But Sparkles says that there hasn\u2019t been as much change in how people perceive the concept of beauty as she would like to see.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile people are aware of it, I don\u2019t know that it has changed in a huge way around how people feel. I think there\u2019s definitely movement\u2026 primarily on women, but even to men to an extent, and to everyone in between,\u201d she says, adding that there are still unhealthy expectations around vanity within much of society today. \u201cMagazines are still Photoshopping people like crazy.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For Sparkles, one of the unexpected aspects of doing burlesque shows was giving viewers a broader idea of what it meant to be beautiful.<\/p>\n \u201cSeduction is a part of it, but I wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s the biggest part,\u201d says Sparkles. \u201cWe really focus a lot on body positivity, and the tease, and comedy. There\u2019s a bit of seduction and sexiness thrown in there, but we focus a lot on comedy, and not taking ourselves too seriously, and telling a good story.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sparkles says making people laugh and smile while they\u2019re entertained is one rewarding part of being on stage, but the impact goes far deeper than smiles and a good time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think the bigger reward\u2014and what I didn\u2019t know we were doing when we got into it\u2014 is the effects that we have as performers on people in the audience,\u201d says Sparkles. \u201cPretty much after every show, we have somebody come up to us who was so empowered by seeing a range of ages, body sizes, different types of people up on stage and them seeing themselves reflected in that.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sparkles hopes that empowerment of body positivity spreads throughout society. She says people have a really strict view of what constitutes beauty in our society, adding that the show makes people feel \u201csexy in their own skin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what I had got as an audience member before I participated,\u201d says Sparkles, \u201cbut I didn\u2019t know that\u2019s what we would be creating as a troop when we started to perform.\u201d<\/p>\n HOT PINK! is a fundraiser for Peers Victoria Resources Society, an organization that supports outreach, services, and harm reduction for sex workers on Vancouver Island.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s still important to have these conversations and to give people an opportunity to explore in their own bodies, the way they are now,\u201d says Sparkles. \u201cEvery body is a good body.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Cheesecake_Burlesque_pbj_foto_6.jpg\")
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