While I do agree with you that bulesque, as an art form, doesn’t have EVERYTHING to do with “taking it off” to say it doesn’t have ANYTHING to do with stripping isn’t quite true either – especially in this most recent surge of underground burlesque that has been hitting the downtown scene. To expect a little more skin isn’t necessarily a misdirected expectation. And for Lina to voice that expectation doesn’t necessarily mean she has no knowledge of the history of burlesque. Regardless . . . to call it “an embarrassment” for the site lies in the eye of the reader, I would think.

What I’m glad for here is the openness of discussion. Lina said what she had to say about the topic, and your reply, though a bit prickly, ensued such that the end result was additional information on the topic – or at least a notion that if people wish to explore it further – they should.

I would like to see this continue here on The Happiest Medium; where we keep cultivating an atmosphere in which people feel free to share opinions and information. What better way to educate ourselves, expand our views, and understand each other more completely?

The more we are able to communicate skillfully all the way around and have genuine curiosity for why someone believes the way they do, the more we can have that valuable, open exchange.