Dita's a teese...
It’s difficult to deny that women are natural born exhibitionists. This manifests itself in diverse ways: from the desire to convey one’s acerbic and cerebral witticisms, in a demonstration of to the upper echelons of Britain’s intellectual elite (i.e.
by writing for The Oxford Student); by demonstrating such superb social skills so as to rival those of Kimberly Quinn; or, quite simply, by propagating that age-old tradition of imbibing copious volumes of alcohol and daintily shedding articles of clothing on the dancefloor of The Bridge, to the delight of all and sundry. Dita Von Teese could be perceived as falling into the last category.
The 33 year-old burlesque star whose meteroic rise to fame has projected various meticulously selected expanses of alabaster skin on a multitudinous array of top-shelf magazines is seductive, stylish and excessively scintillating. She titillates, tantalises and (cue smug groans) ultimately ‘teeses’ her way into your favour. This ain’t no ordinary stripper • this girl’s got class.
Conversing with Dita is an exercise in self-awareness: every movement is executed with the utmost of grace and decorum, as infused with unvoiced significance as those of the classically- trained ballet dancer that she indeed is. A delicate turn of the wrist, a perfectly poised shoulder, and the command over her body and its expressive potential is both humbling and inspiring.
Although a meticulously constructed persona, the Dita von Teese show is not a simple façade, but an amplification of her pre-existing character traits. “It is definitely a souped-up projection of myself. Each act is an exaggeration of something I love. I would never do an act that didn’t suit me or have something that reflects my own personality. Perhaps it is a bit of a mask; Dietrich wouldn’t have let you see her without her eyebrows drawn on and her hair done, so my mask is similar.
?? Her aesthetic projection is indisputably styled in the vein of bygone glamour icons such as Bettie Page, and her proportions read like the pages of Burlesque 101 manual: a jaw-dropping 32-31-33, and yet the woman renowned for her awe-inspiring figure does not provoke the ‘dirty fingers syndrome’ (as documented by the folksinger Ani DiFranco with her astute lyrics, “I turn the magazine pages, and all I can see are my dirty fingers”).
Rather, having freely admitted in the past that she has enjoyed an intervention that is not necessarily that of the divine kind, and being acutely aware of the limitations of her body, she represents a type of beauty that is not alienating, but attainable. An astute businesswoman, she is conscious of the commercial potential of her physique and the fickleness of the audience for whom she performs. “I swim at home in my pool at night with my friend Catherine.
I do feel pressure to be in shape, but not to be thin. Strength and tone are more important, not just to my appearance onstage, but also to how strong a dancer I am. My burlesque idols were very aware of their figures. Being healthy and exercising is important for reasons beyond vanity. Merely being thin is not attractive, in my opinion. I only feel pressure from myself about being in shape, and it’s because I have to think about how it affects my performance, not to mention my appearance.
I’m nearly naked up there, with all the lights which are not forgiving!” The most easily discernable difference between stripping and burlesque is boils down to a question of show(wo)manship: Dita does not merely seek to enact the fantasies of her male audience, but utilises her body as any artist would use their chosen medium.
Telling me about her lack of enthusiasm for public speaking, she says, “If I had the choice of speaking in front of five people, or of stripping in front of 50,000, I would choose the latter.” Hers is a more considered, cerebral form of exhibitionism than one may expect • not a simple tits-out jolly • and it is perhaps a consequence of the long, hard route she had to take before eventually becoming successful.
She speaks of numerous agents, whom in the past had little faith nor interest in her potential for success, who now clamber over each other to grab hold of a piece of the Dita cake. It must provide her with a satisfying sense of gratification to view such people from the glamorous pedestal upon which she now gracefully perches, but Dita is more interested in providing a spectacle than participating in any acts of petty vengeance.
This take-it-or-leave-it attitude where Hollywood parasites are concerned must be one of the bonding factors in her relationship with Mr Brian ‘Marilyn Manson’ Warner, controversial frontman of the eponymous industrial/goth/pop/rock band (depending on which period of his chequered career you’re looking at): the anti-christ superstar and selfstyled god of fuck.
Renowned for his disdain for the mainstream press, as well as a contempt for the empty, consumerist culture of northern America, Manson has always provided a convenient scapegoat for the assorted sins of the centre- right. When Dita speaks of her ‘husband’, images of burning crosses and onstage selfmutilation are quick to dissipate, and instead one imagines the tranquil scenes of life chez Manson, which would seem to be a veritable menagerie of cuddly cats and dogs.
The glamour is never abandoned, however, as Dita elaborates upon her closets: “I have several full length cashmere robes in a variety of colours for winter, and 1950s slips for summer. I almost always have at least one cat on my lap!” The admiration that she demonstrates for her husband’s work is refreshingly genuine. “I have more respect for someone like him for having true talent, unlike much of the music industry these days, or reality show stars.
But then again talent is a matter of opinion and I know that there are loads of people that would say I am talentless too! They have every right to, it’s like beauty, it is in the eye of the beholder.” It is perhaps owing partly to her own admission of her frequent deviations from the current ‘cool’ that she exudes so much charisma: “I listen to a lot of music from the 1930s-50s, but every so often I like a modern song.
I would be embarrassed to let anyone see my iPod though! It’s such a range of music styles and not based on what’s ‘cool’!” The unconventional approach certianly works for her though: her evasion of the zeitgeist has actually given rise to a veritable Babel of European fashion vox calling out to be Teesed by the divine Dita.
Her deliciously dramatic foray into fashion has seen her diminutive curves swathed in the most decadent of fabrics, including those of Dior couture, a wedding dress by Vivienne Westwood, and in an extravagant token wedding gift from Monsieur Jean-Paul Gaultier himself, “I have a Gaultier couture dress that I treasure. It’s extremely valuable, something I could never afford to buy myself, and it’s gorgeous.
Mr Gaultier gave it to me as a wedding gift! But my burlesque costumes will always be important to me, they have seen the world with me!” For a woman who made her name removing her clothes she seems to have a paradoxical thirst for putting them on. Her genuine passion for sumptuous costumes is indicative of more than just nostalgia for the craftsmanship of a bygone age.
When asked about her career path should the burlesque not have been successful, she replies, “I can’t be too sure, but I did go to school for a bit to learn about historic costuming for films, so I might have liked to do that. And I have always had fantasies about opening my own lingerie or antique boutique.” Hers is a deep-rooted passion for meticulously crafted objets d’art.
She claims that she is somewhat reluctant to discuss politics: “I usually prefer not to discuss them, because I have arguments for and against nearly every subject! I am a dream, or perhaps a nightmare to debate with, I’m the first to say that I can see someone’s side of things and say that they may be right. I am quite indecisive because I usually see how things affect both parties.
It’s not that I don’t have an opinion, it’s just that people argue relentlessly over politics, and I hate to argue!” Whether one openly discussing personal politics or not, they are always inherent in our quotidian decisions, and Dita’s fondness for the culture of yore is an example of this. Her a t a v i s m serves as a stark contrast to the di sposable, ‘use once and destroy’ culture of contemporary Western culture.
Rather than seeing fashion as simply a series of sycophantic trends, Dita appreciates the stoicism of couture, whose carefully crafted details will continue ad infinitum to embroider the fabric of visual textile art. This exhibitionist shows more than just her toned limbs and honed performing skills, but, in demonstrating that the spirit of the times is not one necessarily to be revered, provides a paradoxical modele à suivre for the unorthodox generation.
2nd Mar 2006