Title: Burlesque {and the New Bump-n-Grind} Author: Michelle Baldwin Publisher: Speck Press Publish Date: 2004 Pages: 144 Genres:: History, Women's Studies Reviewer: Jerome D'Angelo

Rating:

If the imagination-starved contemporary concept of acceptable beauty has you yearning for a time when shapely, seductive women could mesmerize a packed theater house with the mere shake of a sequined-draped hip or the bat of a glittered eyelash, fear not! Burlesque {and the New Bump-n-Grind} by Michelle Baldwin has plenty of tassel-twirling tease for any lover of erotic entertainment that favors fishnet stockings over a full set of legs instead of fake tans over visible rib cages.

 Burlesque reads much like a history book. A really, really hot history book. Offering the reader both an impressive array of both new and retro photography, and also an up-close look at the industry through the perspectives of the women who claim its center stage, the book tantalizes the reader much the way a burlesque dancer would tantalize her audience. It slowly captures the reader’s interest by laying out the origins of delightful disrobing. Mentioned early and often are the performers regarded as the genre’s foremothers, like Ann Corio, Mae West, Lydia Thompson, and Little Egypt. Then like the tossing away of an elbow-length glove into the front row, Baldwin introduces the modern-day starlets of shimmy, such as Dirty Martini, Jo “Boobs” Weldon, Bella Beretta and The Gunstreet Girls, and of course, the incomparable Dita Von Tesse.

Baldwin also describes what she feels are the empowering elements of burlesque to the women who are its practitioners. “By and large,” she says, “burlesque is a women’s movement: It’s run by women and it stars women.” Baldwin observes how in the early days, suggestive performance art would feature female dancers and singers but would be run by men. The women who brought in the audiences would have little control over the shows themselves. It’s a much different case today, as women now control not only what goes on onstage but also how those very women are perceived. Burlesque has become, essentially, an industry where those who profit also own the means of production, so to speak.

Baldwin also addresses issues with body type. The women who dance in burlesque acts are not strippers, so there is an altogether different expectation of what they should look like. Whereas women dancing in a strip club are expected to have a near-perfect figure, “burlesque goes against the standard and the norm by welcoming women who don’t fit the standard of beauty promoted by the popular culture and media.” Women who are full figured, short or tall, or women with tattoos and piercing are all welcome. Burlesque is about expression, not standard, after all.

The book’s far from perfect, however. Baldwin could have really done without some of the references to pop culture, such as The Pussycat Doll’s appearance in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle or Britney Spears’ supposed tribute to Gypsy Rose Lee in The New York Times Magazine. They seemed superfluous and distracting considering Baldwin’s well-taken assertion that burlesque has generally resided outside the American mainstream. Nevertheless, none of those slight flaws affect Burlesque’s readability.

Burlesque {and the New Bump-n-Grind} would be a welcome addition to any dedicated fan of the genre, or as an introduction for newbies, whether it be for the tantalizing photography, the sex-positive feminist writing style, the vintage costumes, the in-depth historical perspectives, or simply for all the thigh-hugging garters and pasty-clad titties. It was also very refreshing to be able to read a book with so much material covered in it and not have it feel like reading a boring text book.

Ultimately, Burlesque {and the New Bump-n-Grind} is perfect for those looking for adult entertainment that stimulates your imagination and your loins, as well as those looking for exotic dancers performing in celebration of being naughty, not just for dollar bills stuffed into their g-strings.