From Pastiche to Pasties, The real Burlesque scene revealed

The word ‘Burlesque’ is defined in the English dictionary as “an artistic composition, esp. literary or dramatic, that, for the sake of laughter, vulgarizes lofty material or treats ordinary material with mock dignity.”

The Burlesque scene became more prolific in the 1950’s when many theatre productions began to introduce more provocative outfits where women were enabled to expose more flesh than was normally acceptable. Although there was a huge outcry from members of the community that this type of theatre was outrageous, many theatre companies were able to get away with the performances by placing them amongst that of minstrels and other variety performers. The Burlesque parts of the shows were always the most popular, thus Burlesque moved into the new status of working class show rather than the middle class consumer extravaganza that it originally set out as. During the 40’s pin-ups also started to come to the fore.

During the war there were women such as Vera Lynn and Gracie Fields who became the ‘forces sweethearts’ due to their beauty and ability to sing and/or act which were both huge morale boosts for the troops.  The 1950’s brought about the likes of Bettie Page and Marilyn Monroe who remain iconic figures even to this day. Bettie Page in particular has become a cult figure for her provocative and often erotic photo shoots such as her bondage shoot, which transcend ordinary standards of femininity and beauty.

Nowadays, the pin-up and Burlesque scene is still fairly underground with only the people who are followers being aware of shows and photographers/models, however, it is as popular now as it has ever been due to the acceptance of female sexuality within today’s society. Burlesque nights give women the chance to dress up and feel desirable in their corsets and seamed stockings and give men the opportunity to desire them without feeling seedy. That is the beauty of this scene. There is nothing seedy about it.

Women are able to express their sexuality freely without feeling demeaned in any way. Men are able to appreciate the women in all their glory, but it is, in fact, mostly women who attend these nights in order to pick up fashion tips and enjoy the finery of the girls costumes. The fashion and make-up side of Burlesque and pin-up life is one of the most important aspects. Women adore finding new items of clothing and new make-up techniques to try and buy and websites devoted to such past times such as www.berniedexter.com and www.whatkatiedid.com to name a few, are extremely popular.

The modern twist to the whole scene is the introduction of body modification, with more and more models and performers revealing beautifully ornate tattoos as well as piercings as each layer of clothing disappears. Pin-up modeling is seen as glamorous and sexy without being pornographic and even Burlesque performers don’t reveal everything as, even when all of their clothes are removed, they are still left in nipple tassles or ‘pasties’ and frilly knickers which cannot be said of page three models and their equivalents.

Seduction, femininity, glamour (in the true sense of the word), fashion and style are just some of the words used to describe the women of this scene and I urge you to try going to one of these nights just to have your eyes opened to the beauty and fascination that can be found in such places as The Ruby Revue in Leeds www.myspace.com/therubyrevue. Look online to find your nearest venue.

Editorial by Mia Hodgkinson