Miss Exotic World 2010

What does a girl do when she's turning 29, dreading 30, and unhappy with her position in life?

Head to Vegas, of course!

Last week, I packed up and went to Vegas to celebrate my 29th birthday and to attend the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend. The event consists of show kicking off the weekend, a show celebrating the legends of burlesque ("The Titans of Tease"), and culminates in the pagent for Miss Exotic World a/k/a The Reigning Queen of Burlesque. There is also a closing night event.

My first night there I barely had time to check in and shimmy into a dress and stilettos before heading to the kick off event. Entering the showroom at The Plaza hotel, where all of the shows were to be held, I was stunned by how many different kinds of ladies were in attendance. Women of all different races, shapes, sizes, and gender expressions (from high femme to uber butch) were there. What struck me the most was how comfortable everyone seemed in their own skin. Chicago's own Frenchie Kiss rocked the show, presenting her homage to the Flight of the Conchords. It was a great start to a glitter filled weekend.

Friday brought the ribbon cutting at the Hall of Fame, which was founded by burlesque legend Dixie Evans. It houses memorabilia from legends of the past, like Gypsy Rose Lee, and photos of current burlesque legends and winners of Miss Exotic World. The Hall has been a long time coming, and is very exciting to see it finally getting off the ground.

Friday evening brought the very exciting - and very long - Titans of Tease program. Performances and interviews with living legends like Satan's Angel and Candy "Baby" Caramelo were intertwined with performances by current legends, including Karl Lagerfeld's most recent muse Dirty Martini and the author of the recently released book The Burlesque Handbook Jo "Boobs" Weldon, who did a stunning tribute to Gypsy Rose Lee.

Saturday was the big event! A standing room only audience sat on the edge of our seats anxious to find out who would be crowned Miss Exotic World 2010. The host, Miss Astrid (seen here oficiating a wedding at last year's event) was one of the funniest, sharpest MC's I have seen in ages. In addition to her quick wit, she had the audience recite a pledge stating that we were all feminists and as such recognized that participating in a pagent is deeply ironic, and accordingly we promised to have fun. Hearing an entire showroom declare themselves to be feminists was just as thrilling as seeing all of the rhinestones, glitter and pasties that filled the evening.

The winners of the evening were all very deserving. New York's Miss Tickle took the trophy for Best Debut (the category for, as Miss Atrid put it, "when we don't know who the fuck you are"). Best Group went to the amazing Chicago Starlets for their charming painter's number. The new Reigning King of Burlesque was awarded to The Evil Hate Monkey (the cutest hateful thing since Gremlins), and Best Variety went to Lola Martinet and Tila Von Twirl, also from Chicago.

The competition for Miss Exotic World 2010 was stiff. One of my favorite performers, Nasty Canasta did a high-tech routine referencing The Portrait of Dorian Gray (and came in 2nd runner up!). Midnite Martini presented a stunning routine that showcased her flexibility and amazing strength (the fact that she teaches aerial burlesque makes me want to move to Seattle!). The winner, Roxi D'lite wowed with a routine featuring giant lit cigar and a dress made seemingly all of glitter.

By the time I boarded the plane to head back to Chicago, I had seen over 11 hours of burlesque dance, and had a brand new appreciation for art and the community it can foster among women. I can't wait for next year!

Vixens with Vinyl

A vintage photo gallery of Chicks-n-Records, thanks to Retrospace.


(I liked the title "Chicks with Discs" better.)

Witty Women: Quote of the Week

You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.
— Indira Gandhi

Feminist Action Figures - Bronte Sisters Power Up!

I was tipped off to this YouTube gem from my friend and fan of the Bronte sisters, Tarina yesterday.  If only there were feminist action figures!

Witty Women: Quote of the Week

From a first class lady who left us today -

"You have to be taught to be second class; you're not born that way."
- Lena Horne

Happy Mother's Day!

Buy at AllPosters.com

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, stepmoms, grandmas, godmothers, aunts, and like-a-moms reading today! We also remember today all the wonderful women we've lost, especially Pat, and know that they live on in us.

Happy Birthday to The Pill!

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granting approval to the birth control pill, a decision which revolutionized women's reproductive health.  The domino effect of the availability of reliable birth control in this country was wide-ranging.  Single women could embrace their sexuality without fear of pregnancy and married couples could plan if and when they wanted to start a family.  How many marriages were strengthened or saved, and how many bad marriages prevented in the first place, we will never know.  But beyond the biological effect of The Pill, in a time where women could be fired from their jobs simply for getting pregnant, it meant that women could think long term about college, post-graduate studies, career plans, travel, and anything else that they wished to achieve or do in their lives.  In this way, the ability to choose when and if to have children resulted in more women going to college and becoming doctors, lawyers and scientists, more women going further in the field of business, more women being free to dedicate their early career years to more challenging work or service opportunities... all of which undoubtedly improved the standard of living of their families as well.  Plus, when those women did decide to have families, they were much more likely to be in stable marriages and less likely to be living in poverty.

One outspoken woman who heartily embraced The Pill was the legendary singer Loretta Lynn.  Married at 14 years old and a mom of four by the age of 17, Loretta's 1974 song "The Pill" was the first to discuss the subject, and it did so from a very personal perspective of a woman tired of being pregnant every year.  Though it was banned at my radio stations, Loretta was later told by doctors working in rural areas that it had done more to increase awareness of the pill's availability than anything else - something no doubt Loretta had in mind when writing a song that would speak to her own background.  Here now is Loretta Lynn with "The Pill" -