|
by
Liz Goldwyn
This
interview was originally published
in the October 5, 2000 Velvet Hammer
souvenir programme.
|
Zorita
owned and operated several of her own strip/burlesque joints during
her long career. When burlesque died and blue movies came in, Zorita
was operating a club in Miami with another female partner. However liberal
Zorita was, she would not come in to the club when her partner booked
Linda “Deep Throat” Lovelace as she felt it was immoral.
Zorita comments mercilessly on my own appearance. She tells me I need
to wear more elegant shoes, curl my hair, and not be so “lazy.”
This I find amusing, as she certainly didn’t conform to any particular
standards of beauty in her day. But she has very strict ideas about
what a woman should look like. I guess this comes from years of cultivating
the girls in her stable into the sort of elegant stripteasers found
on the stages of burlesque shows.
The last day I am with Zorita she has me try on her own costume, a floor-length
white beaded gown with hooks up the back for easy undress. I had tried
it on over my dress the day before which she thought was appalling and
very “unflattering.” She keeps egging me to try the dress
without anything underneath and poking fun at my modesty so I reluctantly
take her up on it.
She helps me into the dress in her bedroom, telling me that she’s
seen “a million knockers” when I turn my back to her as I
undress. Zorita has told me that she gave up sex years ago — all
she does is think about it occasionally. Zorita stuffs tissue into the
bust of the dress as I don’t quite have the same measurements as
she and we go outside to her pool where she teaches me how to use the
fans Sally Rand had given her. She gives me orders, “Don’t
hide your face. Stand up straight. Emphasize your knockers.” Along
with criticisms, “that’s not sexy. That’s clumsy.”
I feel like I am a little girl playing dress up. For the first time
I know that the clothes and the stance are only part of the character.
I don’t feel the confidence, the sexuality that Zorita seemed to
radiate. I would never have the guts to even play at taking off the
costume the way Zorita would have or to imagine myself dancing in front
of an audience. It is a fascination felt from afar — costumes allow
me to pretend to be a character without performance. The element of
power Zorita had over her audience and, unconsciously or not, of her
own sexuality is something that I remain awed by. And in fact, Zorita
is still as beautiful, earthy and provocative as her stage persona,
60 years later.
click
to continue
|
