Burlesque: redefining the representation of women.

Abstract

This thesis explores the expression of women’s social roles in burlesque subculture in Sydney, Australia, between 2010 and 2015. The analysis reflects on the gender roles available to women in burlesque via bricolage, described by media theorist and sociologist Dick Hebdige, and on twenty-first-century subcultural fashion in relation to gender, as discussed by Theresa Winge, Claire Nally and Helen Reddington. Resurgence in the popularity of burlesque in Sydney since 2005 has generated new questions about gender roles available to women. Through my case study of burlesque performers and my experimentation with fashion silhouettes in use in Sydney’s burlesque scene, I contribute to this debate and explore the ways in which bricolage explains previously overlooked aspects of burlesque adaptations of gender stereotypes in a contemporary context.