Nerdlesque: Are These the Droids You're Looking For? Jo Jo Stiletto's 2014 BurlyCon Presenation

NERDLESQUE:
Are these the droids you’re looking for?
I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey…
1-1 BurlyCon2014 - October 14, 2014

NERDLESQUE:
Are these the droids you’re looking for?
I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey…

#NERDLESQUE
NOTICE: The following presentation contains
copyrighted materials used under the Multimedia
Guidelines and Fair Use exemptions of U.S.
Copyright law. Further use is prohibited.
This presentation will be 1 part educational, 1 part inspirational and 1 part “pontificational.” I attempted to create
some semblance of order and instead I’ll likely sound like a rambling, ranting lunatic. There will be feelings. Fair
warning: Boobs and nerds make me cry. So let’s see if I can get through this without emotions.
!
The things I say today or quote from others are intended to be challenging and start deeper conversations. I hope
those conversations can be respectful.
!
Also, I wanted to clarify that this presentation is from mind of a geeky feminist thus will focus more on the
experiences of women in burlesque.
2 BurlyCon2014 - October 14, 2014

WHO AM I?
Producer, Performer,
Accidental Historian
Introduction: I am the self-proclaimed Professor of Nerdlesque. I received my PHD from the imaginary school of bump
and grind for my research (cough obsession) with the intersection of fandom and burlesque. Since 2011 and have
presented on the subject at many events like GeekGirlCon, Nerd Night, VikingCon and, in fact, at this time last year I
was presenting on nerdy burlesque and geek girl feminism at the National Women’s Studies Association’s annual
conference.
!
Deep background: I have a degree in journalism and theater from the University of Oregon and am certified in non-profit
management for the arts from the University of Washington. I graduated from Miss Indigo Blue’s Academy of
Burlesque in 2005, yes, almost 10 years ago, my second act ever involved pi pasties set to the music of Kraftwerk and
my subsequent fan focused events like Whedonesque Burlesque, the Burl-X-Files, and Bechdel Test Burlseque have
sold out, been mentioned in national publications, and earned me a reputation of being the leading authority on
nearly naked nerds.
!

DEFINE BURLESQUE
Today this wibbly wobbly timey wimmmey presentation will drift all over the place but let us begin at the beginning.

“Person enters stage with some clothing.
To define burlesque, I will use a quote from Miss Indigo Blue:
!
Burlesque is.....Person enters stage with some clothing. MAGIC HAPPENS. Person exits stage with less clothing.
!
And as a special treat for us, Indigo actually drew that description in our terms: a formula.

Magic happens.
!
!

Magic happens.
Person exits stage with less clothing.”
!
!

!!I
also like to reference another great description, from Miss Astrid Astrid says, modern burlesque is…
!

Baring oneself
AS A TRUE NERD OR FAN
unapologetically to the world
“Baring oneself unapologetically to the world”
!(
http://21stcenturyburlesque.com/miss-astrid-state-of-the-union-address/)

“Put them together in the supercollider of the
burlesque revival and you have nerdlesque.”
– Lady Aye
If that is burlesque, then what specifically is nerdlesque.
!I
personally don’t like to completely define what exactly nerdlesque is therefore here are a few examples of how it has
been defined or perceived from mainstream media sources.
!L
ady Aye writes for Penthouse:
!“
Nerds are those who are some combination of socially awkward, tech-savvy, and passionately dedicated to the study
of esoteric pop culture; while burlesque is historically defined as entrainment that includes comedy of manners and
the art of striptease. Put them together in the supercollider of the burlesque revival and you have nerdlesque.”

“Warholesque, pop-art theater. “
– Erin Broadley
And Erin Broadley of the LA Weekly writes, “nerdlesque goes beyond the cardboard of cosplay and the martini bathing
of traditional burlesque; it is Warholesque, pop-art theater.”
!
http://www.laweekly.com/2010-05-20/la-life/courtney-cruz-the-fempire-strikes-back/

NERDLESQUE
• PAST: Moments in Nerdlesque History
• PRESENT: Rise of the Geeks
•ANALYSIS: Roses and Thorns
• WHAT’S NEXT: Over-saturation?
Now that the basics are out of the way:
!
The overview of today’s trip to sexy middle-earth goes like this:
• I will look a little to our burlesque past and also to what’s happening now.
• I will discuss others have said verse what we do;
• I’ll examine what I think nerdlesque achieves and what we could do better.
• And I will predict…the future. Or, at least talk about what I’d personally like to see.
!
Hopefully there will be time at the end for questions.

HISTORY:
No RETCON
“Popular culture has always been a part of
the source material.”
– Dustin M Wax
When looking back at the history of pop culture and burlesque, I’ll use the words of Dustin M Wax, executive director
of the Burlesque Hall of Fame. He wrote, “Burlesque has always been about parody and critique and popular culture
has always been a part of the source material.”
!(
from personal interview or email)

!
“heightening the class issues
and the sexuality to create
something new.”
– Dustin M Wax
Lydia Thompson
Robinson Crusoe
Furthermore, he writes, “If you go back to the late 1800s, all the burlesque shows are drawing on popular plays,
novels, and operas and then twisting them, heightening the class issues and the sexuality to create something new.”
!(

1900 - BEND HER! not BEN-HUR
and he continues, “If we take "pop culture" broadly, encompassing not just characters in books or movies but fashion,
music, amusement parks, dance clubs, etc. then it's clear that burlesque has been a "melting pot" for the whole of
popular culture, mixing it all together into something both very serious and very frivolous.”
!(

• Ellion Ness, Eliot Ness
There are several notable instances where we can clearly see the influence of popular culture of their day on past
performers. Here are just a few.
!
Ellion Ness took her name from a well known leader of the Untouchables
!
Dixie Evans is known to many by her adopted stage persona of the Marilyn Monroe of Burlesque
!
And I totally enjoyed digging around to find pictures like this, one of many performers inspired by science, space
exploration and science fiction.

• Dixie Evans, Marilyn Monroe
!
!
!

• Dixie Evans, Marilyn Monroe
•Anne Marie Dupont, Miss Sputnik
!
!
!

And Jo Boobs reports that in the featured stripper circuit, super hero costumes were regularly removed onstage. She
noted that as long as there has been a cat woman costume to strip out of, someone has likely been doing it.
!(

Flash forward to the neo-burlesque era started in the 1990s: in addition to finding inspiration in the golden age of
burlesque, early neo performers created acts that set a precedent by pulling from modern pop culture. For example:
!
Jo Boobs signature act, a tribute to the 50th Anniversary of the Godzilla films, first performed at the New York
Burlesque Festival in 2004
!
Michelle L’amour appeared on national network television’s America’s Got Talent in 2006, while David Hasselhoff
watched her strip and slink on the actual KIT car (one of the four) from the Knight Rider television series.

!
!

PINCHBOTTOM BURLESQUE
Additionally, influential troupes paved the way for future themed shows: troupes like Pinchbottom Burlesque of New
York, founded by Johnny Porkpie and Nasty Canasta in 2004. They created themed shows clearly borrowing from pop
culture and for audiences with nerdier tastes.

DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND
I also feel that Devil Playground’s 2010 Star Wars Burlesque is fairly significant. Images of this show posted by LA
Weekly literally crashed their site and it was reposted and blogged probably a million times, neigh, a kajillion. The
remounted show later sold out the Fonda Theater in LA, a 1200 seat venue. Many folks I interviewed mentioned this
show in their inspiration to create their own nerdy themed events…thus likely unintentionally giving birth to the term
nerdlesque and the hundreds of nerdlesque babies that we see today. (like myself)

SECOND-WAVE
NEO BURLESQUE
“childhood of total immersion in media.”
Dustin M. Wax likens nerdlesque to a next wave of neo. He wrote of a "second generation" of neo-burlesquers whose
references are not just the classic performers of the mid-20th century but the early neo-burlesque as well.
Performers like Jo Boobs. He wrote, “As with any art form, there's a need to distinguish yourself from your ‘ancestors’
and what this newer, younger generation has that's different from the now 40-somethings of the first years of the
neo-burlesque revival is a childhood of total immersion in media.”
!(

“I kind of had to just make up what
I thought burlesque was.”
Also consider this quote from Dita Von Tease about how the internet and digital media has shaped burlesque. She
said in an interview, “I didn’t really have anything to copy. I kind of had to just make up what I thought burlesque
was, based on photographs of Sally Rand or whatever.”
!
How, as new performers, we have the work of Sally Rand, Dita and Nasty Canasta to look up to. This plus our culture
of total media immersion is what brings us into this new era of burlesque.
!
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1212/21/ta.01.html

RISE OF THE GEEKS
THE RISE OF THE GEEKS.
!
Nerdlesque shows are flourishing with a steady increase in the number of esoteric pop culture or nerd culture
referencing themed show (like I need to tell you).

For example, in the summer of 2011, there were two specific nerdy themed shows in Seattle. In the summer of 2014,
at least 8-10, depending on who you talk to. There was Star Trek, Venture Bras, Archer and Whedonesque Burlesque.
You can’t swing a dead cat in Seattle without hitting a nerdlesque show. Also, the majority of these productions sold
out several night runs or got very close to doing so. Nerdlesque has been covered by major news organizations like
the Wall Street Journal and Penthouse. Many local news outlets, blogs, etc won’t come out to see a classic show but
they will write a story about this newfangled nerdlesque because GEEK is SHEEK. From the outside looking in,
nerdlesque IS the story of burlesque in 2014.

“In fact, fandom events had the highest average
gross ticket sales across all festival and consumer
event categories, excluding music”
– Rob Salkowitz
Nerd sells.
!
A fun fact that is relevant to our interests from the author of ComicCon and the Business of Pop Culture:
!
According to data collected by EventBrite and Rob Salkowitz, “fandom event ticket sale growth outpaced the growth of
other festival and consumer events overall.”
!“
In fact, fandom events had the highest average gross ticket sales across all festival and consumer event categories,
excluding music.”
!
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/28561.html
!!

MAINSTREAMING OF
GEEK CULTURE
The mainstreaming of Geek Culture is a hot topic right now.
!I
n the past, the word geek or nerd were used in a derogatory sense. Our culture is now clearly embracing the nerd.
!
What are the causes?
!

“Wake up, Geek Culture. Time to Die”
OTAKU
In an article for wired magazine titled “Wake Up, Geek Culture. Time to Die” Patton Oswalt wrote about how, in Japan,
the word otaku refers to people who have obsessive, minute interests—especially stuff like anime or videogames. It
comes from a term for “someone else’s house”—otaku live in their own, enclosed worlds. Living in our modern digital
age, with social media literally at our finger tips at every moment, we are all obsessive, we are all otaku, and have the
means to access, obsess and move on to the next obsession. Oswalt’s outlook is of the future of geek is bleak.
!!
http://www.wired.com/2010/12/ff_angrynerd_geekculture/all/
!!

Mine is the opposite. Like many of you, through the art of burlesque I can now take my secret dirty obsession of
reading far too many smutty X-Files fanfictions and putting action figures into compromising positions and transform
it into five nights of paying my friends to dress up, strip and make out as those same characters.

Wil Wheaton Tribute
“It’s about how you love it.” – Wil Wheaton
In his article, Oswalt humorously talks about how this internet has destroyed nerd culture or will soon. Others see it
as a positive movement in geek history. Wil Wheaton said “I think a lot of us have realized that being a nerd … it’s not
about what you love. It’s about how you love it.” There is a great amount of pride now associated with sharing one’s
obsessions.
!
http://wilwheaton.net/2013/04/being-a-nerd-is-not-about-what-you-love-its-about-how-you-love-it/

GEEK PRIDE
87% don’t sneak their geek
Modis, a national IT staffing company, confirmed that people are proud of passions that would have formerly been
considered embarrassing, including 87 percent saying they don't "sneak their geek," as in hide obsessions from co-workers,
friends, family, and significants” quoted from Esquire magazine.
!
Midwest burlesque producer Emily Mills also pointed out that “Geek culture and nerd culture is very tied into ‘other’.”
She feels we are forcing the mainstream to come to us by being more confident and out.”
!
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/we-are-all-nerds
!(
Emily Mills quote from personal interview or email)

In mainstreaming of geek culture, we have a new and varied list of sex symbols: scientists, warriors, gamers. Sexy has
changed. And not only that hipster dark rim glasses sort of way.
!
Neil DeGrasse Tyson is now featured in People’s Sexiest Men Alive issue. His response quotes is the best:
!“
When you tell people something that's intellectually delectable, they can feel sensually towards it," says Tyson. "But I
think at the end of the day, the object of their affection is the universe.” Ahhhhhhhh.
!
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20795780,00.html
!!!

THE DARK SIDE
“Now, we not only have to be smart,
but also sexy.” – Cindy Au
Some have identified at the dark side: being female during this mainstreaming has its challenges.
!
Cindy Au of the MarySue.com wrote, “And while I should probably be excited that popular culture has deemed geeky
the new sexy, I can’t help but feel that somehow, it’s the other way around.”
!“
The geekification of culture has elevated the status of the female geek, but it’s also imported new, unrealistic
expectations of female geekdom. Now, we not only have to be smart, but also sexy.”
!
And let’s jump back to look at some additional red flags that Oswalt wrote about.
!
http://www.themarysue.com/the-dark-side-of-geekification/
!

“Sexy consumable objects for geek men.” – Cindy Au
!!!
From GeekFeminism.org: “The pressure is on for geek women to position themselves as sexy consumable objects for
geek men.”
!

“Maybe burlesque is like the ‘plastic
sword’ the patriarchy gives you. ”
– Foxy DeVille
And, the roll of burlesque in that equation is complicated.
!F
oxy DeVille of Ontario said: “Maybe burlesque is like the ‘plastic sword’ the patriarchy gives you, making women feel
powerful on the sole basis of our sexuality and physical appearance”
!
and, in a final note about the darker side of mainstreaming that relates closely to burlesque, let’s to go back to Patton
Oswalt’s article,

!I
n the age of digital media we are on the brink of everything that was, available forever. We warns:
!“
Why create anything new when there’s a mountain of freshly excavated pop culture to recut, repurpose, and
manipulate.”

ETEWAF
Everything That Ever Was
Available Forever
!I
n the age of digital media we are on the brink of everything that was, available forever. We warns:
!“
Why create anything new when there’s a mountain of freshly excavated pop culture to recut, repurpose, and
manipulate.”

BLURRED LINES
Nostalgia, Art, Geek, Pop Culture
While on the brink of ETWAF, and instead of seeing a wasteland of artist hollowness and destruction, I see an exciting
time in which our culture allows us to blur the lines of high art, pop culture, fan art, gender, and more.

We need not look farther than pop art icon Lady Gaga to illustrate this point:
! She wrote:
I’ve overheard your theory:
Nostalgia's for geeks!
I guess sir, if you say so
Some of us just like to read!
One second, I'm a Koons
Then suddenly the Koons is me!
Pop culture was in art
Now, art's in pop culture in me!

!
NERDLESQUE
A Harder Look
Now that we’ve set up the backstory, let’s continue shine a critical light on nerdlesque.

THE RUINATION OF THE
SANC-TITTY OF
BURLESQUE
Two years ago at BurlyCon Julie Atlas Muz seemingly made a point to wag a finger at nerdlesque. But did she? I don’t
think that was her intention. But that’s what many people heard. In saying she didn’t get it and asking why we wanted
to strip out of super hero costumes, did she de-value the work we have done?
!I
’ll admit, It does feel isolating when many of us are trying hard to belong in the burlesque community.
!
There are others who share her perspective on the subject. In an interview Michelle L’Amour flat out admitted she
hated nerdlesque and described her perception as

“A bad dancer making weird references
that this many people get.” – Michelle L’amour
!
“Risk of producing a generation of acts and performers
that are providing themselves and their audiences with
shades of parody porn or cosplay.” – Lady Aye
“A bad dancer making weird references that this many people get”
!L
ady Aye wrote for Burlesque Beat that nerdlesque is at:
!“
…risk of producing a generation of acts and performers that are providing themselves and their audiences with shades of parody porn
or cosplay, thereby removing the most innovative elements of the genre.”
!T
hese comments seem closely related to what Patton Oswalt wrote about for Wired: the assumption that we aren’t creating anything new
and if we are we are doing it poorly. And I can’t help but wonder if all these very intelligent and talented people have a point. These
statements seem to apply to all burlesque but I sense this presumption that what we do is inherently inferior. My quick response is to
look to the act in the slide before this:
!(
! http://burlesquebeat.com/2013/02/15/transcending-cosplay-some-thoughts-on-nerd-burlesque/

DIZZY VON DAMN
An act titled Dobby Does Dallas, by Dizzy Von Damn. It is one of the most innovative, brilliant, well executed, sexy,
well-performed and disgustingly wonderful acts I have ever seen. My relationship with the Harry Potter books is
absolutely important in my understanding of that act. Once you’ve seen it you can’t unsee and it will stay with you
forever. I was entertained and delighted. That is good burlesque. I’m not sure Michelle would get it and THAT’S OKAY.
And I’m sure Lady Aye, who has actually become a good friend, would say “YES, that is exactly what I was trying to
write about. More like this!”

“Burlesque as it is is hanging by a g-string.”
-Michelle L’Amour
In the length of the interview, I felt Michelle shed more light on her self-admitted negative reaction. I don’t intend to
villainize her at all because I do find some truth in her statements. She added to her reservations about nerdlesque:
“It might be good for that first timer. Are they going to keep coming? Are they going to fall in love with burlesque?
Are they going to fall in love with what it was and what it is?” and she felt that “Burlesque as it is is hanging by a g-string?”
!(
!!!!

“That goddamned Star Trek burlesque show
was the best fucking thing I've ever seen.
And I've seen A LOT of burlesque.”
-Dr. Jen
Her “fears” seem related to what Dustin called second wave. Her opinions seem to have almost the “kids get off my lawn mentality”.
Michelle herself stated that she worked very hard to define what burlesque was to modern audiences. And, I’m sure if she were here she
would agree if I said that it seems that she believes that there is difference between stripping on national television on top of a iconic
prop car and what most nerdlesquers do is because she’s very good at it. Buried in these statements are opinion of skill. And that’s ok.
!
And to answer her questions: I feel that yes we do bring in new audiences, they clearly are falling in love with burlesque and if she fears
that burlesque is hanging on by a G, then responses like the one on the slide behind me are probably a good way to pull it back up.
!(

PRE-PRODUCTION
And to further debunk the myth of lazy burlesque, I’ll use myself as example: In making a nerdlesque show I’d argue I work often twice as hard.
I’m not only crafting a live theatrical burlesque experience; I’m doing so for an audience of fans with high expectations that I understand their
personal emotional connection to the material.
!T
his is just a fraction of my reading from my last production Whedonesque Burlesque. I also re-examined my source material, read academic
essays, had development sessions with my “creative team” and cast, we held several workshops for our acts, we thought about criticism and
innovation and symbolism of a “hellmouth”. I can’t help but be offended because there is an assumption that nerdlesque is lazy.
!B
ut, then again, we can’t all work like this. I know it. But I actually do ask us to hold ourselves to higher standard. Let’s take to heart advice like
this:

“I want every performer to think about what his
or her act adds to the cultural conversation.”
– Lady Aye
“I want every performer to think about what his or her act adds to the cultural conversation. If you are simply co-opting
or copying characters someone else wrote, drew or otherwise embodied and stripping out of a costume (no
matter how accurate), you’re adding nothing.” Lady Aye
!!
http://burlesquebeat.com/2013/02/15/transcending-cosplay-some-thoughts-on-nerd-burlesque/
!!!

“there are performers and producers who are
striving, going beyond, carefully crafting geeklesque
numbers and shows that are thoughtful and
provocative and funny and sexy.” – Nasty Canasta
But let’s also acknowledge many of us are working very hard. Nasty Canasta counters with:
“It’s important to acknowledge that there are performers and producers who are striving, going beyond, carefully
crafting geeklesque numbers and shows that are thoughtful and provocative and funny and sexy and really hit the
spot with geek- and non-geek audiences … and to keep pushing ourselves to go further in those directions with our
work.”
!
http://nastycanastaburlesque.blogspot.com/

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Examining fan culture and fan art
Why it’s important!
Let’s talk about burlesque in regards to participatory fan culture. I, like many others, find the appropriation of popular
culture in our art to have important meaning.

“Performers poach from cultural texts and create
extensions of those texts through their
performances.” – Sailor St. Claire
PhD candidate Sailor St Claire wrote: “Nerdlesque is a means for fans to perform loving tributes to their favorite pop
culture properties. It’s getting your geek on while taking your clothes off.”
! She likens burlesque to fan fiction in which “performers poach from cultural texts and create extensions of those
texts through their performances.”
!
http://burlesqueseattle.com/2012/07/25/strip-poachers-fandom-appropriation-in-neo-burlesque/
!

“By inviting and manipulating the gaze, the
performer retains agency through action.”
– Sailor St. Claire
! She adds: “By inviting and manipulating the gaze, the performer retains agency through action. This is a common
feature in all neo-burlesque. It allows performers to narrate their own bodies while telling stories – even if those
narratives are poached from other sources.”
!
http://burlesqueseattle.com/2012/07/25/strip-poachers-fandom-appropriation-in-neo-burlesque/

“Fan fiction is a way of the culture repairing the damage
done in a system where contemporary myths are
owned by corporations instead of owned by the folk.”
– Henry Jenkins
And, the phrase textual poachers was coined by Henry Jenkins. Henry Jenkins decodes the meaning of fan created art.
He writes. “Fan fiction is a way of the culture repairing the damage done in a system where contemporary myths are
owned by corporations instead of owned by the folk.”
!
http://henryjenkins.org/

“what fans do with favoured texts
themselves has the potential to be. “
– Jennifer K. Stuller
Author and pop culture historian Jennifer K Stuller notes “Jenkins claims that while texts themselves may or may not
be inherently empowering, what fans do with favoured texts themselves has the potential to be.”
!
That idea of empowering is nothing new to burlesque. But what happens when we layer in fandom? I want to share on
specific moment in nerdy burlesque as example of how powerful it can be to reveal ones body and reveal ones geek.
!
http://ink-stainedamazon.com/
!!!

BHOF 2013
In 2013 I interview the performers who did the star trek number at the movers, shakers and innovators night of BHOF: Miyuki Divine and
Raven Virginia.When asked about Raven Virginia about her childhood and Star Trek, she said:
!“
I was bullied a lot. Star Trek was my one anchor, my solace. I dreamed of a period in my life where I would have total acceptance and
tolerance just like the prime directive in star fleet advocates.” Raven then continued to elude to a very difficult time in her childhood in
which she would skip school to escape to the library to read Star Trek novelizations. She continues, “I went through a bit of a
psychological phase where I actually believed” And she added she really did actually believe, “I just wished so hard that first contact was
actually going to happen.”
!T
hen I asked…how did it feel on stage that night:
!“
The stage manager told me to go. Then stars came up behind me, I felt them shine, along my transporterlight beam, and the music
started and heard the crowd and suddenly….I had no idea there were so many people out there like me” She was referring to the intense
reaction she received from the first 10 seconds of her act.
!!!(
!!

BHOF 2013
!“
!T
!“
!!!(
!!

BHOF 2013
“I had no idea there
were so many people
out there like me.”
!“
!T
!“
!!!(
!!

And along with all the warm fuzzy feelings nerdlesque can critique and add meaning to the original texts. Take for
example this act by Al Alyka created about video game character Duke Nukkem discovering feminism.

This act alone is worth of it’s own presentation. Maybe next year. Perhaps I’ll call it “Burlesquers Against Tropes in
Video Games”.

ALL WE DO IS WIN
Yeah, nerdlesque is pretty awesome. Here are a few more reasons why:

EMOTIONAL RESONANCE
Nerdlesque has emotional resonance with audiences. Kandi Kickas, a performer from Milwaukee shares,
“At a normal burlesque show the audience is engaged. In a geek burlesque show the audience is engaged and
emotionally connected.”
!!(
!

“it’s a lot easier to crawl into people’s minds when
The Joker gives you a head start.” - Mary Cyn
Performer Mary Cyn of New York adds:
“When you’re working in a medium where your act will probably last less than 5 minutes, you have to work fast. One
way to give a layered and nuanced performance is to start with a character that people already know or think they
know. It’s a pretty great jumping off point to explore something. Could I do an act about the dark, scary, side of
sexuality without using a pre-existing character? Of course. But it’s a lot easier to crawl into people’s minds when
The Joker gives you a head start.”
!
http://definitelynotdita.wordpress.com/2012/12/12/in-defence-of-geeklesque/
!!!

TAKING BACK POWER
Fun facts:
Women hold only 3 percent of influential or powerful positions in mainstream media.
!
Marvel accounts for 11.3% female creators, with DC close behind at 10.9%.
!
Women account for only 11 percent of game designers and 3 percent of programmers
!
As we all know, women own the burlesque stage. Also, I would argue that fandom is a female dominated space as
well.
!
www.geekgirlcon.org
!
http://thanley.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/women-in-comics-statistics-dc-and-marvel-july-2014-in-review/
!
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/01/27/women-remain-outsiders-video-game-industry/
275JKqy3rFylT7TxgPmO3K/story.html
!!

“the subverting and reframing of pop culture
narratives that reinforce patriarchal norms”
– Allix Mortis
Women are the leading creators in the field of burlesque. I think Allix Mortis sums up what that means. She asserts
that nerdlesque, “Fulfills an incredibly important function in the neo-burlesque movement: the subverting and
reframing of pop culture narratives that reinforce patriarchal norms. To be able to do this, whether the performer
even intends to or not, requires a large amount of creative dexterity on the part of that performer.”
!
http://www.allixmortis.com/blog
!

“we are taking the characters and giving them a
voice from our own perspectives and views.”
– Anja Keister
Anja Keister from D20 burlesque adds: “We are taking the characters and giving them a voice from our own
perspectives and views. We can take them and empower them. We can own the sexuality that was forced in the game
and make it a consenting, powerful message.”
!!!(
!

Dustin Wax writes: “I think it boils down to passive vs. active -- female superheros and game avatars are inert
repositories for other people's fantasies, while burlesque performers, although they may well be fantasized about, are
first and foremost active enacters of their OWN fantasies.”
!I
can’t help but think of Anita Sarkeesian, the woman who has been pushed from her own home with threats of
murder and rape for merely offering critical analysis on video games. Even this weekend there was heightened
security at GeekGirlCon with bag checks leading into her panel. One can only imagine why. I think about what she’s
been through and how important it is that women continue to add their own voices in geek media. And what better
way to continue her commentary…to playfully critique and parody that with burlesque. IT’S IN THE DEFINITION OF
THE WORD, people.
!
http://www.feministfrequency.com/
!!(
Dustin M Wax quote from personal interview or email)

THRILL-JOY FEMINISM
This brings me to my new favorite made up phrase: Thrill-Joy Feminism: Nerdlesque changes the kill-joy feminist
stereotype. As a Tanya Feldman wrote for an NPR blog: “It’s tough work, dismantling rigid perceptions about sexuality
and human capabilities, but burlesque geeks are doing it well and making it fun and accessible, one sequin and 20-
sided die at a time.”
!
http://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2013/08/05/nerdlesque-the-geeks-shall-inherit-sexy-dancing/

CONFIDENT NERDS
Burlesque is about confidence and we are helping change the perception of nerd, geek and fan from shy, adolescent,
awkward basement dwelling fanboy or socially outcast woman to a confident, creative, triumphant adult human.
!I
was sharing info at GeekGirlCon on a panel about fandom yesterday and talked about what cosplayers can learn
from our community. And I can’t help be reminded how merely talking about being a confident, fat, sexy woman is
still revolutionary.

GUARDIANS OF THE SEXY
We are the guardians of the sexy.
!
Nerdlesque is adding sex positivity in nerd culture
!
Think of Henry Jenkins quote about “repairing the damage” and then imagine of the incredible power of letting
Dumbledoor be sexual, proud and gay. Burlesque creates safe spaces for expression and for audiences to enjoy “adult
and naughty” geek entertainment but with boundaries. Hosts like Rebecca M Davis haves started telling audiences
“burlesque is not consent” you can touch us with your woos and your yeahs but you can’t touch us with your hands.
Burlesque performers are giving permission to be watched and also guiding exactly what is seen and not seen. We are
telling geeks that sexuality is okay but it comes with agency, consent and respect.

WHAT CAN WE DO BETTER
!
What we can do better.

transporter malfunction between
Carrie Bradshaw and Wonder Woman.
We need to continue to fight the pressures to homogenize. Some performers have noted a trend in trying to make
what we do look like mainstream media images of burlesque. We need to continue to create and cast acts for all
gender expressions, all bodies, age, race, ability. I fear also what one writer described as a transporter malfunction
between “Carrie Bradshaw and Wonder Woman.” I’d rather see a transporter malfunction between Melissa McCarthy
and Wonder Woman.
!
http://www.themarysue.com/the-dark-side-of-geekification/
!!!

MORE!
!!
Many performers say we need to create opportunities to perform same act twice. Solutions: producers can team up
together to create more “best of” shows.
!F
or example, for every new specific themed show like the Burl-X-Files I produce I make sure I also produce a broader
themed event that pulls existing acts like Nerdiversary or my upcoming co production called Slash: Romance without
Boundaries. (asks my co producers to raise hands).
!
Bring back the Nerdlesque Festival or regional nerdlesque festivals, more convention shows and the like. Also, in
regards to the Nerdlesque Fest, the jury is still out on it’s future but I sense some momentum from the producers
who are here this weekend.

APPEALING TO FANBOYS
We need to get over the “appealing to fanboys” dynamic in how we market ourselves and how we see our actual audiences.
!
We are creating an untrue view of our shows by continuing to perpetuate the myth that we are here only boy boners. As I said in the
Seattle Burlesque Press, in response to what I felt was a “stupid” article in the Seattle Times that used a quote about men not being able
to stand up after the show. “the Seattle Times seemed to think this show was targeting fanboys and their boner potential, I believe these
shows were created for a feminist geek audience. It’s about everyone’s boner potential.” I’ve heard of cons asking for shows without
male performers. DON’T let that happen. I’ve been told in interviews by a producer that her audience was 80% “gamer boys” then
counted 104 women of out 200 audience members (disclaiming that I understand gender is hard to “read” by just looking at the back of
someone’s head). I challenge you to consider how you market your shows and to learn more about your true audience. Plus I want to
see more fanboys onstage!
! http://burlesqueseattle.com/2012/09/20/sustainable-nerdlesque-a-look-back-at-seattles-summer-of-nerdlesque/
!!

UNDERSTAND,
ANALYZE,
CRITIQUE
Understand, Analyze, Critique
!I
want more acts that show me something new.
!I
want more shows that prove that producer actually understands why audiences are drawn to this fandom.
!I
want more acts that playfully poke fun at the problematic nature our guilty nerdy pleasures.
!I
t’s hard work. But it’s the only way to get past the perception of Lazy Cosplay Stripping.
!

But, FYI, I’d argue that there is nothing wrong with stripping out of cosplay, given the right time and place.
!
When we are talking about the skills need to create a classic burlesque costume and strip, I see no difference between
doing it in the costume on the right or the costume on the left. I just will probably enjoy the Loki version better.
!

WHITEWASHING
If you are a white performer attempting to take on a character traditionally played by someone who is not of your race, proceed with great caution. Please see everything every written
about white privilege and the complete lack of non-white characters in traditionally nerdy media.
!Some of have said that if a performer of color can play princess Leia, then can’t a white performer be Uhura? I have previously cast a white woman to play Zoe from Firefly. Today, I would
!Performer Sin de la Rosa sums it up better than me.
not do the same because I took the time to listen. I was wrong. It was problematic.
“I'm sure plenty of white performers are capable of creating nuanced pieces about characters of color. And all that is fine until you really look at who's making it onstage in whose shows.
And then you see this sea of white and all that theoretical crap holds no comfort to me. This is the reality for me and for other performers of color who are struggling to gain acceptance
in this community and all those theoretically musings of fluidity and societal creations don't really matter because you aren't seeing brown people onstage or in the audience. That you're
swimming against the current to be seen and to see others like you.”
!“
Also, all of this contributes to the idea that white is ‘default’: That if you're brown your brown but if you're white you can be anything.”
!
Even the headline on the front page of the Wall Street Journal loudly erases all performers of color in nerdlesque. Imagine the excitement of seeing your favorite new pastime on the front
page of a national publication then reading the headline and realizing that it says that you don’t exist.
!http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324906004578290500738995578
!!!(
quote from personal interview or email)

BEEFIN’ OVER TURF
!F
Beefing!
!Second rule: you don’t own the character or concept you are inspired by. Someone else might love it like you do. Each act shows us something new about you and that character.
!I
irst rule of nerdleque: don’t be a dick.
see no reason why we can’t have multiple Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn and Spike acts. In fact, I want MORE Spike from Buffy acts! Bolt Action and Iva Handful going head to head was not enough. MORE SPIKE
PLEASE. But, hey, don’t be a dick. Write to other performers. Check in with each other. But if you say “no, you can’t do Scully, I already have a Scully act and it means a lot to me.” My opinion is you are being a dick.
Everyone owns Scully.
!T
his did happen to me. A producer contacted me knowing I’d be doing a X-Files burlesque show and asked if she could have a Scully act in her show. And my response was at first “ALL THE FEELS!” and then I believe I
explained, “you know, I don’t own Scully, you can do what you want.” It wasn’t easy. I still had feels. But it was necessary. And I wish that someone had told me to go through the process of feels before I got on the
phone that day (or all the stuff I troubled my friends with afterwards). SO I am going to ask you to do an exercise right now. Close your eyes. Think of a act you created that you care deeply about. Think about how
much you love it. Now, imagine an email you receive from another performer asking if it’s okay to do one of the same character. I want you to go through that perfectly acceptable experience of screaming
NOOOOOOO. But do it in your head. And, then, think about your real response.
!Show themes are tricky. I suggest you strongly consider how to make your show theme different from others in the same city. Nationally, there are really no original concepts. Everything has been done.
!F
UN FACT: there is another show in another city called Whedonesque Burlesque. I actually got permission to use the name. She was awesome. I was awesome. We later met and forged a strong friendship based on our
shared fandom.
!!!!!

DON’T STEAL
!
Don’t use copyrighted materials in posters without permission. We are are in the murky waters of intellectual property
when doing these shows but stealing images for promotion is a red flag that makes us all look bad. Also, don’t steal
images from other fan artists. I’ve seen many many posters with stolen art.

LEGAL ISSUE
TOTAL SIDE TRACK on legalities in general: !L
ikely protected by legal precedent set by court cases relating to fair use in transformative art, parody, and satire.
!Court cases have been won by the porn industry in regards to parody porn. Yay porn!
!T
here have been several cases about transformative art that have sided with the defendant: like 2LiveCrew won their case using the song Pretty Woman because of the extent
it was “transformative,” altering the original with new expression, meaning, or message.
!B
!Go Go Power Rangers: A Mighty Morphin Burlesque changed it’s name to Hooter Rangers: A Spicy Morphing Burlesque when the original toy company wrote to the theater
ut a few nerdlesque shows have encountered legal challenges.
!L
expressing concerns.
ucasfilm's antipiracy department issued an informal cease-and-desist letter to the previously mentioned Star Wars show, asking the producer never to repeat the show
although they did allow the 1200 seat venue production to continue. (FYI, now that Disney owns the copyright, the producer brought back the show with new legal
disclaimers and a new title).
!I
f you want to learn more, look up the Organization for Transformative Works which can connect you with legal guidance specifically on fan generated art. Also look up
Rebecca Tushnet, a lawyer advocating for fan created art as a fan fiction writer herself.
!http://transformativeworks.org/
!http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324906004578290500738995578
!www.laweekly.com/2010-05-20/la-life/courtney-cruz-the-fempire-strikes-back/
!!

ACCESSIBLE
VS
NICHE ACTS
I want to start to close by addressing the ongoing conversation about accessibility. In other words: can your specific
fan nerd act make sense to a general audience.
!!

“I think we need to work harder to allow
non-nerds to ‘get it’”
– Dangrrr Doll
It’s the great nerdlesque debate.
!
Dangrrr Doll, who teachers nerdlesque for the New York School of Burlesque, wrote: “I think we need to work harder to allow non-nerds to "get
it”.
!T
igger wrote in a blog comment: “Any stripe of burlesque act is welcome to include inside jokes or specific fanboy references for bonus points.
But if it doesn't work for people who know absolutely nothing about the original, then it fails.”
!
Allix Mortis added she spends “so much on costuming and rehearsal space I want to be able to use an act over and over - even in a non-nerdlesque
themed show.”
! http://nerdyandnaked.blogspot.com/
! http://burlesquebeat.com/2013/02/15/transcending-cosplay-some-thoughts-on-nerd-burlesque/
! http://www.allixmortis.com/blog
!!!!!!!

“Inaccessible and good don't need to be mutually exclusive.”
– Maggie McMuffin (as a “Hellmouth”)
On the flip side, from Iris Explosion:
“I think there is actually a place for hyperspecific nerdlesque that general audiences won't get. That PLACE, though, is
the most important thing.”
! Scarlett O’Hairdye noted:
“You should worry about whether right person is getting the joke not that everyone is getting the joke.”
!
Maggie McMuffin noted
“Inaccessible and good don't need to be mutually exclusive and I think that provide the performer is putting their all
into an act it can still be enjoyable to watch.”
!
My opinion: I too think there is a time and place. I fully support your weird wonderful acts that I don’t get. Please do
more weird specific shit. But, hey, accept that it maybe doesn’t have a place on the BHOF stage. But I will always
believe that your weird specific act that maybe Tigger doesn’t get is not a failure. Cause why would Tigger come to
your D&D show anyhow if he doesn’t play D&D? Did you sell out and make your audience happy? Awesome. Mission
accomplished.
!(from personal interview or email)

BOLDLY GO WHERE?
what’s in our future?
!
Here is a little more on what I want to see.

TRANSMEDIA
Multi-platform storytelling
Transmedia exploration, or multi-platform storytelling, is the technique of telling a single story or story experience
across multiple platforms and formats using current digital technologies. Let’s innovate the way we tell our stories on
a burlesque stage by forging relationships with original creators of comics, games, films and more. Why can’t we
create stories that are multi-platform? Why not add elements of game play into your Video Game Show or create an
immersive world where your audience eats, drinks, walks through the living world of their favorite comic? Think
beyond the stage and fan the flames of fandom with our innovate story telling and boobs.
!!!

AU
CROSS-OVERS
MASH UPS
Take a nod from fan fiction, cosplay: we are not limited to the universes of our favorite fandom.
!

OVER-SATURATION
Too many god damn shows?

There are a lot of damn shows out there. Everyone is a producer. If you are in a larger city, you are likely fighting for
resources like venues, performers time, PR and sponsors. I have found myself working harder and harder and
wondering when we will reach the tipping point. If you’d ask me last year how I felt, my answer would be different.
But, something changed and I realized I was wrong. Here is what changed for me.

IN MEMORY
!I
interviewed Johnny Porkpie shortly after BHOF 2013. That was an emotional year. The passing of Sparkly Devil had hit many of is. I was supposed to interview
her that weekend and I didn’t get a chance. I had never met and to this day, every day, her life continues to influence mine. And like every person I spoke to at
BHOF, Johnny spoke of Sparkly when I sat with him in his kitchen in New York a week later. And he shared wisdom that I took to heart. Her legacy was community
and he admitted that he and others had possibly failed in being as welcoming as they could have. He admitted they could have tried harder. Gatekeeping is a
word we are familiar with in fandom, women especially. And, being that I look up to him, those worlds struck a chord.
! Allix Mortis says it well: “New blood ensures we stay humble, on our game, and committed to delivering the best art that we can. New people prevent us from
being complacent.”
!T
hose are my closing words: Let’s not be the gatekeepers of burlesque or nerdlesque or fandom. We don’t own it. The show the night before mine at the same
venue with the same cast and similar theme or the Suicide Girls show passing through my town DOES NOTHING TO BRING DOWN THE WORK THAT I’M DOING AS
LONG AS I AM PROUD OF WHAT I’VE PUT OUT ON STAGE. We all belong here.
!
We as geeks and nerds know what it’s like to feel other. So let’s make it our mission to change the game. “One one sequin and 20-sided die at a time.”
!

NEVER GIVE UP,
NEVER SURRENDER
Stand up and repeat after me!

www.jojostiletto.com
jo jo stiletto
events
!
Twitter: @jojostiletto
There is a facebook forum for nerdlesque, feel free to write to me and I’ll help grant you access. Also, I have a new
newsletter you can find at my website.
!j
ojostiletto.com

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