They say "degrading", I say "delightful."

I have to live a bit of a double life being a (highly educated) public school teacher and all, so the scorn I most definitely understand.

I live in a small town/city where burlesque is not a common practice. Canadian dames often travel a great deal in order to get gigs, and often it means you make NO MONEY. It's just not a cash cow. By the time you buy/make your costumes and props, you have to make sure you're going to make enough on the door to cover your booking costs for the stage and your travel expenses. We do it for love, and sometimes at the cost of a bad review.

Last show in town a gentleman was tossed from the pub due to reaching up on stage and popping one of the performers balloons during a balloon dance. Disrespect isn't tolerated. Near the end of the night I can't imagine any lady wishing to perform for a gaggle of drunken louts though, hollering things like "show us your tits" while a lady's doing her best to perform artistically; good thing their girlfriends are all there to see their boorish behaviour!

Burlesque isn't for everyone, but it's no trip to the peel-n-steal. (No offence intended, everyone makes their money somehow.) Equating the two is like saying modern dance is anti-feminist. The public needs to be educated on the truths of Burlesques merits, but alas. Sometimes it's easiest to just brush it off as common ignorance.

I'll just keep wearing my tassels and adorn myself with my "This is what a feminist looks like" pin every day.

Keep your chins up and strut with pride.

I find that most things considered improprietous in their day with age are considered art. Take, for example, 'The Origin of the World' by Courbet, or the erotic poetry of India. Courbet's painting was banned from public exhibition, while much of the poetry created was considered purely pornographic in nature. Thus I find that burlesque, in and of itself, is and art, and not in the least degrading to those who wish to participate in it.

However, as with the pornographic industry, I find that the degradation comes in the lack of equality. I am fine if a woman wants to put on a burlesque act - but I see fewer men volunteering to do this than women. Personally, I do not believe this is the fault of burlesque, but rather a mirror to some flaw in society which (I hope) can slowly mend with changing global attitudes and a growing female sexual assertiveness (By this I do not mean more women learning to show off their bodies in a confident and alluring manner, although it is nice I think women have this down as a cultural point. Rather I mean the willingness and confidence of women as a whole to demand that they are sexually pleased by men as much as they are willing to please.)

The last show I went to was the Immodesty show at koko, tbh what I can remember of the night, there was as many women as men, also a great cross section of gay and straight people.

Far from being degrading,burlesque is nothing of the sort.Its an art form,you don't see anything.Just a purer tease.Once more again the shirt stuffed,thickheaded moralising idiots put their thick heads up and yell off on myspace.com Its about time to tell them where they can get off! In a cesspit with the rest of the mary whitehouse brigade.Leave us alone and will leave you along but attack us and we will hit you so hard you will never try it again!.

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