For fifteen years, Seattle’s Capitol Hill has played home to the first Babeland retail shop; but did you know that it also hosts the monthly Capitol Hill Art Walk? On the second Tuesday of each month, a host of local businesses and galleries along the busy Pike/Pine corridor throw open their doors for an evening of visual art and performances. Not to be excluded, Babeland Seattle proudly participates by offering everything from figural paintings to down-n-delicious burlesque routines. This month is no different, as we’re tickled pink to display the work of photographer Dale Rio.

In the mid-20th Century, burlesque held sway as one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the US, with performers enjoying a status similar to that of Hollywood starlets.
But in the 1960’s and ‘70’s, the relatively innocent allure of burlesque fell victim to the more explicit, instant gratification of gentlemen’s clubs. Many performers retired and burlesque halls closed down.
In the mid-1990’s, burlesque was revived from its slumber by a new generation of performers nostalgic for the sophisticated tease of days gone by.
Unlike their historic counterparts, most of today’s performers don’t earn a living from burlesque. They do it for the love of performing, to perpetuate an art form that they admire, and to be part of a community of like-minded women. Most have “normal” jobs, and “Night and Day” explores the dichotomy between the glamour of performers’ burlesque personas and the reality of their day-to-day lives.
Dale Rio
April 25, 2008

You Are Invited to Attend the Capitol Hill Art Walk
Babeland Seattle features photographer Dale Rio
Tuesday, June 10, 06:00PM, FREE!

See the women who grace the burlesque stage in costume at their oftentimes unglamorous day jobs in the photographic portrait series “Night and Day: Burlesque in the Workplace” by Dale Rio. “Night and Day” explores the dichotomy between the glamour of burlesque performers’ personas and the reality of their day-to-day lives.

P.S. As a little added bonus, Babeland’s own Darlinda Just Darlinda (pictured one of our retail locations) is but one of the featured Burly-Q beauties.

Sometimes a news organization can surprise you. Foxnews.com has a terrific column on sex and disability this week. I highly recommend giving the whole thing a read since it’s a great 101 on sex and disability and has simple and easy-to-understand explanations.

Reading the article made me realize that talking about sex and disability is an amazing way of exposing the underlying assumptions about sex that so many of us make. For instance:

Sex is all about bodies: Between what someone looks like and what their parts are and how we manipulate those parts, we often forget that the most important sex organ is our brain. Our level of arousal, our focus, our dirty thoughts, our imagination - all of that comes from the brain and without it, our sex lives would be dull, if non-existent.

Real sex has to involve certain activities: “sex” can mean a lot of things, depending on who you are and what you like to do. It doesn’t have to involve certain body parts going into other body parts, etc. Many different forms of intimate expression are sex for people.

Able-bodied sex is easier and more fulfilling than non able-bodied sex: There’s good sex and bad sex out there and it’s being had by everyone, no matter how their bodies or minds work. Thoughtful, conscious, considerate sex depends entirely on the person, not what their body can do.

The best sex just happens: People in the movies have hot, spontaneous sex but in reality, the best sex tends to be with people who know us (and know what we like). Planning can be sexy - set a date and time and then send each other dirty e-mails about what you’re going to do. Or, send teasing photographs of an elbow or better yet, a wrist with handcuffs on it. Planning for sex can actually increase the excitement.

Thinking through sex and disability is a great reminder of all of the sexual baggage that we walk around with everyday - our assumptions and our expectations - and maybe it will help us put some of that baggage down