On slut shaming

Seeing as it's Womens Suffrage Day in NZ I'm going to tell you about a conversation I had with my sister about slut shaming, feminism and why I do burlesque performance. We were discussing boobs on the internet, how it seems like A Thing for teenage girls to be encouraged by their peers to sext their boyfriends, but then be shamed by their peers for having pictures of their boobs on the internet (often posted without their consent). 

My sister, while being as much outraged by slut shaming as I am, I assume has been wondering why as a feminist and a skilled professional worker I would be ok with and even enjoy making my body publicly visible. My response (not the most eloquent, but fuck it, it's accurate) was this: "yep. and that is why I like to get my boobs out - SEE MY BOOBS? YES YOU DO! THEY ARE AWESOME AND ENJOYING THEM IS NOT SHAMEFUL. WHAT, DO YOU NOT LIKE IT? DO YOU THINK THIS IS SLUTTY? FUCK YOUR FACE! **cue gleeful tassel twirl*** That right there is why I do burlesque."

Burlesque, while being fun, entertaining and playful, does open up dialogue around these issues that affect us all. Having lady parts and enjoying them does not make anyone a lesser person or any less competent in any sphere of their lives. Being a woman is not shameful. Men are not expected to sublimate their sexuality to gain respect in other areas of their life, so neither should you. Get your boobs out if you wanna. Here is Iggy Pop in a dress.

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