Dita Von Teese...Burlesque queen

Cinderella eat your heart out

But back to Dita, she took ballet lessons as a child and wanted to be a ballerina. She danced solo at the age of 13 for a local ballet company, but says that by age 15 she was "as good as I'd ever be." Now she continues to incorporate elements of ballet into her act, often performing 'en pointe',which gives a very elegant and fragile look.

Von Teese has often talked of the time when, in her teens her mother took her to buy her first bra, and her disappointment at the plain white cotton functional garment. She had hoped for exquisite lace lingerie like the kind she had seen in her Dad's Playboy magazines. But she more than made up for this disappointing first experience when she got a job at an Orange County lingerie boutique called Lady Ruby's as a salesgirl at 15. She became such an expert in all eras, shapes and styles of underwear, Wearing all sorts of elaborate undergarments and seamed stockings herself, and advising Lady Ruby's customers of all ages, that She eventually became a buyer for the boutique. Of the job she says: “I was an expert,” ... “I think people were sorta stunned. But I wanted to be the best at everything I did. So I was the best lingerie sales girl there ever was.” It has to be this attitude as much as the influence of proximity to all that lace that has got her to where she is today.

Dita studied historic costuming in college. So as a trained costume designer she often designs her photo shoots, though most of her stage costumes are designed by fellow burlesque performer flame haired goddess and BFF Catherine D'lish.

Dita Von Teese began her impressive career in a strip club at the tender age of 18. But even then she had a vision. Unimpressed with the lack of originality from the other strippers Dita created her first custom strip tease act, with a pinup hairstyle, elbow length gloves teamed with a vintage style basque and ofcourse seamed stockings. She was a sensation, the novelty earned her attention.
At this time she started some glamour modeling then fetish. But with her retro glamour pinup look she very much stood out among the other glamour and fetish models setting her apart from the completion and earning herself a following. She was always in demand for photo shoots, films you probably wont find in the local video rental store, and for party performances.
Her official website www.dita.net is often said to be one of the first modeling sites on the Internet.

One of the things our lady Dita Von Teese is well known for is her corsets.Of corset wearing Dita herself has said "All my fetishes start with being tightly laced in a corset. I love the way a corset dramatically emphasizes my curves ....Dressed this way I feel like my lover's most treasured possession". She achieved a level of recognition in the fetish community as a tightlacer. She can lace down to 16.5 inches, and as a result of years of consistent corset wear she has reduced her natural, un-laced, waist size down to 22"/ 23", and no she has NOT had a rib removed!. So for a body like Dita Von Teese waist training with a good steel boned corset is a must (if you can stand it that is otherwise there are some exercises you can try to get that wasp waist). In December 2002 she appeared on the cover of playboy magazine for the first time, stunningly tightlaced in a gorgeous silver and black lace corset - designed by Catherine D'lish-. The cover proclaiming "The return of fetish." (no one told me it had gone anywhere...I'm so out of touch) In the feature Playboy described Dita as being distinct from the 'take it off and spread'em' models because she was not just a sex object, but a sex object of her own creation. Like an artist who's work is creating images that flame the imagination...not so much about taking it off but putting it on. They made the inevitable comparison to our lady Bettie Page, but pointed out that Dita Von Teese is in no way the innocent that Bettie was and that her image is one finely tuned and purposefully cultivated. They called her the perfect collaboration of art and nature. Playboy saw Dita's talent early on though and have been publishing, her images as far back as 1997, which could only increase the public desire for her, she was perfectly placed to fill the gaping niche in the market for a living fantasy who is the opposite to the 'girl next door A Betty Page for a new generation. She has also been painted more than once by Pinup artist and Playboy favorite, the fabulous Olivia. (Click here to buy a One year subscription to playboy magazine .)

But its burlesque that Dita is best known for. She is often called the "queen of burlesque" by the press (putting aside the fact that the press don't know anything about burlesque, and have never heard of anyone else!)
She first started performing burlesque in 1993. But this was not simply a revival of the past.

Dita is a champion of New Burlesque, which for her rejects the often clumsy bump and grind of old burlesque in favor of something more sleek or artistic. It is long and elaborate dance routines, lots of fabulous custom costumes dripping with rinestones (seriously don't bother trying to out-rinestone Dita Von Teese, I think she cornered the market!) and also characters who's stories play out in elegant custom sets with props. Dita's stage prop collection includes a carousel horse, a giant powder compact, and antique style bathtub (like Lili St Cyr) and a sparkling crescent moon to name but afew. She has performed a perfect fan dance inspired by burlesque legend Sally Rand, which included the worlds largest pair of feather fans. The fans can now be found in the Hollywood museum of sex. Her signature show however is her 'girl in a martini glass' which features a giant martini glass for Dita to writhe around in. This routine can be seen in both the Marilyn Manson video for 'Mobscene' and also re-created by Cameron Diaz in one of the Charlies Angels films where Dita is mentioned in the 'thankyou' section of the credits.
Her career on stage has included some notable performances. Not least a benefit for the New York Academy of Art where she wore nothing but $5 million worth of diamonds!
Burlesque is like a circus for adults, and while the showgirl is still queen there is generally a mixture of different acts on the bill incorporating humor, political/social statements and more. The term new or neo burlesque refers to the revival of burlesque as a performance art form and as a culture community since the millennium. New/Neo Burlesque is more defined by attitude of philosophy than its mother scene was and strives to be more inclusive of all. A performer need not be a living museum piece to be a success ( I live by this attitude myself that there is beauty in all things and that the past is there to be learned from and loved not preserved in formaldehyde).

These days you will find as many women as men, if not more in the audience at a burlesque show. They experience it as a celebration of the female form rater than a degradation of it, and a re-claiming of female sexuality for females by females. It must be every woman's desire to be both alluring and untouchable, in control. Dita Von Teese has pulled it off and women love her for it.

You would think that that would be an end of it wouldn't you? I mean who would not be satisfied with being the 'new Bettie Page' and 'the queen of burlesque', a branded to the lashes powerhouse of erotic moneymaker (she has many endorsements and product ranges including a lingerie line with Gossard and a stocking collection with Secrets in Lace
). ...But Dita Von Teese is no ordinary girl and has somehow managed to be both a sex object and taken seriously enough to act in serious films like "the death of Salvidor Dali" for which she won best actress at Beverly Hills Film Festival and become heralded as a fashion icon by the fashion industry. Appearing on any number of best-dressed lists and even seen on the catwalk!! A 5 foot 5 inch pinup model on a fashion catwalk! and appearing just as often in Vogue as in bizarre! How did that happen?

How? Laser focus on good business, an absolute dedication to the craft - “I believe one of the secrets of my success is getting nearly nude and wet in every show.” fair enuf - and a refreshing honesty about who she is. She is the most 'real' fake in the public eye and I think people respond to that. I mean by that ofcourse that Dita Von Teese is a creation, a work of art built by her own hand. She does not claim to be perfect, does not deny her cosmetic surgery (breast implants and cosmetic tattoos), does not say rubbish like "I can eat whatever I like and I never exercise". She is a plain and quite shy girl who, taking inspiration from the painted on flawlessness of 1940s movie stars, transformed herself with makeup, vintage clothes, perfect retro manicure, a spot of surgical enhancement and dying her blonde hair black (she dyes her pubic hair to match too - it is all about the details with this woman!)into someone who can stop traffic just walking down the street and build an empire on her image alone. But isn't it likely that she was always that woman on the inside and no one noticed until she created the outside to match? I know that's the way it was for me growing up..
She never uses a stylist for anything. Dita's look is her own by her own hand, she has a body a look a brand, built from scratch, and she has worked hard and smart to protect and grow it.
But while many call this out as a fault, claiming that she should be 'natural' it is her very 'fake-ness' that makes her such an icon. Think about it ladies...Dita has nothing that any one of us cannot buy or paint on to get the same effect. She may be the opposite thing to the 'girl next door' but she is more attainable because she wins with something we can all attain if we just put in the effort. Under that mask your confidence grows and a plain shy blonde becomes a raven haired goddess who stops traffic. It works for her, it works for me..it works for everyone.

So how did an average American girl go from stripper to style icon then? She faked it for real, all in, no half measures. Say what you like about her, but she is my kind of girl.
Do we really think she would have been a success if she had stayed natural? an average blonde in California???!!! no way she would be the millionairess she is today. So for those who point out that she has a big nose or a square jaw and is nothing without her clothes, hairdye and makeup so therefore "fake" so not interesting...you have missed the point and I am sad for you.

...."What is it they say? The girl with a head for business and a body for sin? Is that me? I think so.” -Dita Von Teese....

Want to get Dita's signature Half Moon Manicure at home?