Wild Cherry

Burlesque Legend Wild Cherry talks New Orleans, burlesque revivals, and “taking it outside”. By: Divertida Devotchka New Orleans burlesque legend Wild Cherry grew up travelling the carnival circuit with her family, and her first performances were carnival girlie shows.  She began dancing in New Orleans night clubs in the late 1950s. “I just wanted to make a living, because I had not... [Read more]

Herstory of Pole Dancing

Traveling Tent by Hella Goode Pole dancing originated-you guessed it-from the Polish! Not really, it was practiced to keep warm and to entertain Santa Claus on the North Pole… Just kidding, there are a few very different theories though, on how pole dancing came about. The first one is probably the most logical pole dance. Although not intentionally erotic, the Maypole dance did have sensual roots.... [Read more]

Legends- Bettie Page

Herstory of Bettie Page-What Would Bettie Do? By Hella Goode What would you do if a random woman walked up to you and asked you if you had found God? You’d probably brush her off. Bettie Page walked the Jesus walk for many of her latter years, unrecognized and hardly recognizable, even participating in the Billy Graham Crusade.  She felt she had quite a bit to reconcile, but nude modeling wasn’t... [Read more]

Lili St. Cyr

God Bless Lili St. Cyr! By: Hella Goode “God bless Lili St. Cyr!” Janet belts out in the mock-burlesque musical number “Wild and Untamed Thing” in the movie Rocky Horror Picture Show. I tried for years to figure out what she was saying. Thanks, Pin Curl, for guiding me to my answer. Mike Wallace interviewed the legendary burlesque striptease icon, Lili St. Cyr in October of 1957 expecting... [Read more]

Herstory of Roller Derby

By: Hella Goode Here we are in the midst of another Depression, and coincidentally at a peak of popularity in the world of roller derby. Why a coincidence? Roller derby, although baring a rockin’ powerful image now, was born as a coed sport during the first Great Depression. Brainchild of Chicagoan, Leo Seltzer, the sport debuted in 1935 as a nearly marathon race of over 50,000 laps around the... [Read more]

WASPs

Women Air Force Service Pilots By: Hella Goode Although the term usually brings to mind images of pointy-headed individuals, WASP does not always refer to a White Anglo Saxon Protestant, but in this case, something way more exciting. WASP refers to the Women Air force Service Pilots who bravely served their country during World War II. When Rosie the Riveter was queen and women were taking the place... [Read more]

Legends: Josephine Baker

Editor’s note: Our very own Hella Goode has her very first book out (under her legal name, of course)! We couldn’t be more proud of her! You’ll check it out, won’t you? 101 Mexico City Travel Tips Legends: Josephine Baker Story: Hella Goode When Frida Kahlo painted her double self-portrait, the Two Fridas, she couldn’t possibly have been imagining that she would meet another Frida... [Read more]

Herstory of Bloomers

By: Hella Goode Maybe my next piece should be the history of gossip and misconceptions. It appears that Amelia Bloomer is not the inventor of bloomers. I repeat, Amelia Bloomer did not invent Bloomers. A woman named Elizabeth Smith Miller did in the late 1840’s to early 1850’s. So then why does Amelia Bloomer get all the credit? Amelia Bloomer did not create the first pair of bloomers, but she... [Read more]

History of Perfume

By: Hella Goode Perfumes have been around since the development of recreation and civilization and not just the mere search for food, sex, and shelter. And, thank goodness, we took the time do take care of our odor needs. Over the centuries people have made taking a bath a more frequent activity, but this was not always the case. Imagine au natural smelling au natural….it wouldn’t likely... [Read more]

Dia de los Muerto (Day of the Dead): A History

Dia de los Muerto celebration in Mexico In the last few years, the US, particularly Texas and California, have taken notice of the Mexican celebration known as Dia de los Muerto, or the Day of the Dead. Cavaleras (or skulls) that are brightly decorated, or skeletons wearing clothing and engaging in activities- playing music, getting married, etc., have become popular imagery for clothing and accessories.... [Read more]