Fabulous Femininities project celebrated for Mature Cultural Impact
The research team was awarded a Special Mention for Mature Cultural Impact at the prestigious Research and Impact Engagement Awards on 20 November 2024
The AHRC-funded ‘Fabulous Femininities’ project, led by the School of Performance and Cultural Industries’ Dr Jacki Willson (Principal Investigator), with Co-Investigator Professor Alice O’Grady and Postdoctoral Researcher Dr Daisy Johnson, has been awarded a Special Mention for Mature Cultural Impact at the University’s prestigious Research and Impact Engagement Awards.
The initial three-year Fabulous Femininities project explored the UK-wide burlesque industry, examining the psychological, social, cultural, and political significance of costume within the art form. Building on its success, the current AHRC follow-on project is creating a grassroots framework for safer spaces within the Night-Time Industry. With plans underway to scale up this work internationally, the project’s reach and influence continue to grow.
This accolade follows the Leeds Arts and Humanities Research Institute’s (LAHRI) AHRC Research Showcase on 6 November 2024 where the Fabulous Femininities project featured prominently in a curated poster exhibition. Dr Willson also joined a research impact panel on the day, highlighting the project’s innovative approaches.
The project’s impact extends into film, with the longform documentary Fabulous Femininities (Willson and Mason-Bertrand, 2023) garnering international acclaim. It has been selected for the Targovski Grant and screened at 14 film festivals, including Ghent, Amsterdam, and most recently, Hanoi’s International Film Week in Vietnam.
Looking ahead, the team is producing a testimonial compendium film, as part of the follow-on project on Safer Spaces, which will be showcased at the project’s end-of-event in March 2025 to a range of stakeholders. Additionally, Dr Willson and Professor O’Grady have been invited by Michael Kill, CEO of the Night-Time Industry Association, to present burlesque’s grassroots approaches to safer, inclusive spaces at the Night-Time Industry Summit in Birmingham on 5-6 February 2025.
