Performative Histories and Transformative Styles

Gemma Ruth Commane Bad Girls and Dirty Bodies: Performative Histories and Transformative Styles Introduction This chapter will argue that the absence of visual and academic represen- tations of agency in bisexual, femme or “kinky” women is damaging new knowledge’s of the body by the academic community ignoring individual interpretations of sexuality through the mix of neo-burlesque, the freak show, queer and body mutation style on stage in fetish club cultures. The female bodies seen in body art, fetish and burlesque club cultures are highly significant and contradict the idea that they are agentless, excessive or damaged goods. Modified and mutated bodies show an already established knowledge of the body that is transformative. In effect this shows a lack in wider cultural, queer and sociological understandings of gender and sexuality but significantly a deficiency in how the body and desire are understood. In consequence this chapter will suggest that a new direction must be taken by the queer community in particular, to critically address and to watch, through careful ethnographic fieldwork, the emergence and trans- formations of these already established and transformative body styles. Significantly the queer community should pay attention to the particular styles and body knowledge’s in context and within the fetish and neo- burlesque club cultures; to see how this can be translated to transform heteronormative and homonormative structures in their entirety. The themes in this chapter are related to my current PhD research which involves an ethnographic study into this cultural form. The descriptions, meanings and truths derived from the sites of lived experiences, have organically revealed 50 Gemma Ruth Commane the significance of transformative bodies through ethnographic “insider” knowledge, performance art, evolution and biography. Spaces and Places Transformative and tabooed bodies within the fetish, body art and burlesque club cultures have rarely had a consistent analysis within the context of the culture, values and style of the subculture. Bodies within fetish club spaces are always evolving and adapting to new trends within the readable limits of “subversion” into carnival fun, blasphemy and the mockery of wider society. Apart from the obvious dungeon spaces within the fetish club, there are groups of individuals who reside in the other spaces within the club experiencing out of body and sensuous experiences whilst danc- ing, social interacting, and viewing performances. The energy in each room and in particular after the performances on stage, feed off each other and intensely amplify all what is sensuous and experiential on the body and within consciousness. What is very popular now in some fetish club cultures, their dress codes and what is seen on stage is burlesque style or a form of it, sometimes mixed with cabaret. This may have some links to the carnivalesque as Rabelais sees it (Bakhtin 1984) in terms of the temporality of the occasion, the comedy shared, the crudeness used, communality and the poking of fun at what is established. However, a high proportion of burlesque in cabaret events as well as fetish club nights do not directly challenge issues within their own community let alone what is established in wider society concerning gender. This includes how specific women perform and the value inscribed by stereotypes onto their lives, progression, agency and the idea of choice. The modern burlesque movement’s involvement in the mainstream and the images it upholds as the pinnacle of female beauty is not something dif- ferent but confirms a stereotype of beauty already known and performed within the heteronormative and the parodying of helpless femininity. Bad Girls and Dirty Bodies: Performative Histories and Transformative Styles 51 To understand the inclusion of burlesque and the mutation of styles in visible fetish club cultures, alongside the women who temporally reside or perform in these spaces, it is necessary to acknowledge the history of burlesque, its demise and the context of the renewal. In consequence this will show the extent in which specific bodies in body art, fetish and burlesque spaces are significant in the deconstruction and transformation of gender and sexual constructions. What is more poignant is their ability to breakdown bodily, moral and binary boundaries through using the body as a medium for the audience to witness the fulfillment, renewal and transformation of desire, sensuality and pleasure. These experiences are significant as the bodies relation to the world and to gender mores are significantly altered, and permanency is shown through particular performers such as Empress Stah. This has all taken place within fetish club cultures and the mutation of burlesque style. Burlesque: A Short History British burlesque has connections to the music hall, mime, dance, cabaret and the theatre. The most notable artist was Lydia Thompson and her burlesque troupe called The British Blondes (Baldwin 2004). They travelled to America in the mid-nineteenth century and had huge successes performing in theatres all over the country. Burlesque was popular in America until its demise in the late 1950s due to a wave of censorship, the rise of gentlemen’s clubs and pornography. This made burlesque and its image fade from public view both in America and England. The demise of burlesque can be contributed to many things including the inevitability of going out of fashion but the most popular assumption is made by Michelle Baldwin (2004) who signals the rise of gentleman’s clubs and the negative views ascribed to these spaces, including the women who perform there. To assume that the demise is all due to the consequence of gentlemen’s clubs and combining burlesquer’s stating that what they do is art, signals a 52 Gemma Ruth Commane modern hierarchy between women who may tease for art thus have “agency,” and those seen as “agentless” who strip just for money. This distinction is exaggerated by the history of burlesque as artists managed, directed and were in control of their finances, even in the 1850s (Baldwin 2004; Clinton- Baddeley 1973). The very fact that burlesque is seen to be an art form by some modern burlesque performers is, in itself, intentionally or not, the very problem. The opinion that gentleman’s clubs are solely to blame is simplistic as it cuts out agency to women who want to strip at Spearmint Rhino and wrongly canters the demise of this “art” form in the context of gentlemen’s clubs. Thus, gives rise to “lack” of agency and inter-gender distinctions of value and worth. Other contributing aspects to the modern interpretation on specific bad girl bodies include philanthropy in the 1850s (Mort 2000; Weeks 1995), anti-porn feminism (Dworkin 1994) and the beauty debate (Jeffreys 2005) written by women, against other women. However, in the late 1950s burlesque was popular and its risqué imagery was extremely favorable with underground pornography, BDSM and fetish photography (Baldwin 2004; von Teese 2006). The late Betty Page was and still is the most worshiped burlesque and fetish pin ups who graced the pages of Playboy as well as modeling, significantly, in BDSM pictures sold under the counter, in contrast to the beach wear she also modeled. Also, there are videos of her performing burlesque and her style and image is replicated at a tremendous rate within the visual burlesque community with many performers such as Kitty Klaw, emulating her moves, retro style and looks. Although Betty did nude shots her BDSM stills are significant as they signal a shift in culture where burlesque started to mutate from its original form to include and combine taboo aspects in society which were being outlawed. Betty faded from public view and became a born again Christian but still lives on through texts, YouTube and a lot of burlesquers, artists and fetishists hailing her name. The revival has come back full circle to the UK (Baldwin 2004; Von Teese 2006) in the last decade and its American style and counterparts have had an impact on the “normative” styles of dress, behavior and moves attributed to the burlesque community. Dita Von Teese, the revival of vintage chic in the mainstream and within some music, performance, non- ”normative,” and fashion subcultures; have popularized, transformed and Bad Girls and Dirty Bodies: Performative Histories and Transformative Styles 53 restyled burlesque. This appeals to a new generation of youth and subcultures through tattooing (Baldwin 2004), social networking websites and The Ministry of Burlesque to visualize “new” bodies, styles and ways of expression that show some “differences” or alternatives to the weight obsessed size zeros claiming most magazine space in mainstream texts. There are a high proportion of bisexual burlesquers as well. However, a high percentage of burlesque artists perform a temporary, readable and normative persona of “woman” with tattoos making her somewhat “Other” or in charge of her sexuality, in contrast to bisexuals who are seen not to be. Bisexuality is still rendered invisible by the hetero-normalcy in the burlesque culture itself. Burlesque in the main is the parody of the feminine form even in its restyling in subcultural dress because gender and sexuality are still staged, styled, and given meaning through bodies and texts telling the performer what is normal, doable, commercial, and allowed within the context of the community. Parodying Femininities: Themes in Burlesque The two central themes in burlesque are tease and comedy (Baldwin 2004; Von Teese 2006). Angel LaVey and other artists seen in the scene seem to embody the comedy of the Carry On’s or the naughty postcards from Blackpool. Burlesque can be done solo or as part of a troupe, but can also be used off stage to build confidence. Burlesque performances usually include comedy, parodies of identities or known figures, singing, mime, freak show, circus and dance.

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