Margaret Cho: The Sensuous Woman

Austin Young
Standup comic diva Margaret Cho has been working the burlesque scene since April in her show “The Sensuous Woman.â€? It plays the third Wednesday of every month in Los Angeles at El Cid, and monthly in San Francisco at The Plush Room. She hopes to take it monthly to New York City starting in October, and is working on booking a Minnesota show with local burlesque troupe Foxy Tann and the Wham Bam Thank You Ma’ams for December 8th.
Margaret is also still doing standup, and incorporates comedy in all of her burlesque shows. She spoke to me from her home in Glendale, California. Here’s Margaret…

How did you first get started in burlesque? And what made you want to start?
Just watching other shows. I think it’s so cool. I always felt really fat, weird, and not comfortable with my body. And I just thought it was amazing going to these burlesque shows and seeing women whose bodies are very similar to mine, at least, and who were not totally skinny or whatever. And they were so great and comfortable with themselves. I was just really amazed by that. And I fell really in love with that. And so I really just wanted to get more involved in that world. I just thought it was so cool. And I wanted to find out more about it and be a part of it.
Did you do any particular training?
No, not really because I’ve been dancing as a belly dancer for a couple of years now. I have had training there, but not in burlesque at all.
So, you started out as a belly dancer and for the same reasons?
Yeah.
I noticed that there’s a belly dance line of clothing associated with you. Do you have your own line?
Not really. I do but I don’t. They’re not really a line of clothing. They’re just belly dance costumes that I have made for other dancers that are available or you can buy. Or I make them for some people for free.
Can you describe “The Sensuous Woman� burlesque show for readers who haven’t seen it yet?
It’s a show that really kind of incorporates a lot of things, but mostly it celebrates women’s bodies and is a place where we can be comfortable. You don’t really see real women’s bodies in movies at all. You just see teenagers, like really young ones, and we don’t have any other experience of women’s bodies other than that. I think it’s very revolutionary.


Do you incorporate comedy about current events in your shows?
Yes. And I also do comedy about the body and talking about a lot of different things. It’s a very cool show.
What do you think makes your burlesque show different or similar to other burlesque shows?
I think that it’s different because it’s kind of focused more on body acceptance. It has a little bit of a different feeling.
Do you have running themes or do you do a different show each time?
No, we don’t have a running theme. [We do a different show each time.]
Some of the proceeds from many of your shows go to causes you support. What have been some of the causes?
It depends. I do a lot of benefits. A lot. Most of the [shows] go to different causes but not all of them. I give to different kinds of organizations. Like we’re doing one to give to the Women’s Community Clinic, a really important women’s clinic in San Francisco. I’ve done a couple for them before. We did one for Habitat for Humanity. We do a lot of different types of benefits.
What has been some of the feedback you have received from some of your burlesque shows?
People really love it. It’s really amazing. People are really moved. It’s really empowering and exciting because women really respond to it. It’s been great.


Would you say mostly women go to your shows or is it mixed?
It’s mixed but I think it’s mostly women. And mostly women have a lot to say about it after. They’re just really, really excited.
Have you received any negative feedback?
Not really. No.
Has anyone criticized your burlesque show as being anti-feminist? Or have you noticed a difference between how women of the second wave generation view your show versus how younger women or women of the third wave view it?
It seems to me that some second wave feminists really hate any form of overt sexual display because they see it as pandering to the male gaze. I think third wave feminists are more open to using sexualized performance to make statements and to turn sexual stereotypes upside down. I look at the audience at my burlesque shows and it is always overwhelmingly female and so “pandering to the male gaze� doesn’t make sense to me because if that is so, where are the males and what are they looking at?

What do your parents think about your show, especially your famous mom?
They love it.
Do you have any upcoming projects coming up?
No, this is it. But I’m also working on a television show that I’m not really sure what’s in it yet.

What are some current events or issues that have been in your mind a lot lately?
I’m mad about the whole no liquids ban. They won’t let you bring lip gloss. I think it’s ridiculous. And I think it’s just bullshit. I think it’s just a big distraction so that people won’t see or won’t look at how bad [President] George Bush is doing. It’s just so insane. The war and all the stuff happening in the Middle East, it’s just another dumb distraction so that we will be placated somehow for putting him in office.

Have you done anything about this in your skits lately?
Yeah.
I didn’t know you started standup when you were 16. That’s crazy. Do you remember anything about what that experience was like, or what your worries were then?
Well, I knew that I really wanted to do it. And I knew that I would be really good at it. I knew that it was the right career choice for me and I felt really comfortable, like, right away. But it was a good thing. And it was easy to do. And it was just easy to become a standup comic right from the get-go. So, I’m really glad that I started when I did.
It was an odd choice I guess for a kid. It made sense to me because it was what I always wanted to do.
Did you have any role models that you wanted to be like growing up?
I really loved Whoopi Goldberg. And I really loved Bobcat Goldthwait. They were my heroes when I first started.