"What the hell is burlesque, and how could it possibly be feminist?"
This is not a tough question for me, although I do realize not everyone in the community is on the same page with me here. But let's hash some things out, shall we? It's important to start with a basic herstorical outline to provide a framework, and then move on to contemporary issues/debates, and from there, well...draw your own conclusions.
Burlesque in its original inception was meant to "make a mockery of" specific social taboos or prescribed behaviours. This generally involved vaudeville type comedy, slapstick sketch, and striptease as an after-thought (I am speaking about the American movement specifically here, although I will touch on the French and the Weimar Republic movements which had some amazing gender bending/progressive activism happening there).
{Take for example American born, and French citizen and burlesquer extraordinaire Josephine Baker. Responsible for integrating numerous theatres and dance halls in the 20s, challenging ethnic stereotypes and gender roles, fighting against the Nazis by hiding messages to the allies in her sheet music in the 40s, and then heavily participating in the Civil Rights movement in America later in the 1960s...that's some serious social activism.}
When burlesque really got its momentum going in the early 1930s it had a very thick air of entertainment escapism surrounding it do to the horrific economic crisis at the time. People continued to patron the underground gin halls, where touring troupes or actors and burlesquers frequently performed at. People needed a laugh, and the adult flair of the entertainment kept them coming back for more. We don't have much way in the writing about the treatment of the women from the gin hall owners, but there is lots on the books about police brutality against the men and women touring and trying to make money doing something that openly criticized the status quo. It wasn't all bad, with the end of prohibition burlesque began moving into proper theatre halls and the striptease moved into the forefront, instead of just existing as the transitional acts between comedy routines.
{As a side note, The Weimar Republic in Berlin was experiencing its own brand of adult entertainment. From roughly 1917-1931 Burlesque and cabaret were the norm, cafe culture, prostitution, gender bending and art for the sake of art ruled supreme. This was a brief and fleeting moment in history where the supposed "low" end of society rose up and robbed the bourgeoisie while masquerading as their entertainment. The art created at this time embodied the questioning and challenging nature of the people negotiating their sexuality during this time. Unfortunately this creative and wonderfully debauched explosion was stamped out by a fascist take-over.}
With this movement came new problems that needed to be eradicated. Producers and agents entered the scene, which was not always beneficial for the performers, male or female (although, let's face it, the women got shafted the most). These new players became managers which reaped the benefits of the performer's art. This would become a rallying point for the Neo-Burlesque movement presently. The 1940s proved to be just as tough as the 30s. War moved women into every possible vocation, and the entertainment industry was still going strong, trying to keep America distracted. Burlesque Queens were starting to engage in a new avenue of promotion, the Pin-Up. Notably more subtly suggestive instead of overtly sexual in its imagery, this new mass producible art print was marketed to those overseas, as well as at home. Again, this will become another vehicle for the upheaval of the status quo, contemporarily. They were also garnering roles in film, the famous Gypsy Rose Lee set the example for this career pursuit with her witty banter and humorous striptease routines, and Sally Rand with her awe inspiring graceful fans.
The 1950s and 60s are known as the Golden Age of Burlesque. This is when we have the big names; Satan's Angel, Tempest Storm, Bettie Page, Lili St. Cyr, Dixie Evans, etc. (Two of these fabulous burlesquers are still performing for massive audiences in their 70s and 80s!) Now with regular nightclub gigs, and performance halls specifically designed for burlesque, the art looked like it was never going to slow down! Routines were now being filmed, albeit most of them were burned or lost during the conservative efforts of censorship by congressional committees, on the adult industry. But with the advancement of the Sexual Revolution, T.V. and the addition of Go-Go dancing and table dancers, the now quaint "old fashioned" burlesque show began to wane...
It wasn't until the 1990s and 2000s that Neo-Burlesque as we know it came to fruition. Women and men on the East and West coast began reviving this old art form. People like: Dirty Martini, Kitten Deville, Billie Madly, Bettina May, Go-Go Amy; Organizations like Coney Island USA, The Velvet Hammer Burlesque, Cinema, the list goes on and on. These people were interested in one thing, capturing that spark of entertainment herstory that got shoved under the rug. Obviously there were some changes that needed to be made...
So after that incredibly abridged look at burlesque in America, let's look at some issues regarding the art today.
Neo-Burlesque functions as an umbrella for political satire, social commentary, vaudeville tribute and entertainment for an audience craving more than prepackaged TV bullshit. It is a reclamation of an old form of performance that is deeply rooted in this country's herstory as well as dating back to antiquity. It's a re-appropriation of an art that had the potential for progressive application but was sullied by invasive middle-agents, greedy venue owners, and police brutality. It's new, and burgeoning now because of progressive people who wish things would have gone very differently back then...
It is inclusive of women of all shapes, sizes, abilities, ethnic identities, body modifications, gender identities, and sexual orientations. In terms of "Boylesque" ( burlesque or comedy performed by a gender identifying male) this also rings true.
Burlesque Collectives (of which I am a proud member of Broads & Panties) are taking the place of single producer monopolies. Performance, Production, Stage Managing, Promotion all rotate and are shared under this new medium. Performer exploitation is eliminated via these methods, and performers can take gigs that they see fit as supplemental income/hobby and leisure/benefit based etc. Production is also being taken into the hands of the performers themselves, or other community members who support the performers passionately and have teams of burlesque enthusiasts who ensure those performing are taken care of (Bewitching Burlesque or PinCurl Magazine, to just name two).
Most, if not all of the performers I have met, talked to, seen, read about are all involved in some sort of community organizing work. Whether it be animal rights (Pin-Ups for pups), queer rights (Drag show benefits, Queer Liberaction), the feminist movement (Texas Equal Access Fund benefits, VDAY benefits), human rights! Everyone is involved in some extra-campaign in their own personal life which they are then able to discuss given their metaphorical podium as a performer.
The power dynamic has shifted. We are now seeing a "Power To" not "Power Over" relationship for the performer and audience. This obviously benefits everyone because of the level of control and empowerment which the performer can now achieve sans middle-agent.
The "Standard of Beauty" that has been the oppressive force of the fucked up American system of beliefs, intrenched in the commodity culture fueled "beauty" industry gets challenged EVERY time one of these incredible, diverse people takes the stage. We are REAL. Are we modified? Yes. For our own goddamn reasons, and I won't pretend to speak for everyone, but the men and women that I've interviewed or had major discussion with, see it as another engagement with the challenging of social taboos and expression of their own creativity.
The Pin-Up is a mass producible, recognizable image. What better way to insert our own created identities, and subvert the status quo than to use something so wide reaching as this art genre?
And another thing, no one can deny that a level of sexuality is involved here. Some performers choose to play up or play down this facet of the art. However, to deny human sexuality implies that in some way it is wrong. This is problematic on a number of levels, because now that performers can control when/where/how/and how much the body is in a much safer space to be an instrument of creativity. And when the body is safer, performance and expression is also safer.
So if Feminism is the belief in the social, political, economic equality between "men" and "women" how does this performance art by women, and mostly for women ( audiences are generally 60 f/40 m) not qualify if it's challenging gender roles, the standard of beauty, social taboos, and political happenings? Even its re-creation came at a time of genuine disillusionment with the raunch entertainment industry and as a backlash to adult industry dominance. It's a rare opportunity to take something with progressive roots and really expand upon its application to the empowerment of those involved.
When I asked the three touring Guerrilla Girls who came to the UNT campus last year, to speak about "The Maternal" in art and culture, what they thought about Neo-Burlesque, and the idea of reclamation, they told me it was intrinsic to participate in activist reclamation. Not only of art, but of language as well. The incarnations of performance art are changing they told me. Women engaging in these new avenues would need support as well as critique. Those art activists got me thinking about a lot of things...
If you're mad or confused, or simply found yourself nodding fervently while reading this, I'm incredibly satisfied. Of course I am not the end all be all authority, but I do have quite a bit more to say. There are loads of others like me, waiting for you to read them, talk to them, see them perform...The debate doesn't stop here, there is so much to be discussed and challenged! This is a very exciting time in this sub-culture, new ideas from each coast and internationally are shaping and contributing to the growth of this strange and fascinating thing known as, burlesque.
