Is less really more? We look back on 50 years of Parisien-style burlesque
In days gone by, the mere sight of a woman’s ankle left men quivering at the knee: by 1935, “anything” would indeed “go” as burlesque performers shed their clothes and popped minds on both sides of the Atlantic.
But for a modern audience with “Page 3” and internet pornography on tap, burlesque doesn’t have quite the same shock factor. Instead, its emphasis has shifted from the “strip” to the “tease”, proving some things really are better left to the imagination.
We take a look at these archive images by photographer Yves Riquet of performers from the Parisien burlesque show Le Crazy Horse, when the peeling of clothes marked the epitome of sexual titillation.
