Ecdysiology: An Introduction

Welcome to the tantalizing world of Ecdysiology which, for our purposes, means "the study of erotic entertainers who undress on-stage."  The word "ecdysiast" was created in the 1940s by American journalist H.L. Mencken, which he swiped from the biological process "ecdysis," or the action in which bugs, snakes, or crustaceans molt, peel, or shed their outer layer.

If you know me, you know I've always been overtly fascinated with erotica.  This preoccupation started at twelve years of age when my friend and next door neighbor found in the woods, coldly discarded like a litter of unwanted kittens, a Playboy magazine.  It was the 1987 Christmas issue, oversized, glossy, precious to we who grew up before the internet; fat, luring, taboo, oozing with that which all pubescent boys longed to understand: soft, curvy, voluptuous woman flesh.

He somehow managed to smuggle home this most precious bounty, and to me this friend became my Joseph Smith, come back from the wilderness a prophet bearing holy relics, selected by God to deliver unto me the truth of His most bewitching creation. We agreed to share possession of the magazine, whisking it from his house to mine, my house to his, covertly in backpacks or under our shirts, with regularity comparable to custody of a child.  I cannot speak for him, but I know I became an eager student of nudity, seeking only the infrequent naked images tucked throughout the 100+ magazine pages like easter eggs.  I studied every fleshy photo to absorption, until I could recreate them perfectly in my mind's eye; a sloping breast, a winding buttock, a moist set of lips, a slick strip of public hair, all pulled from my memory as easily as if taking it from my pocket.  I memorized nakedness like an actor memorizes lines, or a lawyer memorizes laws.  In knowledge of the twenty-some instances of nudity within that single publication, I held a doctorate.

As is the fate of all mischievous children, we were eventually caught.  My parents, who despite being lapsed were still very much Catholic, shamelessly shamed me for this transgression, little realizing that such chastisement further intensified my preoccupation regarding the topic.  Why was it wrong to see naked women?  Why is lust a bad thing?  How is sex obscene?  To this very day, to this VERY BLOG, the quest for these answers has been a guiding compulsion throughout my life and professional career.

The proceeding content is intended to contain the research for my next graphic novel, which will center around the glory days of burlesque and the forgotten strippers who made it glorious.  I hope for it to also act as a resource for others curious about Ecdysiology, most notably about Ecdysiasts from the Golden Age of burlesque, circa 1950-1970.  History has not been terribly concerned about preserving the women of this era.  Much has been forgotten about even the greatest performers from this time: Tempest Storm, Lily St. Cyr, Blaze Starr, Sally Rand, Virginia "Ding Dong" Bell, Ann Corio, Jennie Lee... all these women were once household names in the United States, weekly fodder for newspapers from coast to coast, as famous and recognizable as any contemporary pop celebrity.  Today who cares for their memory, or the impact they had on American culture?  And what of those lesser stars; Anita Ventura, Dolores Duvaughn, Lorraine Burnette, Jackie Miller, Eileen Maxwell, Terri Burton, June King, Paula Page, Cherri Knight, Rosina Revelle, Betty Kidder, Candy Earle, Bobbie Reynolds, Donna "Busty" Brown, Donna Drake, Donna Watkins???  Who even remembers them at all? 

I want to remember them.  I want to tell their story, and to tell it well, as it deserves to be told. 

The amount of research that I will need in order to do this seems impossible.  Hundreds of thousands of articles will need to be found and read and organized.  Thousands of pictures will need to be catalogued and restored.  This will take much money, and even more time.  It is a heavy, hulking task...

... but it is also a task I was built for.  My vision for this project is inspired, my work-ethic solid, my resources superior, my desire limitless. It is as if thirty years ago God Himself came down from heaven to craft my fate, by His own hand putting that Playboy in the woods to command unto me, "Go forth in thy manhood and telleth the story of these sexy ladies and howeth they changed America just by taking off their clothes."

You got it, God.  Thy will be done.

Join me as I learn and create and grow this incredible story.  There will be a lot of tits, I promise.  It's gonna be great.