Burlesque West Showgirls, Sex And Sin In Postwar Prostitution By Becki Ross Analysis

Within her study Burlesque West: Showgirls, Sex and Sin in Postwar Vancouver, Becki Ross, a queerly feminist, anti-racist historical sociology professor at the University of British Columbia, examines the censored and often trivialized history of the North American “bare legged and bare-breasted chorus girls in vaudeville and burlesque shows.” By utilizing a wide range of archival data and numerous interviews from former performers, club owners, agents, choreographers and musicians, Ross provides her audience with not only a thorough exploration of multiple historical facets of the burlesque scene in Western Canada but, by employing first hand accounts, she is able to construct a unique and humanizing depiction of burlesque performers, diverting
She expresses that she is “not entirely convinced that the current revival of neo-burlesque and female-friendly striptease classes will lead to a larger cultural shift, one that de-stigmatizes erotic dancing; and sex work in general.” That being said, the neo-burlesque movement and female-friendly striptease classes coupled with thorough studies such as Ross’ can be perceived as small victories on the road to a better understanding and clarity of “invisible” histories.
Ross’s book takes a seldom celebrated aspect of Canadian history and enlivens it with moving personal stories and analytical insight. Ross very effectively uses the erotic entertainment business as a lens through which to view Vancouver history in the post-World War II period – a hugely important period in shaping what the city was to become. A particular strength of Ross’s book is that it gives us insight into the entire industry, profiling not only the strippers and the problems they faced, but also the men who owned and ran the