​Burlesque:

Roots  in  Sex Work

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Burlesque has always been tied to sex work. Its earliest stages were built by strippers, chorus girls, and erotic dancers who used performance to challenge expectations of gender, sexuality, and art.

Black performers were among the very first to shape what we now call burlesque. In the late 1800s, Black dancers and sex workers worked in traveling minstrel and vaudeville circuits, blending music, comedy, and erotic dance. By the early 1900s, Harlem nightclubs and cabarets were thriving because of Black strippers and chorus lines, where glamour, satire, and sexuality came together under one spotlight.

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One of the most famous early burlesque stars, Josephine Baker (pictured), rose to international fame in the 1920s Paris cabaret scene. Her sensual, comedic, and daring performances made her an icon—but she was also following in the footsteps of countless unnamed Black strippers and dancers who had already built this art form on American stages.

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Throughout the 20th century, performers like Gypsy Rose Lee, Lottie “The Body” Graves, and many others carried forward the tradition of blending striptease, satire, and showgirl glamour. But at its core, burlesque has always belonged to sex workers—and especially to Black sex workers—whose artistry, resilience, and unapologetic sexuality made it possible for the art form to exist today.

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As both a stripper and a burlesque performer, I carry that history with pride and gratitude every time I step on stage.

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Burlesque and stripping are often seen as “cousins” in the world of erotic performance, and they share a lot of history, but they diverged into different paths because of cultural, legal, and economic shifts. Here’s a breakdown of how that happened:

• 19th–early 20th century: Burlesque in North America started as variety entertainment, influenced by British burlesque and vaudeville. It mixed comedy, parody, music, dance, and often risqué performances.

• Over time, female performers began incorporating striptease into burlesque acts — not necessarily full nudity, but the “art of the tease” became a big draw.

• By the 1920s–30s, burlesque and striptease were practically inseparable. Performers like Gypsy Rose Lee elevated striptease into a witty, glamorous art form.

1. Censorship & Law

   • In the 1940s–60s, burlesque theatres declined because of obscenity laws, raids, and bans. Full nudity was restricted in many areas unless the performers didn’t move (hence the “nude tableaux” loophole).

   • Strip clubs filled that gap, as they operated under different licensing laws and shifted focus from theatrical variety shows to continuous nude or topless dancing.

2. Economic Shifts

   • Burlesque relied on elaborate shows, costumes, comedy, and live bands (expensive to produce)

   • Strip clubs were cheaper to run: a stage, a DJ, and individual dancers. This made strip clubs far more profitable for owners, especially during the post-war economic boom.

3. Cultural Positioning

   • By the 1970s–80s, “stripping” was strongly associated with sex work and adult entertainment industries.

   • “Burlesque” became a term performers used to distinguish a more theatrical, vintage, or artistic style of striptease, especially during the neo-burlesque revival in the 1990s–2000s.

4. Aesthetic & Intention

   • Stripping: Primarily transactional, designed to sell intimacy, attention, and private dances. It adapts to the club environment, with less focus on narrative or parody.

   • Burlesque: Framed as an “art form” emphasizing camp, humor, costume, retro glamour, and sometimes political commentary. The tease is the focus, not necessarily nudity itself.

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Today, the lines are blurring again: many strippers embrace burlesque aesthetics, and many burlesque performers openly acknowledge stripping and sex work as part of burlesque’s DNA.

 

A lot of the “split” historically came from respectability politics. Some burlesque performers tried to separate themselves from “strippers” to gain legitimacy in mainstream arts spaces. But current performers are reclaiming the shared history, especially with recognition of how much Black, queer, and sex-working performers shaped both scenes.

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