Neoliberal Postfeminism, Neo-burlesque, and the Politics of Affect in the Performances of Moira Finucane

Abstract

Sarah French examines the relationship between postfeminism, neoliberalism, and neo-burlesque, and suggests that the contemporary neo-burlesque revival can be read as a troubling example of the dual commodification of performance and the female body in neoliberal times. Reflecting the intersection of postfeminism and neoliberal discourses, neo-burlesque performances frequently create paradoxical representations of female subjectivity that promote sexual agency and abstract notions of empowerment at the expense of politics. However, French proposes that there is simultaneously a resistant feminist burlesque performance practice. Examining subversive gestures and moments of embodied intensity ..