‘Self-worth as a community asset: co- authoring burlesque’s protected and deregulated spaces as good practice’

Value

£11089.22

Description

The project documents and disseminates 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 shares 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 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 initial AHRC funded 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 seeks 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.

Impact

Special Mention for Mature Cultural Impact awarded to Jacki Willson for the project ‘Fabulous Femininities: extending and sharing burlesque’s inclusive and safe spaces as good practice’. Presented on 20th November, 2024 at the Research Impact and Engagement Award ceremony at the University of Leeds.

Publications and outputs

Fabulous Feminities documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=EkW3Om8dLjM 

Project website

https://fabulousfemininities.co.uk/