible. I just saw a woman take her cardigan off in public - STRIPPING in public, I tell thee, and without an adult entertainment licence either! What is the world coming to? I blame Marilyn Manson. etc.

The article's author clearly has her own axe to grind, and clearly has issues. So while she initially thought burlesque was a way to cure her self-esteem issues, she's now ranting about the internet, waffling on in a vaguely uninformed way about the patriarchy, because presumably that makes her feel better so she can cure her self-esteem issues by being angry. The amount that she's informed about burlesque in any way is demonstrated by her mentioning Polestars. Ho-ho-ho-ho!

And as a feminist myself, I find it bloody embarassing. Miss Ranty McRanty-Pants, this isn't the 80s anymore.

(feminists who tell other women what to do with their bodies? Lololol... oh irony...)

Originally Posted by blitzgrrl

Was even more annoyed as I was surrounded by a lot of people who'd read the article (spent a week at the Guardian Hay festival) and had a lot of them trying to 'help me see that I was in fact in denial about burlesque....'.

That's what's got me into such a tearing rage about this whole thing and really made me (a lifelong proud and self-identifying feminist) rethink whether or not I want to use the word at all any more.

Deciding that a woman who makes choices regarding her body with which you disagree must, by definition be doing so because of a psychological or emotional problem, or simply be too stupid to work out the ramifications of her choice is an attitude of which any paternalistic victorian misogynist would be proud.

To hear such guff coming from people describing themselves as feminists brings the last scene of Animal Farm to mind!

There's an amusing implication in some of the comments which seems to suggest that it's fine to do burlesque in a gay bar where a stripping woman will ignite sexual feelings in a dyke, but to ignite the same feelings in a man is all wrong. Unless they think dykes don't have sexual feelings, so it's ok? Oh the feminist penis-fear!

You know what?

I was thinking about this debate earlier today. I've just spent 2 weeks in Germany, where there are pornos on sale on the top shelf of most newsagents, but no overtly sexual ad-campaigns or page 3 models.

I'm on the train back from the airport and see the billboard version of this:

A giant pair of photoshopped breasts!

So a giant, static, HEADLESS poster of a pair of boobs is OK, because it's an advertisement for a bra. It's directed at women (or is it directed at men buying gifts for women?!), breasts are intrinsic to bras and a bra does not require a personality.

But give a woman a personality, give a woman choice, give a woman ambition and creativity... take away the product and replace it with a REAL PERSON and then reveal her boobs (contextually) - suddenly she's the one being objectified?! Oh come off it. Really?!

I suppose one could argue that this advert is intended to be tongue in cheek, less sexy and more Carry On Camping... BUT ding dong! That's burlesque at the door!

I fear the UK has bigger fish to fry in terms of objectification than burlesque. Let's go back to basics with gender equality: Sphinx Theatre Company: Gender Equality Duty Event June 2009

I wonder if they'll bring up the issue of the "idiot dad" who turns up in adverts to make a hash of domesticity, and is rescued by the saintly mother? Someone recently challenged those adverts and lost, which I find rather annoying, frankly. But the ASA are toothless and pathetic.

But quite... giant boobs in an advert? Ok! Page 3? Ok! Topshelf mags with bared nipples and explicit titles? Ok! Burlesque? "It's stripping for the middle classes, you're deluding yourself, it's for male arousal, the performers all cry".

(The thing with the "stripping for the middle classes" line gets me... was there a time when stripping was ever a specifically working class thing? Or is that Page 3 and so that's ok because The Guardian is patronising?)

The people mutht be amuthed!

Originally Posted by Beatrix Von Bourbon

You know what?

I was thinking about this debate earlier today. I've just spent 2 weeks in Germany, where there are pornos on sale on the top shelf of most newsagents, but no overtly sexual ad-campaigns or page 3 models.

I'm on the train back from the airport and see the billboard version of this:

A giant pair of photoshopped breasts!

So a giant, static, HEADLESS poster of a pair of boobs is OK, because it's an advertisement for a bra. It's directed at women (or is it directed at men buying gifts for women?!), breasts are intrinsic to bras and a bra does not require a personality.

But give a woman a personality, give a woman choice, give a woman ambition and creativity... take away the product and replace it with a REAL PERSON and then reveal her boobs (contextually) - suddenly she's the one being objectified?! Oh come off it. Really?!

I suppose one could argue that this advert is intended to be tongue in cheek, less sexy and more Carry On Camping... BUT ding dong! That's burlesque at the door!

I fear the UK has bigger fish to fry in terms of objectification than burlesque. Let's go back to basics with gender equality: Sphinx Theatre Company: Gender Equality Duty Event June 2009

I disliked that too.

And as for Twiggy's line about "housewives were liberated by curry in a hurry" and drip-dry, well, ugh.