A question that has troubled me since I began burlesque performance was whether burlesque really was a part of female empowerment or just simply women consenting to being objects onstage. Having not been around when burlesque began, it is impossible to comment on performer’s reasons for taking the stage and slinging, but I certainly believe that its twenty-first century revival has been taken up by strong women looking to take contol of their own sexuality.

Burlesque is subversive partly because of the sort of girls who seem to have taken it on. Inspired by Bettie Page, these girls (and myself included) are usually alternative, sometimes pierced and tattooed, and certainly not the types of performers you would be likely to see at your local strip club. Indeed, the burlesque scene is full of strong women who seem to have modelled themselves on an image of their own.
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