Burlesque is a brand of theatre entertainment from the early 20th century that has made a come back in recent times. Traditionally it is a mix of humor, performance art, adult entertainment and comedy. Fantastic clothing like corsets, hosiery and waist cinchers were worn by women during fire breathing and strip tease acts.
The meaning behind the term burlesque is an interesting one as it means in an upside down style. The performances were specifically designed to push social boundaries of the norm and allow artists the freedom and flexibility to develop new styles.
Burlesque came from nineteenth century music hall shows. Initially it was primarily used to make fun of the rich and provide social commentary. Because of this much of the comedy was considered to be in bad taste and vulgar which led to more extreme and risqu? acts being included.
Lots of now infamous comedians and actors were inspired or had their roots in the genre. Everyone like Jackie Gleason, Bob Hope and Abbot and Costello have their roots in burlesque and even Chaplin was a fan.
Fast forward to the 90?s and burlesque had become popular once more. New burlesque or neo burlesque performances began emerging in New York and Los Angeles with acts like Dita Von Teese becoming notorious for their take on their genre. Most of these acts focused on the burlesque hosiery, wearing either a corset or waist cincher combined with seamed stockings and suspenders. Now a days everyone from the Pussy Cat Dolls to Christina Aguilera can be seen wearing an underbust corset.
