Burlesque & Feminism

[thesnowmanleft]

Discuss...?

Maybe you could start by telling us what you think about it?

Link to a previous thread:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/1110620-Burlesque-is-it-grotesque

Ah great, thanks for the link.

I really don't know, that's why i am interested in the point sof view of others.

I know how i feel about strip clubs, porn and lap dancing lessons: i.e. not good. But Burlesque.... does it fall under a different catagory as it's humourous and features less than conventionally perfect women..? It's obviously still sexualising... but is admiring sexuality always wrong?

I suppose there's no male equivalent, which in itself makes burlesque a sexist practise. Although I can't imagine women being pushed in to burlesque in the same way they are in to stripping, so i suppose I don't find it as abhorrent... but then is it not just that if you're 'too fat' to strip, you burlesque?

Oh, I don't know. willread the thread. Didn't realise it had been done recently.

You're so going to get told off for having these questions in your head on a feminism thread.

Because if there's one thing sexuality is, it's black and white. Just like feminism.

hmm, I don't think so BelfastBloke. It's not at all black and white. And with all these different 'waves' how can being a feminist be one thing? Surely everyone who is feminist wants equality for women.. that's basic. But how can it be clear what form striving for that should take..? I'm ceratinly not sure after about 15 years of considering myself a feminist.

I have read most of the thread and will reas the rest later. I wonder if david has a god point that it's hard to judge when you havent seen it. I've been to strip clubs in my teens and I also worked for an escort agency way back when as well so i have had exposure to other aspects of the sex industry and feel very able to form an opinion on them.

I am veering towards thinking that it's because we're a long way from equality that burlesque can't be 'ok' as in, in essence it's not too offensive but because of women's struggles it just adds to the problem, if that makes any sense.

It certainly objectifies women - and for some people that's the end of the argument.

Others would argue that you need to take the wider context into account, eg (as you say) whether the participants are forced into it, whether there is an element of humour, and whether it appeals to mixed audiences.

There was a similar (and equally interminable) argument around belly dancing recently.

'I can't imagine women being pushed in to burlesque in the same way they are in to stripping,'

One of the mums at my school is ABSOLUTELY being pushed into doing it at the moment - for a hen night - and I have been agonising over what to say to her about it.
She is really stressed and unhappy about the fact that she is going to either have to get dressed up and perform in a way she isn't comfortable with, or else look boring and let down her friend.
She is very conscious of her weight (actually she will look fine in a corset, that's the point of corsets) and she has been trying to crash diet beforehand.

actually the more I say about this on here the angrier I am getting, I am going to have to say something to her aren't I (other than just sympathising and telling her she looks fine)? but what?

oh come on David, the belly dancing discussion was very different; the fact that it's women-led and was never originally been about performing for men made the issues very different from those around burlesque.
I'm sorry you thought it was interminable, I thought it was fascinating!

I think it is stripping dressed up as fashion hence everyone buying into it and calling it harmless etc. Once the fashion for this wains which it will and already has where I live which is all about fashions and trends these women will either have to jump on the next bandwagon or move sideways from burlesque to plain old stripper