BURLESQUE-NEW ORLEANS

On Sat. evening, Sept. 18, my husband and I went to New Orleans to see the competition at the 2^nd Annual New Orleans Burlesque Festival to determine who would be crowned “Queen of Burlesque”.

Years and years ago (too many to count) I made a brief visit to Paris, France. I was supposed to go with friends to see the Follies Bergere but because it was sold out we ended up at a cabaret show. I was a naive young 20 year old from Mississippi, but, nevertheless, I wasn’t shocked or turned off by watching the show. I’ve always been an open minded person—even back then!

Therefore, seeing the N.O. Burlesque show was fun. For some reason I expected that the ladies in the show would all be young and have perfect bodies. I was pleasantly surprised to find this wasn’t so!

I loved the show—even the raunchiness of the emcee. I was glad that my favorite entertainer won-- Coco Lektra from Texas. She did an outstanding number dressed in red. There was a live jazz band to play for all the performers.

Some of the performers (there were nine) were no spring chickens (to me, that’s less than 30 years old) and I was glad to see that women who are older can still “wow” an audience.

Even though none of the dancers had perfect bodies what struck me as the MOST sexy and seductive of all was the CONFIDENCE they exuded. I realized that what some men have told me before is true: women who portray confidence, while not heart-stoppers in looks, are hot. They carry themselves upright with their shoulders back and heads held high as if to say “look at me, I have it!”

Another aspect of burlesque I love is the glamour. The lovely gowns and costumes, the high heels, the makeup and other adornment were splendid. Women have the option of utilizing these things to our utmost advantage. Sadly, however, too many of us don’t. We opt for no makeup, ponytails, and jeans instead because it’s easy and comfy. But, it seems to me we’ve lost some of the feminine mystique.

Thoughts?