Dita Von Teese's Life as a Showgirl

Nov 16, 2025

Dita Von Teese, an iconic burlesque performer renowned for reinventing vintage glamour, shares her journey from a small-town girl to a global sensation. She reveals how a childhood disappointment with a plain bra sparked her mission for beauty. Dita discusses the evolution of her stage persona and her artistic collaboration with Taylor Swift on 'Bejeweled.' She delves into the nature of her performances, balancing sensuality with empowerment, and reflects on maintaining privacy in a world of oversharing. Get ready for insights on her upcoming show, Nocturnelle!

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INSIGHT

Beauty As Intentional Power

Beauty and persona can be deliberately crafted as a form of power and storytelling.
Dita built a lifelong mission from a teenage disappointment with ordinary lingerie into a deliberate aesthetic career.

INSIGHT

Creativity Born From Scarcity

Limited access to references forced Dita to invent original burlesque choreography and aesthetics.
Scarcity of examples encouraged creative problem-solving and a unique performance language.

ANECDOTE

How 'Dita Von Teese' Emerged

Dita adopted the stage name 'Dita' while stripteasing and later accepted 'Von Teese' after a magazine misprint.
She didn't plan a career; the name and path evolved from youthful choices and chance.

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Dita Von Teese has spent her life turning beauty into power.

Born Heather Sweet in small-town Michigan, she grew up dreaming of old Hollywood glamour, satin corsets, and the kind of femininity that shimmered on the silver screen. When she opened her first bra as a teenager—a plain white cotton thing inside a plastic egg—she was deeply disappointed. That moment, she says, is where it all began. If the world wouldn’t make things beautiful, she would.

In this conversation, Dita opens up about the art and discipline behind the spectacle that made her a global icon. She talks about her early days as a model and Playboy cover star, the power and intention behind creating the Dita Von Teese persona, and how she’s kept mystery alive in a world prone to oversharing.

She also shares what it was like collaborating with Taylor Swift on Bejeweled and how rare it is, even now, to be approached by another artist with such genuine respect for her craft. Dita explains that while many have imitated her, Taylor came to her as a true collaborator.

Now, as she brings her new show Nocturnelle to Australia in 2026, Dita talks about control, longevity, and the quiet strength behind the glamour. Click here for tour information.

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CREDITS:

Guest: Dita Von Teese

Host: Kate Langbroek

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Bree Player

Audio Producer: Tina Matolov

Video Producer: Julian Rosario

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

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