Self-worth as a community asset: co-authoring and extending burlesque's protected and deregulated spaces as good practice
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leeds
Department Name: School of Performance and Cultural Industries
Abstract
The proposed project will document and disseminate the complex ways that burlesque instils a sense of self-worth that percolates out beyond the events and the subculture itself. By way of film-making testimonies and knowledge exchange the project will share these business and social justice and 'rights' models for inclusivity, recognition and protected space within the subculture and beyond, (with charities, council, GPs, minority interest groups, social justice groups, policing) as extreme co-production in order to generate impactful understanding of self-worth as a community asset.
Burlesque creates encouraging, supportive and inclusive community spaces where participants feel a profound sense of wellbeing, which is at times life changing. This sense of wellbeing has significant impact on feelings of self-worth, both in terms of body positivity and confidence - of valuing and gaining agency over one's own body and its worth - but also in terms of belonging - of feeling that one's unique contribution is valued and supported as worthwhile by the group. We discovered whilst undertaking the current research project that these grassroots approaches to safety were valuable and highlighted urgent steps forward that could make night-time spaces safer for all by improving night-time safety initiatives, by informing policing. understandings, by broadening cultural participation and by improving confidence, support and a sense of belonging for other marginalized groups.
By sharing the good practice initiatives that have been set up within the burlesque community the project will seek to innovatively extend these strategies for safer spaces to a broader range of audiences, groups and institutions. The project's approach is systemic change that advocates for a grassroots bottom up rather that top-down approach to regulating and policing spaces and marginalized bodies.
The aim of the project is to make night-time spaces more inclusive, diverse and safer for all.
Burlesque creates encouraging, supportive and inclusive community spaces where participants feel a profound sense of wellbeing, which is at times life changing. This sense of wellbeing has significant impact on feelings of self-worth, both in terms of body positivity and confidence - of valuing and gaining agency over one's own body and its worth - but also in terms of belonging - of feeling that one's unique contribution is valued and supported as worthwhile by the group. We discovered whilst undertaking the current research project that these grassroots approaches to safety were valuable and highlighted urgent steps forward that could make night-time spaces safer for all by improving night-time safety initiatives, by informing policing. understandings, by broadening cultural participation and by improving confidence, support and a sense of belonging for other marginalized groups.
By sharing the good practice initiatives that have been set up within the burlesque community the project will seek to innovatively extend these strategies for safer spaces to a broader range of audiences, groups and institutions. The project's approach is systemic change that advocates for a grassroots bottom up rather that top-down approach to regulating and policing spaces and marginalized bodies.
The aim of the project is to make night-time spaces more inclusive, diverse and safer for all.
| Title | Bold Bodies, Safer Spaces: burlesque's grassroots solutions to safety. |
| Description | The film is a 30 minute documentary that focused on four burlesque communities from Barnsley (also bringing Birmingham community members to Barnsley), Leeds and Doncaster. Three knowledge exchange workshops were facilitated by the researchers to share the participants' good practice. The workshops were filmed and then edited into a documentary which was the main output from the project 'Self-worth as a community asset: co authoring and extending burlesque's protected and deregulated spaces as good practice'. The project explored how night-time spaces are organised and regulated, particularly around the welfare, safety, and inclusion of otherwise marginalised communities. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Impact | The film has been submitted as evidence for the Government's Violence Against Women and Girls strategy. Viewers have commented how the film has encouraged them to practice inclusive behaviours in their own creative practice and professional endeavours; how they will look at new ways of making people feel safe and that premises are doing the same. The film has helped change perceptions about burlesque for people outside of the industry. Bold Bodies was screened as part of a three day Leeds Hospitality event. It was used as a training tool for the hospitality sector to reflect on their practice. The event proceeding will be made into podcast. Bold Bodies also created an impact in terms of partnership building. I was invited to contribute to Liverpool's Night Time Economy Summit 2026 by our project partner, the Night Time Industry Association. I convened a panel on 'Sex Workers and Nightlife: Destigmatizing and Supporting'. Two panellists were explicitly links to networks built through on the project. One panellist, Alison Carr, who is the Union Representative for Strippers came to our end of project event when we screened Bold Bodies at Leeds Playhouse. |
| URL | https://linktr.ee/fabulousfemininities |
| Description | The key findings from our project are as follows: • Safer spaces and places for women require an alignment with cis/non-binary/trans- women values • People with complex vulnerabilities and intersectional trauma/s need their testimonials heard, recognised, and understood by decision makers. • Safer spaces and places for women are a process not a destination. • Linked-up approaches built upon an ethics of care generate positive outcomes. Our research participants come from grassroots cis, trans and non-binary women-aligned communities (including kink, sex-positive and queer) and have an established knowledge base and competencies about safety and inclusivity. These include clear principles about issues relevant to the personal safety of women, such as: • Enthusiastic consent, bodily autonomy, and personal agency. • Access rights of women, queer, trans and non-binary bodies in public spaces. • Organisational accountability and responsibilities about women in the night-time industry. • Mental wellbeing and the cultural value of self-worth. |
| Exploitation Route | The findings have been shared with the Home Office, along with a link to the project film, as evidence towards their Violence Against Women and Girls strategy that will be published later in 2025. |
| Sectors | Creative Economy Healthcare Government Democracy and Justice |
| Description | The findings are helping to inform safer spaces in the hospitality sector in Leeds in term of values, standards and behaviours. The researcher, Jacki Willson has also been interviewed for a BBC Culture article, 'It makes me Strong' (https://www.bbc.co.uk/culture/article/20250716-is-burlesque-empowering-or-degrading-to-women) and for an article by Vicki Larson 'How burlesque heals its dancers' (2026) for the Greater Good Science Research Centre, University of California, Berkeley. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2025 |
| Sector | Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal |
| Description | International Day of Older People |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A talk at an International Day of Older People event followed by a performance from a mature burlesque performer and a brief interview on local radio. This stimulated discussions about aging and performance from members of the public, and follow up positive social media coverage around aging and empowerment. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.instagram.com/p/DA3EbVRs_Pz/ |
| Description | Stirchley Cinema |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Fabulous Feminities documentary was shown at Stirchley independent cinema in Birmingham on 28th June 2024 as part of their Pride programming with a follow up panel afterwards with the film-makers and one member of the cast. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.instagram.com/p/C8xvDsAix9p |
| Description | Symposium on Consent Culture in the Arts |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | A talk delivered on consent culture in burlesque to practitioners in the arts. This talk provided an opportunity to position burlesque as a "legitimate" art and share its approach towards consent for practitioners unfamiliar with the form. It generated questions and positive interest from the audience and increased social media engagement after the event. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.instagram.com/p/DCoKU21MVHZ/ |