Dita Von Teese reflects on the development of her burlesque career. (Photo: Getty Images)
Dita Von Teese has established herself as the “Queen of Burlesque” through her decades of success as a performer who pushes the boundaries of femininity and scandal on stage. At 50, she has no intention of retiring any time soon. In fact, she told Dua Lipa that she believes we’re witnessing the “golden age of burlesque.”
“For almost 25 years, it’s really been a movement, but it’s been a place of inclusivity and diversity. It wasn’t in that era and then,” von Teese said during an appearance on the singer Lipa’s podcast Dua: At Your Service. “So the show I’m touring with isn’t like a show with pinup girls, there are just as many men on the show as there are women doing striptease and as many different people as I can bring.”
The evolution of her show and burlesque as a whole speaks to the journey Von Teese has taken in her own career, especially when she looks back at how her work was perceived when she first began.
“I’ve lived my career and my life, I believe, with an arc that wasn’t designed by myself, but began as an achievement that seemed more under the male gaze. But that has changed dramatically,” she explained.
She recalled touring in England for the publication of her book Burlesque and the Art of the Teese/Fetish and the Art of the Teese, where she had the opportunity to talk about “why I love that era, why I’m pin-up love, which makes me strong about burlesque.” From there, she saw her audience begin to develop and felt better understood.
“I was signing at Harrods with the horse and the carriage and all that stuff and they blocked the streets and I looked out and there were all these women and I was like, OK, this is different than I thought it would be,” she said. “I think by sharing my story of why I love it, it’s resonated with other women, like choosing to live your life the way you want to.” I don’t respond to the opinions of others.”
The story goes on
Although burlesque seemed to have had its heyday in the 20’s and 30’s, what Von Teese was doing was considered scandalous and even controversial even in the 2000’s. Rather than feel intimidated by the idea, however, she said she was motivated by it.
“I feel like I’ve always ventured into things that could be considered taboo or daring. I obviously mean striptease, or choosing to be objectified, or putting yourself in a position to be objectified, or bondage and fetishism. The Corset , many people are very offended by the idea of donning a corset, but I love the idea of taking on things that could be found demeaning or captivating, for lack of a better word… You can break this taboo by “That’s why I like it,” von Teese explained. “There’s a power in saying I’m going to do this because it feels liberating.” So I like that. And I like the idea of doing things in a kinder, more playful and fun, I’ve always loved that.”
By blazing her own trail in the industry and creating her own shows, the performer has also had total control over how she is viewed, which ties with that sense of empowerment.
“When I’m doing my own thing, all of the costumes are designed to make me feel confident and comfortable, covering and accentuating the things I choose,” she said.
However, there are practical downsides to stepping into the limelight in the age of social media – namely when it comes to the criticism that people often level at their bodies these days.
“When I was in my twenties, I had no worries in the world about social media. I just had the time of my life,” she said. “Nobody’s ever said, ‘Hey, you’ve got some cellulite there,’ or ‘You look a little bloated.'”
Thankfully, she’s benefiting from a kind of confidence that has come with age.
“I used to be so concerned about perfection on stage and now I kind of think it doesn’t matter. I’m not going to say, just because I’m not perfect from that angle, I won’t do this thing anymore,” she explained. “I used to want to be perfect on stage, and now I don’t feel that anymore. I want to be on another way to be perfect.”
Wellness, parenting, body image and more: get to know it who Behind huh with the Yahoo Life newsletter. Sign up here.