By Stephanie Creede
Magazines like Maxim or Playboy aimed at straight men feature scantily-clad women in full-colour spreads across the pages, as do magazines like Cosmopolitan, aimed at straight women. Throughout history there have been contrasting and contradictory depictions of sexuality. Just who are these images for?
Burlesque began over a century ago as a sort of equivalent to the modern-day strip club. It was considered an outlet—often deemed necessary—for the release of sexual tension, specifically for men. This tension was thought to be more than the typical wife of the time could relieve, and which would naturally lead to adultery if the urges were not satisfied in some other way.
With the rise of “bigger-better-faster-more” attitudes, enabled by advances in global communication and media, audiences have always been more demanding—seeking the next, the newest, the more extreme thrill to gratify their sexual urges. This is by no means a new phenomenon, and we still see it today as formerly tame print erotica has had to constantly raise the bar of how hardcore it’s willing to go in order to compete with what’s available on the Internet. Because of this shift, the subtle tease and gently racy presentation of nudity started to seem tame to audiences who were gradually being exposed to more and more daring acts from further away, and along the way the choreographed artistry of the strip show was sacrificed for a more immediate and urgent display of sex—instant gratification without foreplay in the form of table dances and porn films.
Modern burlesque has had a massive upswing in popularity over the last decade as a few different factors have come into play. Since just about anyone can satisfy even the most extreme of fetishes with a few clicks of the mouse button, hardcore acts are accessible anytime, anywhere, and the need to leave the house to get your kicks at a traveling fair no longer exists.
Also, with the way attitudes towards women and their roles in society have changed over the last few decades, sexual desire and freedom is no longer seen as the right or a biological urge restricted only to men, and women are expressing a need for a different form of turn-on than just a pair of legs spread wide across a stage. Revisionist burlesque troupes are reviving many of the classic looks and moves of the 40s and 50s while adding more recent twists like modern rock music, updated clothing and moves that suggest a more active sexual role rather than being the passive object of the man’s advances. Along this same line, women are feeling more comfortable and accepted in expressing their attraction to other women, and how this desire is often largely unsatisfied by erotica designed for men.
As a female, bisexual-identified performer myself who has spent a good deal of time at various bi, gay and straight events before becoming a burlesque dancer, even I was surprised to see the amount of women coming to see the shows. In fact I would say they make up a good fifty percent, if not more, of almost every crowd. Because the events were not billed at all as specifically geared towards a bisexual crowd, I was not anticipating this, knowing how rare it is to see women in other spheres highlighting the sexual female body. Even more surprising was to see female patrons often coming to the shows hand in hand with boyfriends, or a group of girls out for a bachelorette party; this was clearly not a strictly gay demographic, but women of bisexual or curious natures coming out to see the saucy stripping ladies.
Burlesque has long had close connections with the queer scene, especially before its most recent surge in popularity over the past few years. Many current performers got their start at gay clubs as part of drag cabaret shows, alongside queens who performed a similarly exaggerated and outrageous version of femininity, taking their cues from classic sexually charged icons like Marilyn Monroe or Bettie Page, or adding new iconography through emulation of recent provocateurs like Madonna. Also, audiences who seek out more risqué, sexually provocative events like a burlesque show, are also more likely to be accepting of less conventional lifestyles and same-sex experimentation.
Female bisexuality is certainly more accepted today, so much so that it is glamourized in the most common spheres of pop culture as a marketing tool to sell beer and record albums. With this, many women feel more comfortable expressing same-sex attraction without fear of discrimination. However, this change in conventional attitudes seems unlikely to be the only reason for burlesque’s popularity for straight, bi-curious or bisexual women. Women are still an infrequent sight as patrons of regular strip clubs or porn shops, and the attitude at such places still carry a strong aura of misogyny and hostile judgment. Burlesque, however, presents a much more welcoming atmosphere, and all the dancers I spoke with have described their crowds as pretty much evenly balanced between male and female viewers, belonging to all ages and sexualities.
“Well, you certainly can't be a stick in the mud to perform stripping or drag numbers, that's for sure!”, says Grimm, burlesque performer and founder of Fantalesque in southern Indiana. “What is straight, really, nowadays anyway? You've got women kissing their girlfriends all over the place…I don't think it's a matter of not being straight so much as it's a matter of sexuality being redefined all of the time.”
Male burlesque dancers are also taking the stage, especially over the last few years, in roles previously thought of as exclusively feminine, challenging a whole new set of assumptions. Even those who believe in a woman’s right to do a “man’s” job often have trouble accepting the reverse, or believe that this somehow indicates something wrong with his character, and that character flaw is more often than not thought of as the male performer being somehow “gay”.
John Woods, a bi musician with the sexually comedic duo The Wet Spots and occasional dancer offers, “One of the things that many women will say about burlesque is that it makes them feel empowered about their sexuality and about their bodies. I feel the same. There’s a great deal of ambivalence towards the male nude body — especially the penis. The female nude has been objectified & sexualized & some have complained that it has been de-humanized for the male gaze, etc. Nonetheless, there is almost always an appreciation & enjoyment of the female nude form. The male nude, however, has often been associated with violence and rape. Many people still find penises more shocking or ridiculous than arousing. The gay male influence on mainstream art, culture and advertising is starting to change that, though. The male body is becoming more eroticized. But I did have body shame issues when I came into burlesque. I was totally fine with having my balls hanging in the breeze on a stage, but I was worried that I would traumatize certain members of the audience.”
A significant component of burlesque, and one of the reasons it differs from most other sexually-based media, has always been a comedic, tongue-in-cheek aspect, typically satirizing the political climate of the day and challenging societal norms (The word burlesque itself comes from the Italian/Spanish words for mockery or joke). As it challenged feminine roles in the past, we see burlesque today breaking apart sexual stereotypes and roles, as both male and female performers from various locales performing their sexuality in ways the public doesn’t expect. Weimar Republic, a male performer, bills himself as “the only drag-based burly artist in Ireland”, and dancers like Miss VonLIVID of Chicago, who has identified as bi and has performed with names such as Sissy Butch Brother's Gurlesque Burlesque, describe their work as delving very heavily into the activist/queer advocate scene while keeping it comedic and sexy.
Most importantly, I think, is the genuine sense that the performers are having fun up there onstage, celebrating their bodies and sexuality, flirting with everyone for the fun of it, reveling in the glamour and exhibitionism, controlling the tease and seduction. The winking glee of the performer really comes across in burlesque, and is contagious among their fellow artists and the cheering crowd; a far cry from the long-fingernailed pseudo-lesbians of porn, faking orgasms at uncomfortable angles for the male viewers and the paycheque.
Woods’ take on this, from a bi male perspective, is, “The straight world (and some of the queer world) still has that binary gay-or-straight idea of men. Bi men are often considered to be closet cases taking their first baby steps towards coming out as full-fledged homos. So there I am in my sock garters three feet away from the front row representing all that ambiguity – maybe representing the anxiety some men may have that they might not be 100% grade-A straight... It’s powerful.”
Off-stage attitudes between performers can be as sexually charged and erotic as the calculated onstage seduction. While the rushed chaos backstage is hardly romantic, it’s hard to sustain modesty and hang-ups when part of a virtual mosh pit of similarly disheveled, disrobed ladies (and often gentlemen as well) glistening with sweat and mentally charging themselves up to feel their sexiest. Self-consciousness just doesn’t have room in the frantic crush of bodies, especially when you’re so up-close and personal, having someone apply glue to your behind, unsticking stray sequins from your cleavage, or down on your knees tweezing splinters from another dancer’s unmentionable areas, acquired during a roll across a particularly crude stage. The comfort and familiarity that breeds in these situations completely erodes and obliterates the potential for shame, leading to a sense of casual ease. Playing around in a sexual way, affectionate slaps and gestures that, while typically sexual in nature—who else gets that close but a lover?—in this context have nothing to do with sex at all. An appreciation for attractiveness and physical contact doesn’t necessarily translate to sexual attraction or desire. Confidence, however, and the feeling of being appreciated, can go a long way towards improving one’s sexual attitude and fulfillment.
“It’s just fun!”, says Kate, a frequent attendee of burlesque shows and creative artist in her own right who describes herself as ambiguously sexual. Many dancers as well, even those who describe themselves as completely straight, will often admit to having dabbled in same-sex relationships or finding the spectacle exciting and seductive. Women watching a burlesque dancer can identify with the pleasure in wearing glittery makeup, the lush, luxuriant feeling of satin and feathers against your skin, and the excitement of knowing you’re captivating an audience with your every move, with every button that comes undone or strap that gently slips off the shoulder, whether that be for a crowd of hundreds at a festival or a candlelit disrobing in private with your partner.
Another comment that keeps popping up, when discussing the allure of burlesque towards a female audience, is that because of the wide variety of body shapes, races, ages and atypical versions of beauty showcased across the burlesque stage—a much more diverse range than the narrow scope found in more traditional, mainstream depictions of femininity, the spectator finds herself more able to see herself up there onstage, comfortable with her body and the way it moves, her sexuality.
“It’s not exactly that easy,” many dancers are quick to point out in defense of their craft and the hard work put into refining it, “but the point is that it’s something the audience feels they can relate to; it’s not as far-fetched a concept.”
Models, actresses and other performers in the mainstream media have an untouchable allure, their lifestyle seems glamorous and foreign, but the burlesque dancers who mingle and joke with the audience, pull bodies onstage from the crowd and look you in the eye as they artfully unzip their dresses seem a lot more accessible. Here is where the differing attitudes are really prevalent—the viewer isn’t just taking in the scene for her own potential same-sex attraction, but because she’s able to translate the allure of the onstage beauty to her own life and sexual roles.
Through so many different faces, styles and attitudes, the potential burlesque has for opening the world’s eyes to a variety of sexualities and pushing bisexuality to a more accepted, open place in the mainstream public eye is immense.
(c) Copryight 2006 Stephanie Creede
Stephanie Creede performs burlesque as Scarlet Sylphide with the Toronto-based troupe Skin Tight Outta Sight Rebel Burlesque, when she's not involved in photography (from both sides of the camera), music videos, rock concerts, art exhibitions and fashion shows.
Reply With Quote
Re: Step Right Up for the Sexiest Show on Earth!—Bi and Burlesque
Originally Posted by sailorashore
Re: Step Right Up for the Sexiest Show on Earth!—Bi and Burlesque
Bookmarks