Is Burlesque Demeaning to Women?

The article on Millie Dollar I linked a few posts back sparked a bit of a controversy among readers, one of whom said, 'It is mostly men who attend these shows and they are quite happy to ogle the women and treat them as nothing more than sex objects.'

Sadly, the other letters intended to respond to that statement were quite inadequate as arguments. While I realize not everyone has studied philosophy, I didn't find myself admiring the persuasiveness of ANY of the letter writers.

Fortunately, this article makes quite a bit more sense:
'The phenomenal rise of burlesque over the past years has been propelled by its popularity among women. There were men in the room, but mostly they were under the protective wing of female friends. It was girls’ night. ... 'There is a growing industry supporting the increasing popularity of burlesque. As satirical as it may be, it remains happily within the world of erotica. It is a fun and sophisticated branch of erotica, however, that encourages women to participate as consumers and producers and relegates the male eye to a secondary place while playing with what attracts it.'

I love a thinker who actually thinks.

'It isn't what I do, but how I do it. It isn't what I say, but how I say it, and how I look when I do it and say it.'
Mae West