Products:
Viewpoint #18
Burlesque: sense branding in an age of excess
There was a time when blatant sex sold everything, and less was more. That’s all about to change, as we enter the era of burlesque. Student fashion shows, advertising, club interiors and entertainment are full of references to striptease, the circus, vaudeville and cabaret. Its design influence has inspired a new feeling of decadence that takes in the sensual, the rich, the erotic, the voluptuous, the over-the-top. Its first impact has been in furniture and interior design, from hotels to restaurants and new retail spaces - but the meaning of the burlesque movement goes deeper.
It’s rooted in a new understanding of sex and what we want out of it. Young people, it seems, are getting bored with being force-fed sex 24 hours a day. Are the dynamics of sex changing? Judging by sales of men’s weeklies, the flesh-per-square-inch market remains a strong marketing tool. However, there is definitely a demand for something new. Burlesque could be the answer, stressing, as it does, ribald comedy and teasing, rather than the explicit.