Book reviews
I found another couple of interesting books when I was sorting through my stuff.
First of all, Fetish. Fashion, Sex & Power by Valerie Steele from 1996. It looks at fetishism in particular in relation to the crossover with fashion so chapters on the corset, high heels, and leather/latex but it does touch on other stuff. Plenty of historical background and lots of photos plus an extensive bibliography. It's an interesting book and personally I think it acts as a good introduction to the subject altho' it's maybe a little dated now + I still don't 100% agree with the argument that fetishism is rare among women.
Secondly, Striptease. From Gaslight to Spotlight by Jessica Glasscock is a history of striptease/burlesque from its beginnings in music hall through acts like the Ziegfield Follies to the famous burlesque stars such as Gypsy Rose Lee before a short epilogue on the neo-burlesque scene with performers such as Dita Von Teese and Dirty Martini. (This book came out in 2003 so burlesque was only just starting to gain more widespread media attention). The book concentrates on America and there are plenty of original photos of acts such as Lydia Thompson and Tempest Storm. It does cover a lot in a relatively short space but again, I think it's a good introduction to the history of burlesque.
First of all, Fetish. Fashion, Sex & Power by Valerie Steele from 1996. It looks at fetishism in particular in relation to the crossover with fashion so chapters on the corset, high heels, and leather/latex but it does touch on other stuff. Plenty of historical background and lots of photos plus an extensive bibliography. It's an interesting book and personally I think it acts as a good introduction to the subject altho' it's maybe a little dated now + I still don't 100% agree with the argument that fetishism is rare among women.
Secondly, Striptease. From Gaslight to Spotlight by Jessica Glasscock is a history of striptease/burlesque from its beginnings in music hall through acts like the Ziegfield Follies to the famous burlesque stars such as Gypsy Rose Lee before a short epilogue on the neo-burlesque scene with performers such as Dita Von Teese and Dirty Martini. (This book came out in 2003 so burlesque was only just starting to gain more widespread media attention). The book concentrates on America and there are plenty of original photos of acts such as Lydia Thompson and Tempest Storm. It does cover a lot in a relatively short space but again, I think it's a good introduction to the history of burlesque.