The Beauty of Dita Von Teese and Gypsy Rose Lee

Doug · Joined: 08 Jan 2003

Dita Von Teese and Gypsy Rose Lee have a lot more in common than three words to their monikers and their taste in fine fashion. They are both names that are synonymous with burlesque. But do you know what burlesque truly is or where its origins lie?

A Short History Of Burlesque

The history of burlesque begins with Commedia dell'arte and vaudeville. Burlesque was the natural evolution of these in that it carried through the concept of satire only in a more revealing sort of way. The costumes have always been extravagant and the sets dramatic but women like Dita Von Teese have taken this to a whole new level. With her crystal encrusted gowns, massive feather fans and even a huge powder compact she is redefining modern burlesque.

But there is much more to a successful burlesque act than just the women and the costumes and even the sets. The one thing that sets it apart from “strippers” is the music. There is a whole different feel to the music of burlesque, it sets the mood and the tone the way modern music simply cannot do. Go to a Dita Von Teese show or watch her online and listen to it yourself, it’s wholly different than anything you would hear on the radio. It’s the music that makes you feel like you are watching a real performance artist at work, not just a cheap girl prancing around on stage in order to get men off and rake in the tips.

Heather Renée Sweet

Dita Von Teese was born Heather Renée Sweet in Rochester, Michigan. She is known all over the world for her Woman in a Martini Glass routine, she is also known for being married to (and divorcing) one of the most controversial names in music—Marilyn Manson. But it’s her burlesque that she is the most proud of.

Since she was young Dita has had a fascination with old fashioned lingerie. She even worked at a lingerie store as a young woman and this only fed her desire to spend time in lingerie while sharing it with the world. And when she was in college she studied historic costume and this led to her discovery of vintage pin-ups from inter-war magazines. It was then that Dita began to play with the idea of becoming a fetish model. And thank goodness for that as she transformed the industry and added layers and layers of class and even sophistication.

She moved on from only fetish and is unarguably one of the most beautiful women to ever pose for Playboy. It seems only natural that her evolution has led her to where she is today as the worlds Premier burlesque dancer.

Burlesque Dancer In Training

There was a time when Von Teese was not sure she was cut out to be an old fashioned pin up girl. In order to try and get to the point where should felt that she was able to shine as women in the burlesque of old did, she even went so far as to wear a corset each day for years straight. It took her 7 years of cinching and tying to be able to get her waist down to the tiny 16 inches that you see now.

Dita Von Teese had taken ballet as a child and this helped her in her transition from pin up to her ever popular stage work. This beautiful woman has since done it all from cavorting in a massive martini glass full of soapy water, playing with a huge feather fan—the largest in the world-- to teasing in a gilt birdcage. And one cannot write about Von Teese without at least touching on her life sized Swarovski crystal carousel horse. It is these types of props that set her apart from other strippers.

The creativity and class that goes into each of her numbers is unlike anyone else in the business today.

Dita Von Teese: Modern Burlesque

One of her most memorable gowns to date was a Swarovski crystal number that captivated both men and women alike. Men drooled over the way the gown pooled around her feet and clung to her sensuous curves while women wanted to own in and be able to fit into it as easily as Dita did. This gown made it look as if she was wearing diamonds all over her gorgeously curved body and it weighed an astonishing 60 pounds and yet she still managed to dance with grace as if it weighed nothing.

She has an old fashioned class that is never diminished no matter how much of her clothing she takes off. That is part of the appeal of this magical woman. She looks like she just stepped out of the 40’s. And while she has appeared in numerous magazines and posed for more pictures than many other models, she is best known for her live performances. These are what really get people excited and where she truly shines for all she is worth.

Her costumes are extravagant and some—like the Swarovski gown--worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. These are not the kinds of things you will find on your average everyday kind of stripper. This girl is an artist, one that puts her all into every performance making sure it’s just what the audience came in to see.

Von Teese The Artist

If you ask Dita Von Teese she will tell you that Burlesque is an art form meant to be erotic. In fact she even wrote a double sided book about this. On one site focuses on Burlesque and the Art of the Teese and the other is all about Fetish and the Art of the Teese.

These highlight her way of thinking, they show that stripping should be about the strip tease and not solely about the payoff at the end. Too many men and women today think it is the end that satisfies but in reality that’s not the case at all, that’s why dancers like Dita as so enormously popular in today’s culture. They are bringing back the true strip tease and showing us what we’ve been missing all of this time.

Gypsy Rose Lee

Before Dita Von Teese came along there was another multitalented seductress. Her name was Gypsy Rose Lee and she too changed her name from the mundane to the elegant and erotic. She was born Rose Louise Hovick in Seattle Washington and it was her mother that pushed her and her sister into a life of showbiz. She had them performing in a vaudeville act and oddly enough it was Gypsy’s sister who got most of the attention in those days. My how things can change.

Mommy Dearest

In some ways her mother Rose Thompson Hovick influenced all that Gypsy Rose Lee did throughout her career and even her life in general. She had a love hate relationship with this woman and from all accounts her mother never really appreciated either of her daughters except when it came to what they could—and in her opinion should—do for her. Even at the end of her life she didn’t show a great deal of love for Gypsy. In fact her dying words were "Wherever you go... I'll be right there. When you get your own private kick in the ass, just remember: it's a present from me to you."

Her domineering and some say abusive mother drove away Gypsy’s sister June and for some time Gypsy was to be Rose Thompson Hovick’s bread and butter. This woman saw that pimping out her daughter would be a wonderful way to make some more money and that is just what she did. She had Gypsy get involved with burlesque and luckily for the young woman it worked out well. It took her some time to leave her mother behind and start her life on her own. It finally got to the point where she could simply not take it any longer and that is when she moved on.

Even after moving away from Rose she maintained her life as a burlesque performer, it was what she knew and what people wanted of her. She danced with Minsky's Burlesque for several years where she was a popular favorite. She went through many raids with them before once again moving on.

The Beginnings Of Gypsy Rose Lee

When she began her burlesque act she became popular fairly quickly for her unique take on this art form. Instead of the quick and sharp motions of the classic dancers, her strip teases were more fluid, casual and even more sensual. Her teasing had more of a true “tease” aspect and that won men over everywhere she performed.

But there was something else as well that Gypsy Rose brought to the table as far as her act was concerned and that was humor. This set her apart from the other performers of the day and really allowed her to connect with her audiences in a way that no one else was quite able to do no matter how hard they tried to imitate her.

Gypsy Rose was an interesting woman and this shined through in all that she did. She was as complex as she was sexy. For example Gypsy was married to one man while in love with another and yet she gave birth to the child of a different man all together during that same time period. That just shows the kind of fascinating and obviously full life she led up until the day she died.

Bisexuality And Burlesque

It is interesting that both Dita Von Teese and Gypsy Rose Lee have been rumored to be bisexual women. Why is this something that affects the way people see them? Or does it at all? It is a fact that men enjoy the thought of women together sexually and I suppose that it doesn’t hurt to know that the women doing the teasing up on stage are doing it just as much for the women in the audience as for the men.

But does their supposed bisexuality have any bearing on their level of talent? Does this fact allow them to connect on a higher level with all of their audience? I myself don’t know but it is an interesting thought.

The Reality Of Dita Von Teese And Gypsy Rose Lee

Bisexual or not Dita Von Teese and Gypsy Rose Lee have a sense of style and sex appeal that not all erotic dancers can achieve. These are women who both transformed the times they lived in, in their own unique and powerful way. Gypsy changed burlesque for all time and Dita revived it with her own brand of erotic strip teasing.

They both are able to work with the audience to bring their most vivid fantasies to life but not in a sleazy way. These are classy women who manage to turn men—and women—on more than any regular stripper can. But the most amazing and stunning aspect of what they did and do is that they are at their hottest before they shed all of their clothes. Whereas most strippers of today do their best work in nothing but their birthday suits, Dita and Gypsy are at their peak before that. That is what makes them so erotic and sensual. It is not about the nudity but about the actual teasing aspect of what it is that they do.

That is exactly why for generations to come they will be remembered for their artistry. Dita Von Teese and Gypsy Rose Lee will not be thought of as whores or sluts because that is not what they are. They are entertainers, women who know what’s sexy and who are willing to go that extra mile to really get people excited and interested in the performance.