These gorgeous portraits of badass, body-positive burlesque dancers are a must-see.

Laurel Dickman
03.28.18

Trend after trend comes and goes, but one thing that seems to remain timelessly classic is burlesque’s retro glamour.

No matter the event, if you want to turn heads without adorning yourself in recent trends, retro glam is it. And who else does it with more va-va-VOOM and straight-up sex appeal than burlesque artists?

While retro glam may be the classic dress code, many curvy burlesque performers are making the art new and exciting. Take "nerdlesque," for example, in which the performers celebrate their love of different fandoms like Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Doctor Who. Others are using the stage to make a political statement and queering the craft by centering LGBTQ identities.

Burlesque is one of the few art forms where the public embraces curves rather than fights against them.

While fatphobia and racism still exist in the burlesque community, brilliant art is being created from a variety of marginalized groups in a way that's easy to consume, even for the less enlightened.

Burlesque is more than just gorgeous outfits and fun music. Burlesque allows the artists to toy with sensuality, sexuality, humor, raw emotion, politics, and pop culture all in one. Need another reason to love it? Here are 17. Check out these incredible curvy and plus-size burlesque artists that you need to know.

1. Magnoliah Black

Jill-of-all-trades Magnoliah Black is the queer performance star that the world doesn’t know it desperately needs. The Southern-born, Bay Area-based artist sings and dances as well as being a devastatingly brilliant writer, potent healer, and much needed black and fat activist.  

2. Harlow Holiday

Photo by Sweetheart Pinup, used with permission.

Harlow Holiday, an indigenous performance artist based in Syracuse, brings her own gorgeous brand of glamour to the stage.  

3. Noella DeVille

Ohio-based burlesque performer Noella DeVille knows how to entertain! From glamour to nerd, DeVille delves into pop culture references and creates a gorgeously exciting and entertaining show for all.

4 and 5. Keena ButtahLove and Sepia Jewel

Photo by Vixen Photography, used with permission.

San Diego’s premiere plus size Burlesque queen ButtahLove hosts a must-see revue. In this photo, the luminescent burlesque stars Keena ButtahLove and Sepia Jewel (co-hosts of the podcast Showgirl Sunday Dinner) shine together. Do not miss their incredible podcast!

6. Rosie Bourgeoisie

Burlesque artist Rosie Bourgeoisie sweeps Quebecois stages in Montreal in a flurry of style and queer sensuality. For a combination of modern queer meets glorious retro kitsch, it’s hard to beat Bourgeoisie.

7. Ms. Briq House

Ms. Briq House creates POC-centered and unapologetically black entertainment in the Pacific Northwest. Check out the all-POC burlesque revue: The Sunday Night Shuga Shaq.

8. Mila Macabre

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Saskatoon artist Mila Macabre brings gorgeously bold colors and sparkles to life on stage. Off-stage, the Romani dancer brings glamour into the lives of clients as a permanent makeup artist.

9. Moonbow Brite

SoCal performer Moonbow Brite is a beam of color in a dark night. Seriously — she’s awesome. Her dayglo energy radiates from stage and beyond as Moonbow dances for her audiences.

10. Rosie Reigns

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The self-proclaimed "Lioness of the South Bay," Rosie Reigns creates playfully sexy vignettes flavored with retro glamour and her great sense of humor — like this homage to Hilda!

11. Saffron St. James

Ottawa’s "Hoursglass and A Half." A writer, photographer, and musician, Canadian-based St. James produces the "Cabaret LIVE!" show.

12. Mone’t Ha-Sidi

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Mone’t Ha-Sidi owns the room with her energetic (and amazing) Mr. T performance. Based in Sacramento, this hairstylist by day, stripper by night can be found also supporting local artists with Black Artists Matter and Jezebelle’s Army.

13. Kitty Devereaux

Philly-based Kitty Devereaux is changing burlesque. As the mama bear and co-producer of Sister Bear Burlesque, Devereaux is helping queer the idea of burlesque one stage at a time.

14. Catty Wompass

Iowa City’s Catty Wompass is a poet and academic in the world-renowned Iowa Writer’s Workshop by day and queer burlesque artist with a love of retro kitsch and camp by night. Don’t miss her Mrs. Potatohead routine or her heartachingly beautiful poetry.

15. Dottie Lux

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San Francisco’s Dottie Lux has taken many forms, but the most important is that of a lesbian burlesque faerie godmother hostessing many events throughout the Bay Area. As part of a collective of 18 queer activists, Lux has helped save San Francisco’s iconic gay bar STUD, making it a safe place for queer folks of all identities.

16. Mx. Pucks A’Plenty

Seattle-based queer burlesque performer Mx. Pucks A’Plenty toys with gender as they light up the room from on stage.

17. Miss Meow

Montreal’s Miss Meow is the cat’s pajamas. This Canadian cutie commands the stage with a beautiful retro look that is not to be missed.

This article by Laurel Dickman originally appeared on Ravishly and has been republished with permission.

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Oprah's social experiment on audience members puts racism in a new light

On an old episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in July 1992, Oprah put her audience through a social experiment that puts racism in a new light. Despite being nearly two decades old, it's as relevant today as ever.

She split the audience members into two groups based on their eye color. Those with brown eyes were given preferential treatment by getting to cut the line and given refreshments while they waited to be seated. Those with blue eyes were made to put on a green collar and wait in a crowd for two hours.

Staff were instructed to be extra polite to brown-eyed people and to discriminate against blue-eyed people. Her guest for that day's show was diversity expert Jane Elliott, who helped set up the experiment and played along, explaining that brown-eyed people were smarter than blue-eyed people.

Watch the video to see how this experiment plays out.

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Cadbury removed the words from its wrappers to bring attention to a seldom-discussed issue

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Cadbury has removed the words from its Dairy Milk chocolate bars in the U.K. to draw attention to a serious issue, senior loneliness.

On September 4, Cadbury released the limited-edition candy bars in supermarkets and for every one sold, the candy giant will donate 30p (37 cents) to Age UK, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for the elderly.

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Teachers seek outside support to tackle today’s challenges in the classroom

Young people today are facing what seems to be greater exposure to complex issues like mental health, bullying, and youth violence. As a result, teachers are required to be well-versed in far more than school curriculum to ensure students are prepared to face the world inside and outside of the classroom. Acting as more than teachers, but also mentors, counselors, and cheerleaders, they must be equipped with practical and relevant resources to help their students navigate some of the more complicated social issues – though access to such tools isn't always guaranteed.

Take Dr. Jackie Sanderlin, for example, who's worked in the education system for over 25 years, and as a teacher for seven. Entering the profession, she didn't anticipate how much influence a student's home life could affect her classroom, including "students who lived in foster homes" and "lacked parental support."

Dr. Jackie Sanderlin, who's worked in the education system for over 25 years.

Valerie Anglemyer, a middle school teacher with more than 13 years of experience, says it can be difficult to create engaging course work that's applicable to the challenges students face. "I think that sometimes, teachers don't know where to begin. Teachers are always looking for ways to make learning in their classrooms more relevant."

So what resources do teachers turn to in an increasingly fractured world? "Joining a professional learning network that supports and challenges thinking is one of the most impactful things that a teacher can do to support their own learning," Anglemyer says.

Valerie Anglemyer, a middle school teacher with more than 13 years of experience.

A new program for teachers that offers this network along with other resources is the WE Teachers Program, an initiative developed by Walgreens in partnership with ME to WE and Mental Health America. WE Teachers provides tools and resources, at no cost to teachers, looking for guidance around the social issues related to poverty, youth violence, mental health, bullying, and diversity and inclusion. Through online modules and trainings as well as a digital community, these resources help them address the critical issues their students face.

Jessica Mauritzen, a high school Spanish teacher, credits a network of support for providing her with new opportunities to enrich the learning experience for her students. "This past year was a year of awakening for me and through support… I realized that I was able to teach in a way that built up our community, our school, and our students, and supported them to become young leaders," she says.

With the new WE Teachers program, teachers can learn to identify the tough issues affecting their students, secure the tools needed to address them in a supportive manner, and help students become more socially-conscious, compassionate, and engaged citizens.

It's a potentially life-saving experience for students, and in turn, "a great gift for teachers," says Dr. Sanderlin.

"I wish I had the WE Teachers program when I was a teacher because it provides the online training and resources teachers need to begin to grapple with these critical social issues that plague our students every day," she adds.

In addition to the WE Teachers curriculum, the program features a WE Teachers Award to honor educators who go above and beyond in their classrooms. At least 500 teachers will be recognized and each will receive a $500 Walgreens gift card, which is the average amount teachers spend out-of-pocket on supplies annually. Teachers can be nominated or apply themselves. To learn more about the awards and how to nominate an amazing teacher, or sign up for access to the teacher resources available through WE Teachers, visit walgreens.com/metowe.

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Fed up news anchor has the best response to a man who told her to dress ‘like a normal woman’

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