Dita von Teese: The Controversial Face of New Burlesque

Dita von Teese, for those of you who don't know, is an actress, model, and
performer, who in recent years has emerged as the icon of new burlesque. She has become synonymous with the genre. Although her philosophy is certainly empowering, endorsing unconventional beauty; the defiance of conformity to superficial ideals in favor of expressing one's personal conception of sensuality and attractiveness. However, her own appearance, (a 5'2", 105 lb. white woman with a 22" waist), beggars the question: does she practice what she preaches?

What makes burlesque feminist; what elevates it beyond what some critics say is just a vintage form of stripping, is it's unapologetic essence of rebellion. Burlesque does flaunt the body and sexuality, yes, but in a much different context and spirit than in carnal, animalistic pornography or stripping. Whereas they focus on a very narrow, andocentric conception of beauty, representing only objectified bodies that conform almost exclusively to westernized ideals of sexuality, burlesque endorses a sexuality that comes form within. Burlesque evokes the mind and humor of the woman, her personality and sexuality conveyed through her body. It rejects the notion that sexuality can only be found within the limited scope of these western male ideals, and instead recognizes the unique allure of every woman. Regardless of age, race, body type, or anything else physical, new burlesque recognizes what's interesting and enticing in all of it.
However, although Dita Von Teese advocates these liberating, feminist ideas, she herself is not a very good testament to them. Please don't get the wrong impression, this posting isn't meant to slander, vilify or attack Dita Von Teese. Burlesque celebrates all bodies, including those that do typify conventional standards of beauty. Dita Von Teese isn't necessarily any less true to the essence of burlesque because she epitomizes westernized physical ideals. She can certainly, and publicly does, endorse the burlesque ideas of flaunting natural beauty and rejecting superficial, even surgical, conformity, "Being different is good. It is so scary at first, but it is good. There are so many different ways of getting glamorous, it doesn’t have to be painful . . . Try a nice new lipstick, a red or a burgundy or a plum, not your usual beige-brown." (Dita von Teese, cited in Hughes, 2007). Rather, we, and many others, question the authenticity of a culture that endorses burlesque ideals of unconventional beauty, but only select women who epitomize conventional beauty to serve as spokes models. It is the height of irony that the icon for burlesque, the woman who made it mainstream and a national sensation, embodies the very thin, white, physical standards of beauty that burlesque rejects. Perhaps Dita von Teese is forced to conform to these traditional standards to be heard and popular, knowing that she wouldn't find public fame and success if she truly rejected conventional physical standards. Dita von Teese isn't the offender here, merely the product of a hypocritical and superficial society. While the very existence and popularity of new burlesque reflects an empowering, positive change, until we see women who truly challenge superficiality; who embody the unconventional beauty so marginalized in society, attain the same success that Dita von Teese has, we'll still have a long way to go.

Meet the women of Effies Club Follies!

As mentioned, one of the most wonderful and emowering things about burlesque is it's glorification and recognition of the diversity of beauty. Burlesque allows women to expose, and allows everyone to revel in, the magnificence of each woman's individual appeal. It celebrates the unique beauty of every skin color, body type, age and feature, even the one's conventionally condemned as "flaws". Since burlesque recongnizes a diversity of beauty, there's a huge variety of women who participate in it, andwhile we would love to interview all of them , we can only select a few. The women we are interviewing are the incredible, hilarious, and audacious women of Effie's Club Follies Slapstrip Comedic Burlesque. Taken from their website, here is some background and desciption to acquaint you with them:

Hi there, Kitten! We're Effie's Club Follies Slapstrip Comedic Burlesque (it's a mouth full, we know...but then again, you're probably used to that sort of thing). At any given time we have between 7 and 18 lovely ladies (and a few VERY lucky men) with stars in their eyes and glitter out the wazoo, and we're just dying to entertain you. Sometimes when we mention the word "burlesque," people get confused and ask us questions about the Suicide Girls. Just to clear the air, here's what we do: imagine a combination of the weirder side of SNL's glory days, throw in a dash of good drag, a sprinkling of raunchy humor (a la Mae West, or even Sarah Silverman), and a pinch of Broadway...with the striptease as the luscious cherry on top. We are NOT: prostitutes, escorts, porn stars, or garden-variety strippers (though we do occasionally play them on stage).We love to perform, both at home in Athens or away...so if your town is in need of an Effing good time, let us know! Just make sure the stage is a big one...because that's the way we like them! We're also available to show up (looking fabulous, of course) to birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, retirement parties, wakes, weddings, your child's bris, whatever! Please note, darlings, that we DO NOT perform shows in your living room. We abide by one of our first troupe mottos, "More class than ass!" In other words, we have the ass, but we'll only show it to you when there's a few feet of stage and a two drink minimum between us. Interested in booking? Contact us here, or at effiesclubfollies_booking@yahoo.com!WHERE DID YOU GET THAT RIDICULOUS NAME?Once upon a time, our town had a whorehouse. Actually, it was more like a small compound of three houses. Visiting "Miss Effie's house" was a rite of passage for local boys and college students alike, and our namesake did a brisk business through much of the 20th century. Naturally, many in the community were a little less than thrilled about living down the street from a house of ill-repute. Effie's was shut down in the 70's, much to the dismay of Athens’ men folk. Years later, the city government tried to burn those buildings to the ground--and the people rallied. The demise of Effie's was delayed for two years before it was finally burned, but even then the charred bricks were sold as reminders of this piece of Athens history. Our very favorite part of the Effie's story is the motto that was found scrawled on one of the mirrors in the house: "DO IT WITH GUSTO." We like to think it was written in a fabulous shade of red lipstick, but we can't be for certain. When we were deciding what to call ourselves, Effie's seemed like a natural fit. There are some folks who think that what we do is crass, crude, unladylike, socially unacceptable, sinful, pathetic, or just plain wrong. To those people, we say, "Nonsense!" In today's world, we are surrounded by airbrushed images of people with artificial parts. The packaging and politicizing of sex is a billion dollar industry. If you just spend thousands of dollars a year on creams, ointments, and exercise machines, then you too can be in beer commercials! Here at Effie's, we think that the only beauty product you need is laughter. Being silly is the second sexiest thing you can do with your body, and we've got silliness like you've never seen. Try us! We promise that you won't be disappointed!

The beauty of the New Burlesque

When one thinks burlesque, many images and conceptions come to mind. Popular notions are flesh, breasts, lipstick, sequins; aggressive, extravagant femeninity brazenly used to flaunt sexuality. All of these components epitomized the essence of original burleque, but a new and vital component has emerged within the new burlesque; a raw, edgy spirit that many overlook when considering new burlesque: feminism. Intertwining the uncompromising, natural and uninhibited sexuality of all women with a rapier wit and humor, burlesque is a rebellion against the hypersexualization, sexism, and objectification rife within modern pornography. It exalts true beauty, natural and uncorrupted by surgical "enhancements". It refuses to compromise

and conform to conventional male ideals of beauty, demanding instead the recognition of the appeal of the natual form and women's independent sexuality. Burlesque demands the acknowledgment of holistic beauty, rejecting objectification and proliferating the multifaceted, complicated glory of each woman's body and mind. It celebrates intellect, emotion, humor, and the unique plights and experiences that inspire each woman's performance. It's cerebral. It's uninhibited. And it's sexy as hell.