
- Lola Frost’s Colorado Burlesque Festival Diary
- Exclusive: Interview with Bella Blue, Lucky Pierre’s Burlesque Producer
- Burlesque Icon Dirty Martini Responds to Lucky Pierre’s Size Discrimination Incident
- Lucky Pierre’s Drops Burlesque Performer Due to Her Size. Burlesque Community Erupts.
- Burleskathon: World Record Striptease
- Sina King’s Berlin Burlesque Festival Diary
- Shan De Leers: A Hairy Adventure in Self Love
- Sydni Deveraux: On body modification, elective surgery and the joys of changing your body in the age of the Internet.
- Renee Holiday’s Iowa Burlesque Festival Diary
- Review: Pretty Haute Machine – Nine Inch Nails Goes Glam
- Crystals In The Desert: A Tour Diary in Outback Australia
- Special Feature: Supporting Recovery in the Burlesque Community
- London Cabaret Awards: Polly Rae and Bettsie Bon Bon Shine at Ceremony
- Connecting The Dots: Making Smooth Transitions In Your Burlesque Dance
- Tina Topago’s Guide to Burlesque Stage Kittening
- Review: Hold Your Hats and Hallelujah, Gypsy’s Gonna Show it to Ya!
- Review: Edge, Glitz, and Princesses at Disney After Dark
- Paula Now and Then: Rocking the Pants Off Seattle Since 1987
- BHoF Best Debut 2015: Bunny Buxom and Raven Virginia
- BHoF Best Debut 2015: Ruby Champagne and Pastel Supernova
- BHoF Best Debut 2015: Alyssa Kitt and August Wiled
- Burlesque Match Game, BHoF Editon: Trixie Little
- Burlesque Match Game, BHoF Edition: RedBone
- Burlesque Match Game, BHoF Edition: Sina King
- Burlesque Match Game, BHoF Edition: Perle Noire
- Burlesque Match Game, BHoF Edition: Gin Minsky
- Burlesque Match Game, BHoF Edition: Ruby Joule
- Burlesque Match Game, BHoF Edition: Ginger Valentine
- Burlesquers of the World: Bettie Blackheart (Helsinki, Finland)
- The Wonderful Strippers of OZ on the Yellow Brick Road to BHoF
- Burlesque and Variety Highlights at London Wonderground 2015
- Burlesque Costume Tutorial: Stage Worthy Footwear
- Grace Gotham’s Caput Mundi International Burlesque Award Diary: Part One
- More on Less: The History of Burlesque in America From Lydia Thompson to Amber Ray
- Burlesque Costume Tutorial: Rhinestone Application Hints
- Kitten ‘N’ Lou’s Viva Las Vegas 2015 Burlesque Diary
- Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend Tournament of Tease 2015: Best Boylesque
- REVIEW: Showtime with Cabaret Boheme (Brighton Fringe 2015)
- Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend 2015: Movers, Shakers and Innovators
- PHOTOS: Ginger Valentine Wins 2nd Runner Up in Burlesque Hall of Fame Miss Exotic World Contest
- Review: Scotch and Soda (London Wonderground 2015)
- PHOTOS: Perle Noire Wins 1st Runner Up in Burlesque Hall of Fame Reigning Queen Contest
- A BHoF Letter from Imogen Kelly, Reigning Queen of Burlesque 2012
- PHOTOS: Trixie Little’s Crown Winning Act at Burlesque Hall of Fame Tournament of Tease
- PHOTOS: Trixie Little Crowned Miss Exotic World, Reigning Queen of Burlesque 2015
- RESULTS: Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend Tournament of Tease 2015
- Minnie Tonka’s BHoF Recap: Friday
- VIDEO: Tansy Wows the Crowd at Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend 2015
- Minnie Tonka’s BHoF Recap: Thursday
- Burlesque Match Game, BHoF Edition: Peekaboo Pointe
- Review: Between the Sheets – An Intimate Cabaret (London Wonderground 2015)
- A Teasetastic Tour of Texas Burlesque
- Evie Red’s Texas Burlesque Festival Diary
- Review: The Double R Club (London Wonderground 2015)
- Stepping Down in Style: Midnite Martini at Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend 2015
- Grace Gotham’s Caput Mundi International Burlesque Award Diary: Part Two
- Burlesque Hall of Fame 2015: Icons and All Stars
- On ‘The Burlesque Community’
- Burlesquers of the World: Pepper Sparkles (Helsinki, Finland)
- Review: Black Cat Cabaret – Nocturne (London Wonderground 2015)
- Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend 2015: Best Debut
- How to Make a Show-Stopper Costume for £3.49
- Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend 2015: 58th Annual Titans of Tease Reunion Showcase
- Alyssa Kitt’s Perth International Burlesque Festival Diary
- Queen Trixie Little: Top Banana (Burlesque Costume)
- Burlesque Costume Tutorial: Tricks With Tights
- Alyssa Kitt’s Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend Debut Diary
- House of Verlaine Delivers ‘Haute Burlesque’ Ballet
- Eva la Feva’s Snake Oil Festival Burlesque Diary
- Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend 2015 Tournament of Tease: QUEEN
- Review: Lili La Scala’s Another F*cking Variety Show (London Wonderground 2015)
- Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend 2015: Small Groups and Large Groups
- Review: Burlesque Noir, Starring Tempest Storm (Blackpool, UK)
- Burlesque Activism: Bunny Buxom Discusses Rabbit Hole Productions
- J. Von Stratton Celebrates ‘Queen of the Roses’ Win With Stunning Photo Shoot
- 9 Reasons Why Between the Sheets is the Hottest Burlesque Ticket in London
- REVIEW: Briefs (London Wonderground 2015)
- Burlesque Performers: Know When To Share Your Spotlight
- Di Lovely: Stripper’s Holiday 2015
- Jeez Loueez “Upset, Conflicted and Angry” After New Orleans Burlesque Festival
- Together We Can-Can: Life as a Moulin Rouge Showgirl
- Interview: Cece Sinclair – Blossoming British Burlesquer
- Interview: Felicity Furore – Blossoming British Burlesquer
- Burlesquers: Give Them a Reason to Keep Coming Back
A little post about body modification, elective surgery and the joys of changing your body in the age of the Internet. This was spurred by comments I see on Instagram on people’s accounts, Facebook, society’s response to Bruce Jenner, body builders, the burlesque community, debates over black women’s hair, etc…
So I’m kind of a public figure, right? I’ve worked and worked on my craft, my body and my voice and it seems that some people dig that. And I dig that. After all I’m an entertainer.
“Hair colour, weave, wigs, nails, tattoos, implants, piercings, shaving, waxing … radical diets … even radical haircuts – none of us look like we would if we never fussed with our appearances…”
When I went on a fat-loss journey a few years back I dealt with so much bullshit it was enough to give me anxiety. Fifty pounds is a lot of weight to lose when you are a naked lady on the Internet. People had opinions, and they are entitled to them, but it was exhausting to hear ‘friends’ proclaim that they liked me “when you were bigger”.
I posted about it, since it was hard not to notice my body changing in public and I’m not one to not acknowledge a pink elephant in the middle of a living room. Also, other people were on the same journey and if the internet isn’t a useful place to inform, share ideas and connect, I don’t know what is.

I have never changed for other’s amusement, only for mine – though it would be impossible to proclaim that I have not had my mind sculpted by culture, art, my parents (natural body builders and trainers in the 80s), my childhood and what I intrinsically find beautiful. I’ve studied art history, the sociology of sexuality, why we are attracted to who we are and why we like what we like. I do this constantly in a desire to understand why some things are hardwired, like being attracted to the .6 waist to hip ratio and why symmetry is intrinsically more attractive to us and signals markers of fertility and health.
“If you respected me because I “had a natural chest” (a ridiculous little comment made today), I argue you never respected me since you only saw my body and not me as a human being.”
Body shaming is still when you proclaim things like “I prefer you natural” to someone getting some sort of procedure – and while we are talking about natural, none of us are. Hair colour, weave, wigs, nails, tattoos, implants, piercings, shaving, waxing, plucking, radical diets full of creatine, even radical haircuts – none of us look like we would if we never fussed with our appearances. What about those transitioning to another gender?
My body doesn’t make me who I am, though looking however I want to look in order to express myself in whatever way I choose is an expression of who I am, in some way. We are not our bodies. We have a body. It is the only thing that is ours to do with what we want. And in some ways, every fucking choice a woman makes about her own fucking body is political. Feminists up in arms over women’s choices perplex the fuck out of me. When we all get free choice, we get change. With free choice and equality and burning down the bonds of stigma, society changes.

So, I’ve started posting about my upcoming breast augmentation on 2/23. I’m super excited and don’t need you to be. It’s not about you. But somehow people make it about them. Which is too bad. I know another performer who is about to undergo the same procedure soon and I’ve been watching her commenters too.
If you respected me because I “had a natural chest” (a ridiculous little comment made today), I argue you never respected me since you only saw my body and not me as a human being. You are making assumptions on my reasoning for getting breast augmentation and I assure you, you couldn’t possibly know my mind and heart around my choices and I’ve no interest in laying them out to you. My choices don’t affect your life and in many cases, none of us ever asked your damn opinion on whether we should do something to our body or not. If a paperweight sized object is placed into my body on my terms and that destroys your respect I think we have bigger issues at play.
“I wonder how magnificent we would all look if it was simply expected that we could do whatever we wanted to do with our bodies without drama.”
Many public type figures might tell you what they are doing for a multitude of reasons and mine are simple:
All of a sudden photos of me with bigger breasts are going to show up on the Internet. And if I didn’t address it, many people would treat my new chest like a big ol’ busty elephant in the middle of the room. A lot of people see my tits weekly, and up close. And I won’t be stopping anytime soon.
I won’t be performing for a bit, and for a lot of my friends might seem strange or worrisome. I’ll be hopefully focusing on painting, meditating, time with friends and writing. Life imitates art, so I’m sure tits will come into play in any photo projects I’ll be doing (still a naked lady on the Internet, y’all) and sure as shit in any ridiculous selfies I may post.
I don’t post to impress, have you question me or offer up your opinions on my body. Just to inform and also to ensure that with my friends knowing – I get epic motorboats when I’m all healed up.
So shut your shit about anyone doing anything with their bodies; let them be happy, work shit out, do what they got to do, and experience their body on this planet the way they want. Support the right of choice and creativity instead of your possibly very narrow standards of acceptable behaviour that you think deserves your “respect”.

In keeping quiet but still being naked online I feel I fall prey to stigmatising my own decisions. I think breasts of all types are awesome. Period. Others who choose to modify their bodies may not feel the same way that I do about saying anything publicly – and that’s totally okay too.
Your shaming my or anyone else’s decisions to modify or create another appearance for themselves only creates more stigma as well. What’s more I think you would be SHOCKED to know who among you has considered work or has had anything done that you would never know about unless they changed right in front of you.
I wonder how magnificent we would all look if it was simply expected that we could do whatever we wanted to do with our bodies without drama. If changing your hair colour never made a friend blink or work reprimand you, and the saying “life is a stage” was used in every glorious sense of the term. Following our highest joys in work, play and even aesthetically.
Others do not exist to amuse you. I exist to amuse myself and I’m pleased that others are amused by that as well (I do try to be entertaining). And I applaud any human for doing implicitly what they want to their body no matter how fucked up society might treat them.
Big gratitude to my family, friends, peers and fans who have kept their opinions to themselves and let me do my thing. I love the fuck out of you. I’ll squish your face with my boobs when I see you on the other side.
I had never heard of you until I read this article, but I think you’re awesome! Good luck with the procedure!