Dita Von Teese, the showgirl Issue #34

From small-town Michigan girl to fierce style icon, the self-made woman built her career from the Midwest up. She’s big on being her own boss, creating style on a budget, and owning her sexuality.

By Amy Schroeder & Constanze Lyndsay Han
Published: December 1st, 2007 | 4:04pm

“My personal style is inspired by the exaggeration of femininity,” says Dita Von Teese while on a trip in Italy for a striptease performance. “I love artifice. I love that it’s possible to create beauty — I live for glamour.”

Von Teese is a rare kind of celebrity – a burlesque dancer, actress, model, author, and businesswoman who has created her own category of famous. She possesses a number of intriguing traits —sexy, mysterious, ambitious, creative, style icon — and is an alluring alternative to the all-American beauty. Von Teese is adored by goth rockers, burlesque fans, the haute-couture set, and young feminists.

Emulating her idols — screen stars Marlene Dietrich, Hedy Lamarr, Rita Hayworth, and Betty Grable — Von Teese is a walking rendition of her primary inspirations in life: art, films of the past and present, the history of showgirls and burlesque, fashion, and dreams.

“I am always inspired by eccentric women like The Marchesa Casati, Anna Piaggi, and Isabella Blow,” she says. “I love courageous women of style, women who didn’t care what people said about the way they dressed or wore their makeup.”

Born Heather Renée Sweet in 1972 in Rochester, Michigan — her mother, a manicurist, and her father, a machinist — Von Teese began dancing ballet at an early age. After her family relocated to Orange County, California, she landed a solo gig for a small ballet company when she was 13. Though she reached her peak as a dancer at 15, Von Teese continues to incorporate elements of ballet into her burlesque shows. As a teenager, she got a job as a salesperson for a lingerie store and eventually was promoted to be a buyer. Upon graduating high school, she studied historic costuming at Orange Coast Community College and aspired to work as a stylist for period films.

Von Teese launched her burlesque career in a local strip club at 19. Inspired by her love of 1940s film — triggered by her mother’s passion for Golden-era Hollywood cinema — she created a retro-inspired look complete with a beehive and elbow-length gloves. After gaining recognition for her signature vintage style in the fetish world, Von Teese appeared on the covers of several magazines, including Bizarre and Marquis, and the book The Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage. She landed on the pages of Playboy several times, including a cover in December 2002, to which she owes the story of her last name. Originally known simply as “Dita” for silent-film actress Dita Parlo, she adopted “Von Teese” after the magazine asked for a last name. After flipping through a phonebook and selecting “Von Treese”, the publication misspelled it. Adoring the typo, Dita Von Teese was born.

Often called the Queen of Burlesque, Von Teese loves the theatrical side of striptease, including creating her own props. Her trademark performances involve her dipping into a giant martini glass, and one of her popular dances features the world’s largest feather fans, which were are on display in Hollywood's Erotic Museum.

Von Teese is a performer so it’s no surprise that her career has crossed over into acting with upcoming roles in feature-length films Saint Francis and The Boom Boom Room. In the latter, she stars as a gold digger-turned-exotic dancer alongside Willie Nelson and Katherine Helmond (Mona from Who’s the Boss). She’s a spokesperson for PETA and a face for the MAC Viva Glam campaign to raise money for AIDS research. (One hundred percent of the selling price of every Viva Glam lipstick goes directly to helping people who are living with HIV, which has raised almost $100 million.)

“It’s amazing to have this chance to encourage young women to take charge and be in control of their sexuality, insist on safe sex, carry condoms, and be powerful sexual forces,” she says.

In 2006, Von Teese released the book Burlesque and the Art of the Teese and is working on her second about creating retro and eccentric glamour. For someone so seemingly bold, we discovered she’s actually quiet and reserved. When Von Teese arrived for the Venus Zine photo shoot, she dodged any sort of grand entrance ducked into the bathroom before starting the session. A savvy businesswoman, professional, to-the-point, and easy to work with, Von Teese has not only created her image — she owns it and controls it. The work has definitely paid off. Here, she talks about paying her dues.

Is Dita Von Teese a character you’ve created? How much of “Dita” is a public or stage persona, and how much of it is a reflection of who you are when you are at home with friends and family?
The look is all created and is the same onstage and offstage essentially, but my personality remains unchanged. There is no “Dita vs. Heather.” There’s no “character,” no “thing” I have to turn on for the public, or to be “on” when I’m performing. I get a bit more shy in public, but that’s the only real difference. I’m a quiet person until I’m around people I know. And the persona, the look I have, it’s been with me since the early ’90s, so I don’t really think about “putting it on.”

There’s something about you that really draws people’s interest in a great way. What do you think it is about you that makes you so appealing to a diverse audience?
Maybe they appreciate the fact that I’m all about being who I am, who I want to be. I do what I like. I’m not trying to be what everyone says I should be. An actress, a pop star? Sure, I could be more famous, maybe more “respectable,” perhaps richer, but I like what I do, I like being a showgirl, and I’m fine with being a called a stripper. I love it!

What is sexy? I’m offering up an alternative version of beauty, and I’m saying that what I am, anyone can be if they want. I’m no stunning supermodel or cutesy little girl, I’m all about wearing makeup, and lots of it, and admitting my boobs are fake. I’m not trying to pretend that I’m naturally anything. I believe in glamour and using what you’ve got and encouraging others to do the same if they want. I hear a lot from young girls who look at the women in the media, and they don’t feel pretty because they don’t look like models. I’m saying you can dress it up, learn the art of glamour, and it’s fun! The world is losing its eccentrics — it’s a world of where we’re all told we should be normal. It’s boring.

You’ve become an international superstar and icon. Aside from being beautiful and stylish, what do you believe sets you apart from other burlesque performers?
I’ve done a lot of homework, and no one can say I didn’t pay my dues over the years. I started studying up on and performing more than 17 years ago. I’ve watched the burlesque trend unfold, and it’s been a really interesting experience. It wasn’t always champagne and roses for me. It was hard in the early ’90s when people didn’t know what burlesque was. Even now, I get the occasional “What does she actually do, anyway?”

I’m a showgirl! It’s a centuries-old profession, and burlesque is an important part of American entertainment history. There was a time when everyone knew what burlesque was and who the stars were.

But, really, who knows why I’m at the forefront? I am sure there are plenty of people who have their opinions, but no one who has followed my 17-year career or knows me can say my heart’s not in it or that I don’t work hard for it. I like to think that integrity counts for something. But maybe someone else will say it’s luck or that I was in the right place at the right time. Maybe it’s a little bit of everything: luck, hard work, longevity, attention to detail, good publicity, bad publicity. Who’s to say?

Do you believe you achieved this unparalleled success in part due to being a smart and savvy businesswoman?
I was really serious about investing money, putting a value on my acts, and making contracts. In the beginning, in the early ’90s, I didn’t really have much competition. There wasn’t anyone like me at the time, so it was easy for me to hold out and get paid to do my shows, make appearances, and to pose for pinups. As much as I wanted to do all the shows and photo shoots that came my way, I stood my ground and thought like a businesswoman — it was all a game of sorts, and I liked playing manager. I actually had a pseudonym, a fax machine, and legal letters and contracts. I would make a heck of a manager someday if I need a career to fall back on.

But of course, I made mistakes, and that’s all part of it too. And when I was working in strip clubs in the very beginning, I saved my money, budgeted, invested, and figured it could be over at any moment. I’ve always sort of had this “saving for a rainy day” mentality, and I always live as though nothing lasts forever. It’s a fine line between “you can’t take it with you” and “save your pennies.”

What were your childhood aspirations?
I wanted to be a ballerina. But I wasn’t good enough, even with a lifetime of dedication to it. Sometimes you have to be realistic and be innovative – that’s how I became a burlesque dancer. It’s really the way a lot of burlesque queens in the old days were made — they were dancers, performers who left vaudeville or didn’t go to Hollywood and ended up finding success in the burlesque theaters in America.

What was the motivation for your career choices — stripper to burlesque performer — and how did you first get turned on to burlesque?
I was motivated by wanting to do something unique and wanting to be independent. I liked to entertain myself, by creating my own adventures. I liked trying lots of new things and dressing vintage. Shooting retro-style pinup photos and dancing were hobbies that turned into money-makers eventually. I was motivated by the challenge of bringing things as controversial as glamorous fetishism and classic striptease into the mainstream and by offering up an alternative style of sexy.

A photographer once told me that if I wanted to make it, I should go back to my original, natural blonde hair color, get a “healthy” looking tan, stop looking so “done.” I didn’t see the point in being what already existed. I thought that was a ridiculous idea — to try to fit in. Besides the fact that I look very ordinary that way, I thought that there must be other people out there who have different ideas of what is beautiful and what is sexy.

How do you deal with your success?
I’m still completely shocked. I’m in Italy right now [in August 2007], and I walked outside of my hotel to a crowd of a few hundred people, and I was asking my manager what celebrity was staying at my hotel. I honestly can’t comprehend that they were there for me. I look over my shoulder to see who’s behind me a lot, but I’m really just happy to have the recognition. It’s been a long “character-building” and strange experience.

I’m dancing at strip joints, underground clubs, fetish clubs… one minute I’m hauling my own martini glass onto a stage somewhere in a small town, pressing play on the CD player, and then fast-forward a decade later, and I’m here in Italy facing a mob of fans and paparazzi. I was always just happy to be playing dress-up and going onstage, whether it was in a local fetish club or a rave, but it’s nice to have this kind of recognition, and opportunity. I pushed myself, and I had confidence but never the audacity or ego to think I should be famous for it. Sometimes I miss the good old strip-club days of going onstage and just winging it, with no pressure. But I don’t miss hauling my own props on and off stage.

When did it hit you that you’d become a huge star?
Good God, I never, ever feel like a huge star. With every milestone, there comes a little thought like, “This must be my big moment — better enjoy it while it’s here!” I am constantly basking in my 15 minutes. I don’t believe my own publicity. I’m not trying to be humble. I honestly just think it’s nice that some people like what I do, and I’m glad I get to make a living doing something I love. And believe me, I have been around that celebrity-ego crap, and it’s impossible to live with. It’s the most vulgar thing ever. A bit funny and cute at first … until you realize it’s real.

What are your aspirations?
I want to make the grandest, most lavish showgirl spectacle of all time. I don’t want to make a replica of an old burlesque show. I want to show the world all the potential that burlesque could have had with all the technical advances we have now.

As for my next book, I think it’s high time that there was a book that teaches rule-breaking glamour. I’ve been obsessed with mastering 1930s and ’40s hair and makeup for almost 20 years, and I want to teach everything I know about it, and above all, I want to tell people that it’s OK to want to be different, to present yourself in a way that doesn’t follow the standards. I’m tired of beauty magazines and books that set all these rules, rules about how to look “normal” and acceptable.

What’s your advice for achieving great style without busting the bank?
It’s quite easy to be glamorous and stylish on a budget. I shopped at vintage stores and flea markets when I had practically no budget. I remember being complimented by Jean Paul Gaultier the first time I met him — I was wearing a $20 dress with a $40 hat. I would study pictures, films, and magazines and I would try to emulate the looks my favorite designers made. Back in 1991 to 1993, I had dressing like a Vivienne Westwood model down to a science with next to no money. As soon as you stop thinking “I can’t afford that” and start looking around, you see that it’s possible to capture the spirit of the look you want to achieve. You have to be determined and actually try.

Can you talk about the various creative aspects of your job?
I’m my own producer, director, and stylist. I enjoy being my own boss and creating my shows to my own tastes. I would hate to have to answer to anyone about making my shows. I am very hands-on, and the only other input I really trust is that of my best friend, Catherine D’Lish. She works with me on all the creative aspects of the show, and she makes the costumes.

Can you talk about the process of conceptualizing an idea and making it a tangible outfit? Is it a collaborative effort?
[D’Lish] is my one and only. We’re two girls with a burlesque dream. She’s basically my creative director — we make every show together and are on the same wavelength without a doubt. Catherine and I come up with ideas, and some of them work and some don’t.

Sometimes it starts with a color, a certain shade and type of feather, or a certain Swarovski crystal that has us wondering how 300,000 of them look on one gown under a spotlight. Or we might say, “Hey, wouldn’t this be funny?” And we laugh and laugh and then think, “Actually, that might be sexy too!” Everything starts with us thinking it would be humorous. Then we order the rhinestones and the feathers, and it’s painful … it’s expensive. The costumes take months, even years, to complete. The props are carefully planned; it takes a lot of time to work out the way they work and how they break down to ship around the world. Once the costume and the prop are ready, we lock ourselves up and work on making it a show. Usually, there are lots of bruises and pains involved. It all seems like it will be so fun and so easy. But more often than not, there we are, staring at this thing we made and wondering what we got ourselves into.

The “Lipteese” show I made for MAC Viva Glam is a good example. We have this mechanical bull with a giant lipstick attached to it, and it’s bucking and spinning wildly, and we just looked at each other terrified. I made my manager take the first ride because she was a trick rider as a kid. I finally got the courage to get on it and work out the number, and I couldn’t walk for days and days afterward because my thighs hurt so badly. But it’s still hilarious every time, and it’s the most fun show I’ve ever done.

There are always little challenges that come along with every show. For instance, one of the newest costumes is so heavy with Swarovski crystal — about 75 pounds — and I can’t really dance in it until pieces start coming off. We had to have my shoes modified to make it possible to even walk with stability. But it’s worth it. When that spotlight hits that much Swarovski crystal, there is nothing like it in the world.