Legends: Doris Eaton Travis

The Legendary Life of Doris Eaton Travis by: Femme Vivre LaRouge Few of us are lucky enough to enjoy either the longevity or the fullness of life that Doris Eaton did.  Born March 14, 1904, Doris witnessed almost all of the amazing twentieth century, as well as the unfolding of the twenty-first.  In 2010, shortly before she passed away, Doris received her final standing ovation in the New Amsterdam... [Read more]

WWII Bomber Art

Bombshell: Pin-Up and Nose Art of WWII by: Femme Vivre LaRouge While art has always adored the feminine form, the pin-up made her true debut in the 1900s both in the U.S. and Europe.  Ushered in by exoticism, flappers, the French postcard, Ziegfeld, and the Gibson girl (America’s first centerfold), the pin-up really came into her own mid-century.  The embodiment of life, love, joy, and vitality,... [Read more]

Burlesque Arrests: Las Vegas, Blaze Starr & Evelyn West

The Silver Slipper and the Infamous Evelyn West and Blaze Starr by: Femme Vivre LaRouge The only icon that says Las Vegas more than a slot machine is a showgirl.  From can-can to canned music, Vegas seems to have always welcomed scantily clad women on its stages.  Some of the biggest busts in burlesque were popular touring sensations at the Silver Slipper in the mid-century.  One of the largest... [Read more]

Burlesque Arrests: Mata Hari

Mata Hari, the Most Infamous Spy that Never Was by: Femme Vivre LaRouge Her greatest crime was her ambition; her foolish pride proved to be both her virtue and vice.  Mata Hari lived in an era when the world would be forever changed by ‘the war to end all wars.’  Parisians had been riding high on a wave of gaiety in the emerging modern age, intoxicated by opium and orientalism, the spider woman... [Read more]

Clara Bow

Well tie me up, it’s Clara Bow by: Hella Goode This week it’s Anne Hathaway, the next week Natalie Portman and after that maybe Mila Kunis. Who is the new “it girl” in Hollywood? Reaching “it girl” status is great while it lasts, but there was only one original “it girl” and her name was Clara Bow. Women adored her for her spunkiness and free spirit. Yet she was gifted in attracting... [Read more]

Burlesque Arrests: Georgia Sothern

Burlesque Arrests: Georgia Sothern by: Femme Vivre LaRouge Burlesque has seen many incarnations, ups and downs, and even periods of hibernation over the past century, but try as the censors might, it has never really gone away.  The magical connection between burlesque and the American audience can be summed up in the lyrics of Willkommen from the opening of Cabaret: “Leave your troubles outside! ... [Read more]

Remembering Tura Satana

Remembering a Legend: Tura Satana By: Hella Goode Tura Satana “Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” (Russel Meyer, 1965)…the title alone grips you. When you see Tura Satana as Varla, it kind of gropes you. But you wouldn’t want to grope her because she really would kick your ass. Tura, born Tura Luna Pascual Yamaguchi on July 10, 1938 in Hokkaido, Japan lived a less than privileged... [Read more]

Sex Toys: A History

Sex Toys, a History By: Femme Vivre LaRouge Depictions of sexual devices have been found in the art of cultures worldwide from as far back as 30,000 years ago.  Ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians all had their own inventions and don’t appear to have been shy about using them.  What the Greeks called olisbos, the Renaissance Italians termed diletto, meaning delight, and that is what we now know... [Read more]

Burlesque Arrests: Lili St Cyr

Burlesque Arrests: Lili St. Cyr By: Femme Vivre LaRouge This month’s installation of Burlesque Arrests illustrates the ongoing decency debate through the life and trials of Lili St. Cyr, billed as the Anatomic Bomb.  Lili, a sophisticated chanteuse, played quite a part in elevating the art of the striptease from a solely burlesque house existence to one on the glitzy new stages of Las Vegas.  Miss... [Read more]

Burlesque Arrests: Mae West & Sally Rand

Editors note: When Femme came up with the idea to do an article on burlesque arrests, I thought it was fabulous.  When she came back and said there were just too damn many for one article, I thought- even better!  What better way to kick off a new monthly series than with the delicious Mae West & the legendary Sally Rand. Burlesque Arrests: Sally Rand & Mae West By: Femme Vivre LaRouge Burlesque... [Read more]