Monday Morning Poll

[andrewducker]

[Poll #1609536]

context for question 1.
Question 2 needs no context.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_yggdrasil/]

I don't think I've ever seen or heard of a burlesque show where the performers enjoyed what they were doing and had actually chosen to be there. As long as someone makes a choice, more power to her and I hope she makes a lot of money doing it. I notice society often automatically equates removal of clothing with oppression and I think that's rather inaccurate and misleading.

[andrewducker]

I don't think I've ever seen or heard of a burlesque show where the performers enjoyed what they were doing and had actually chosen to be there.

Really? I know this is common with strip bars - the performers are largely just there for the cash, but the burlesque stuff I know of is largely populated by amateurs doing it either for fun, or small amounts of cash as a sideline.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_yggdrasil/]

My best friend is a stripper and makes good money at it, but also loves doing it. Another friend does burlesque and I don't know how much she makes, but it's a decent amount, and she loves doing that, too. Just the stories I've been told from women doing it. I've never done this work so I can't offer my own experiences.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_yggdrasil/]

And you know? I don't want to be disengenous here and imply that what I've seen and heard means the shady oppressive stuff doesn't happen, because it does. But I do think there's a difference between burlesque, and stripping, and sex work, and so forth, though those worlds may intersect.

[andrewducker]

Absolutely. There's a whole world of shades of grey there, and I don't have more than passing experience of any of it, other than what I've read, or heard from friends who are more closely involved in bits of it.