The Practice of Early Strippers in Postwar Japan:

Izumi Saori

doi:10.32237/arcs.10.0_101

This paper discusses early striptease in Japan, which began in 1947. It explores the working conditions of the strippers from materials of the time, takes up their discourse, and focuses on the fact that stripping is not a one-sided spectacle but an act of “looking back” at the audiences.<br> 　The strippers of this period came from a variety of backgrounds. Because successful strippers could earn more than in other professions, many started stripping for a living. Nevertheless, although it was observed as a form of entertainment, audiences looked at them with pity. However, some of the strippers regarded stripping as an art form. This paper points out that the strippers' aspiration for “art” and the act of “looking back” at the audience for that, was to overturn the audience's pity and onesided sexual objectification.<br> 　Moreover, in the “live” performance space of striptease, the audience and the stripper's gaze are directly connected, unlike in film or photography, and the audience's reaction influences the stripper's motivation to dance. Striptease in the afore-mentioned period also enabled the performers to express themselves in a way that deviated from the sexual norms of the time.<br> 　Striptease at that time provided women with a way to earn a salary without directly selling their bodies; however, the working environment was problematic. This paper also points out that the “agentic” discourse of strippers in the media is biased toward the voices of strippers who were famous and profitable.

The Practice of Early Strippers in Postwar Japan:

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