This costume documents a particular form of women's work not represented in the Museum's collection. Its significance stems from its use by the Sydney-based striptease artist Elizabeth Burton.

Burton began working in strip clubs in the early 1970s, when the conventions of burlesque were still evident. Burlesque was a form of theatrical or cabaret entertainment featuring crude comedy and risqué dancing that often mocked a serious subject.

'Burlesque venues taught me the craft of stripping. You'd get up between comedians and novelty acts. All the girls would have a character and a gimmick. There was less emphasis on nudity and more emphasis on tease. For a fifteen or twenty minute show you would have twenty or thirty garments to remove. Costumes were very important.' (quote from Elizabeth Burton interviewed at http://central.dot.net.au/~craiga/wedken/writing/burton.html)

Although she had no training in dance, Burton mastered the choreographic gestures and rituals of striptease. By the mid 1970s she was reputed to be Australia's highest paid stripper, working at the Pink Panther club in Kings Cross with a supporting cast of seven female and three male nude artistes. She pioneered a modern style of striptease that moved beyond the traditional bumps and grinds. She added elegant gymnastic twists and turns, executed with grace. At the same time she pushed her performance towards contortionism and acrobatics. She finished her routine completely nude. She chose her own music and used special lighting effects.

Burton regards striptease as a craft in which costumes become important props in creating a fantasy on stage. Her act was often built around a theme. For example she appeared on stage as a boxer (complete with boxer shorts and boxing gloves), a biker girl wearing a leather vest, a can-can dancer, a harem girl and a private detective (dancing to the 'Peter Gunn' theme). However her signature act was as 'Miss Modesty', making her entrance fully dressed, complete with hat, gloves and shoes. She would wear lots of garments to prolong the act, including hats, stockings, suspender belts, underwear and several g-strings.

Burton presents striptease as an exercise in empowerment and a way for women to be unashamed of their sexuality. 'People have not been educated to be comfortable in their own bodies with their own sexuality. We've never been taught to enjoy, respect and love sex. We've always been taught it's a rude and dirty thing'. (quote from Elizabeth Burton interviewed at http://central.dot.net.au/~craiga/wedken/writing/burton.html)

'When I first started out I made it a point to always present my body as an object of beauty, not just a sex symbol Â? I felt that as long as I was going to remove my clothes, I was going to do it with as much aesthetic appeal as possible' (Liz Burton quoted in New Nation, 16 July 1976).

At Kings Cross striptease became very much a tourism industry, with predominantly male patrons. However in the 1970s at clubs like the Pink Panther men were sometimes accompanied by women. Burton appreciated the applause of female spectators. 'I really feel thrilled when the women clap. I think their reaction is more important to me' (Liz Burton quoted in New Nation, 16 July 1976).

Burton found the work enjoyable and financially rewarding. 'Life can be very exciting and financially rewarding for a top stripper, providing she's prepared to travel. If you're good you can make quite big money' (Burton quoted in 'Australasian Post', 7 Oct 1976).

Striptease dancing exemplifies and challenges generally understood notions of male-female relationships. At one level the female is predatory, the male submissive. The female is active, the male is passive. However these roles are acted out within a wider social context that restricts well paid employment opportunities to young, unqualified women. As the ritual of striptease is deconstructed, simple explanations of 'dominant male-subordinate female' or 'dominant female-submissive male' become inadequate.

Made by Cassandra, Australia, 1980-1989.

This costume was worn with a home-made cardboard brimmed hat and platform clogs. This costume was worn during many performances by the striptease dancer Elizabeth Burton at Australian venues during the 1980s and early 1990s. The pasties, used to cover the nipples, are typical of striptease costumes. Burton told the Museum 'We used surgical tape to hold the pasties in place. Just like the boys at Les Girls used surgical tape to conceal their penis'.

Born in 1947, Burton grew up in Captain's Flat near Canberra, the eldest of eight children. She worked as a hairdresser and discovered a talent for go-go dancing at the age of 18 after auditioning at the Redfern RSL. Although she had no training as a dancer she received an invitation to work as a go-go dancer in Vietnam, where she stayed for four months in 1968-69. She got into trouble for talking to black servicemen and in 1969 the American Military Entertainment Bureau asked her to leave Vietnam, citing her as a 'race riot risk'. (See Australasian Post, 7 October 1976 under the headline 'Stripper's Own Story Â? They called her a riot risk'.)

Burton first worked as a stripper in 1971 at the Psychedelic Fun House on 42nd St and 8th Avenue in New York. She obtained an agent, Jess Mack, who got her work on the American and international nightclub and theatre circuits. It was around this time that she developed the 'Miss Modesty' character, who began her strip act totally covered, complete with hat and gloves.

Burton toured extensively in the USA in the early 1970s. She made twelve working visits to Las Vegas, appearing at venues like the Palomino and the Royal Casino. Not having a 'green card' work permit for the USA, she was sought by the immigration authorities. For this reason she married an American dancer in 1973 at Las Vegas. She was arrested four times in the USA, where the law stated that strippers must keep their bottoms covered. At Cleveland, Ohio, in October 1973 she was arrested by the Vice Squad at the Paris Art Theatre and charged with nude dancing. She was also arrested for lewd and lascivious conduct in Hawaii. In September 1974 she was arrested for conspiracy to demoralize the people of Philadelphia. She told the Philadelphia Inquirer (18 Sept 1974) 'I think the human body is a beautiful instrument. I don't want to be thought of as a sex object. I much prefer to be thought of as a racehorse with good body control'.

Returning to Australia Burton became a star stripper at the Pink Panther Club at 41 Darlinghurst Rd, Kings Cross, where her appearances received top billing as 'Direct from Las Vegas'. She also worked at the Barrel Burlesque Theatre at 26 Bayswater Rd, and later at Eros (George St), Lido and Town Theatres.

In 1976 Burton went to Japan for six months, then Malaysia and Singapore, where she was billed as a 'sizzling dance contortionist'. She went to Vienna to work at the Moulin Rouge and also appeared at the Moulin Rouge in Kassel, Germany, in early 1977. She made headlines in Norway in 1979.

Burton has worked as a dancer and performance artist with fringe theatre and cabaret. She performed regularly with Cabaret Conspiracy at Garibaldi's restaurant in Darlinghurst. In the 1980s she performed at RAT parties at venues including Bondi Pavilion, and at the Gay Mardi Gras. She appeared with the Sideshow Theatre Company at Paddington Green Hotel with Michael Matou and Simon Reptile. She appeared in 'Beauty and the Beast' at the Regent Theatre. In the 1980s she was a showgirl at South Sydney Juniors, wearing huge headdress and feathers. She performed in 'High Spots' at the Tivoli. She has run classes in 'Disrobing Deliberately' at the local Neighbourhood Centre and 'Learn to love your body' workshops at the Belvoir Theatre.

Performance costume, 4 piece ensemble, satin / polyester, worn by Elizabeth Burton, made by Cassandra, Australia, 1980-1989

Costume consisting of bikini top, pasties, sandrina and g-string.
Triangle bikini top, fastening at front, gold printed blue satin with full fringe long.
Pasties (pair), white cotton covered with gold printed blue polyester with long blue tassels, worn over the nipples.
Sandrina, elasticised blue satin. Ties together using a small piece of the same fabric acts. (A sandrina was usually a bra that supports and exposes the breasts.) The arms go through and the sandrina sits around the breasts.
G string, blue satin with elasticised waist and long fringe all around.

Made: 1980 - 1989

Used: Burton, Elizabeth; ; 1975 - 1995

2004/88/3

1980 - 1989