Disrobing the text: Burlesque as l’écriture féminine

Abstract

This article argues that burlesque, a performing art which typically weds elements of cabaret, music and dance, alongside the disrobing of the performer on stage, can be read as a material embodiment of Hélène Cixous's l’écriture féminine, namely ‘women's writing’. It begins by understanding l’écriture féminine as a form of knowledge which defies phallogocentric forms of understanding by instead locating the female body as a generative, disruptive and liberated force. With particular focus upon the American burlesque performer Carrie Finnell (1899–1963), it argues that the burlesque performer, through their exploration of body, costuming and gender identity, enacts l’écriture féminine in practice. In doing so, this article offers new readings about the performed body as text both on and off the stage.