Fierce: The History of Leopard Print, an interview with Jo Weldon

Summary

Dressed: The History of Fashion
Episode: Fierce: The History of Leopard Print, an Interview with Jo Weldon
Host/Authors: April Callahan & Cassidy Zachary
Guest: Jo Weldon
Release Date: December 26, 2024

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Introduction

In the Fierce: The History of Leopard Print episode of Dressed: The History of Fashion, fashion historians April Callahan and Cassidy Zachary delve into the enduring allure of leopard print with special guest Jo Weldon. As an author, activist, educator, photographer, and prominent figure in the burlesque scene, Weldon brings a multifaceted perspective to the discussion, exploring the pattern's historical roots, cultural significance, and evolving symbolism.

Jo Weldon's Background and Connection to Leopard Print

Jo Weldon introduces herself as the author of The History of Leopard Print and a key player in the American burlesque scene. She shares her personal affinity for leopard print, attributing it to her "punk roots" and a fascination that began in childhood. Weldon's early exposure to iconic figures like Eartha Kitt, who embodied the fierce elegance of leopard motifs, laid the groundwork for her lifelong passion.

[05:00] Jo Weldon: "I thought Eartha Kitt was Catwoman's real name until I realized there were other fabulous catwomen as well."

Historical Origins of Leopard Print

Weldon traces the origins of leopard print back to ancient civilizations, highlighting its association with power, wealth, and religious significance. In ancient Egypt, leopard pelts were symbols of nobility and priesthood, often worn by figures such as Hatshepsut and the goddess Seshat.

[07:06] Jo Weldon: "The leopard was one of [Hatshepsut's] symbols because she had been a priestess."

Cultural Significance Across Different Cultures

The episode explores how various cultures have revered big cats, integrating their patterns into textiles and symbolism. From Dionysus in Greek mythology to representations in Anatolian art, leopard motifs have consistently denoted power and authority.

[08:47] Jo Weldon: "They were clearly some kind of power sharing going on there, some kind of feeding off of each other's power."

Evolution Through Time

18th Century France

Leopard print made its fashionable debut in 18th-century France, influenced by King Louis XVI's fascination with exotic animals. This period saw the integration of leopard motifs into high-fashion garments, symbolizing decadence and leisure before the French Revolution curtailed extravagant displays.

[12:19] Cassidy Zachary: "The print became almost like a playful version of the fur."

Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution democratized fashion, making patterned textiles like leopard print more accessible to the masses. Mechanization allowed for mass production, shifting leopard print from a symbol of exclusivity to a popular novelty among a broader audience.

[20:29] Jo Weldon: "A lot of novelty textiles... begin to become available to more and more people as time passes."

20th Century

Leopard print became synonymous with the femme fatale archetype in early 20th-century media. Icons like Joan Crawford and Nancy Cunard popularized the pattern, associating it with independence and allure.

[21:18] Jo Weldon: "You would see so many of them. And these styles were adopted by flappers and fashionable young women going from the mid-teens into the '20s."

High Fashion and Media Representation

Leopard print has maintained its status in high fashion, with designers like Christian Dior integrating it into haute couture. Dior's 1947 debut collection featured leopard print as a symbol of strength and resilience, inspired by his sister Catherine Dior’s survival during the Resistance.

[24:11] Cassidy Zachary: "And one of the symbols in the ads was the leopard's paw caressing a woman's hand."

Fashion icons and designers continue to champion leopard print, viewing it as a versatile neutral that adds boldness to any ensemble. Quotes from industry leaders like Jenna Lyons and Diana Vreeland underscore its timeless appeal.

[23:06] Cassidy Zachary: "Jenna Lyons... I consider leopard print to be a neutral."

Contrasting Views and Symbolism

While leopard print is celebrated for its glamour and power, it has also faced criticism for being perceived as immodest or morally questionable. This duality stems from societal expectations around women's roles and appearance.

[26:17] Jo Weldon: "There are people who have negative connotations with women not being in the kitchen or on the farm, and those are the people who've given leopard print a bad rap."

Leopard Print and Masculinity

Leopard print's association isn't limited to femininity. Male figures in rock and roll and glam have adopted the pattern to challenge gender norms and express transgression. Icons like David Bowie and Little Richard utilized leopard motifs to blur traditional gender lines and assert individuality.

[31:09] Jo Weldon: "Men in rock and roll have always liked to play with gender... Leopard print was definitely one of the emblems of 'Yeah, I like what I like and I'm not afraid of you and I'm gonna do what I want.'"

Leopard Print in Burlesque and Performance

In the realm of burlesque, leopard print enhances performances with its boldness and elegance. Jo Weldon discusses how the pattern complements the fierce and playful nature of burlesque acts, offering performers a medium to express confidence and redefine beauty standards.

[32:38] Cassidy Zachary: "What I've seen a lot with leopard print... is that it doesn't change meaning, it accumulates meaning."

Feminism and Burlesque

Jo Weldon emphasizes the intersection of leopard print with feminist ideals in burlesque. By reclaiming sexual agency and challenging societal norms, performers use leopard motifs to symbolize strength, resilience, and self-expression. Burlesque becomes a platform for diverse bodies and identities to be celebrated and empowered.

[36:46] Cassidy Zachary: "Concepts of beauty or challenging them entirely, blowing them out of the water."

Advice for Listeners

As the conversation wraps up, Jo Weldon offers inspiring advice to listeners, encouraging them to embrace their passions and connect with others who share their interests.

[38:49] Jo Weldon: "Just love what you love and let people know what you love, and you'll find other people that love it."

Conclusion

The episode concludes with reflections on the complex legacy of leopard print, acknowledging both its glamorous allure and the ethical considerations surrounding its use. Hosts April Callahan and Cassidy Zachary highlight the importance of honoring animal conservation while celebrating the pattern's rich history and cultural significance.

[40:05] April Callahan: "The moral of our story frame friends, honor our animal friends and stick with the prints and woven leopard motifs."

Dressed: The History of Fashion invites listeners to appreciate the multifaceted narrative of leopard print, recognizing its role as a symbol of power, resilience, and unabashed self-expression throughout history.

Transcript

[April Callahan]

Yeah, sure thing. Hey, you sold that car yet?

[Jo Weldon]

Yeah, sold it to Carvana. Oh, I thought you were selling to that guy. The guy who wanted to pay me in foreign currency, no interest over 36 months. Yeah, no. Carvana gave me an offer in minutes, picked it up and paid me on the spot. It was so convenient.

[April Callahan]

Just like that?

[Jo Weldon]

Yeah.

[Cassidy Zachary]

No hassle? None.

[Jo Weldon]

That is super convenient. Sell your car to Carvana and swap hassle. For convenience, pick up. These may apply.

[April Callahan]

Please enjoy this episode from the Dressed Archive. We will be back with season 8 and all new dressed content in February 2025.

[Cassidy Zachary]

With over 7 billion people in the world, we all have one thing in common. Every day, we all get dressed.

[April Callahan]

Welcome to Dressed, the history of fashion, a podcast where we explore the who, what, when of why we wear. We. We are fashion historians and your hosts.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Cassidy Zachary and April Callahan. Cass, I should probably confess that I have seen our guest on today's show naked many times.

[April Callahan]

Go. Go on.

[Cassidy Zachary]

I would also bet that some of our listeners out there have also seen her naked many times. Yay.

[April Callahan]

Naked ladies is not where I thought this episode was going today, but I'm fully on board.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Okay, no worries. Today's show will be wild, but not X rated. It will be over the top, fabulous, super glamorous. But most of all, it will be fierce.

[April Callahan]

That's right, because today we welcome Jo Weldon to the show. She is the author of the recently released book, the History of Leopard Print. Jo is a terrific writer, and from what you have said, April, I'm guessing that's not all.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Nope. She's also an activist, an educator, a photographer, a sizzling stage performer, and on a personal note, she's also the woman who taught me how to tassel twirl. Jo is a superstar of the American burlesque scene and also the headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque. And some of you may already be familiar with her stage Persona, Jo Boobs.

[April Callahan]

Okay, it's all making sense now. And this is about to get super fun. A fierce dressed welcome for this fierce woman. Welcome, Jo.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Thank you so much for being here with us today, Jo.

[Jo Weldon]

Thank you for having me.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah, of course.

[Jo Weldon]

I love your podcast so much.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Oh, yay. I'm glad you're a fan.

[Jo Weldon]

I listen to it while I sew. I listen to it while I make pasties.

[Cassidy Zachary]

I would just like to state right at the beginning of the episode, for the official record, that we are, of course, both wearing leopard in the studio.

[Jo Weldon]

Yes, we are.

[Cassidy Zachary]

What are you wearing?

[Jo Weldon]

I am wearing A Diane von Furstenberg wrap top that reminds me of what she did in the 70s.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yes.

[Jo Weldon]

With her famous wrap dresses.

[Cassidy Zachary]

And it's fabulous. Red and pink leopard motif.

[Jo Weldon]

I have a particular affinity for red leopard. I don't know if that's my punk roots. I just love it.

[Cassidy Zachary]

And it matches your red hair. I'm wearing a vintage velvet leopard sheath dress. And I must admit, before this episode, I didn't have a lot of leopard in my closet. And except for a really beautiful Pierre Cardin dress coat from the 1960s and a leopard bikini. But after reading your book, I'm like, what the hell is wrong with me? Like, why have I been neglecting this part of my sartorial self? This is so me. I didn't realize. Now I'm all in. Which actually made me realize that there is so much fantastic vintage leopard clothing out there. And it's on ebay, it's on Etsy, it's at your local charity shop. It's everywhere once you start looking. And this leads me to the point that it really is one of the most beloved patterns in the history of dress. So I have to ask, when did your fascination with leopard print begin? Because I know that there's a really amazing story behind this.

[Jo Weldon]

Yeah. I got interested in it when I was a little kid. Like, a little kid. Because I was born in 1962, and there was all this fabulous, colorful pop culture happening. And when I was a little kid, I loved the TV show Batman and such colorful characters. Their costumes were amazing. And I loved Catwoman. And I. Yeah. Because I knew I was a Leo born in the year of the tiger, and took all that to heart. As a kid, I thought, I'm like Catwoman. And my first Catwoman was Eartha Kitt. And I also loved her because she was tiny like me, but powerful. And she was always surrounded by leopard print. And so I found her particularly inspiring. And I had a photo of her that predated Batman, where she's in a leopard coat with a cheetah on a leash. And I just thought she was fabulous. I thought Eartha Kitt was Catwoman's real name until I realized there were other fabulous catwomen as well.

[Cassidy Zachary]

And I believe you have met her when you were a small child, is that correct?

[Jo Weldon]

Yes. This is so wild. So my dad snuck me into this cabaret for my birthday, and Eartha Kitt was performing, and she was just obviously owned the room. You felt a little bit like she was laughing at you, but she loved you all the same. She was Just dazzling, just stunning. And she purred and growled and danced and it was just incredible. And she actually came by the table afterwards. My dad arranged this somehow. And she said, hello, little girl. Your father said you wanted to meet me. And I just. I plots I didn't know what to do and I didn't say anything. And she just threw her head back and laughed and walked off. And it just left this incredible impression on me.

[Cassidy Zachary]

That's a spectacular birthday gift. Thank you, dad.

[Jo Weldon]

Incredible.

[Cassidy Zachary]

I think for the sake of this episode, we should probably agree on the definition that we're going to use of leopard print, because there are indeed different spotted patterns that belong to big cats that seem to coexist in the popular conscious mind as leopard. So how would you like to define leopard pattern print in our use of the term today?

[Jo Weldon]

There's a true definition of leopard print, which is that it's the pattern of an actual leopard printed onto fabric. But I'm going to use the colloquial definition, which is patterns of big cats. And because so many representations of the history of leopard print also show the fur, I'm including that. But I do make a differentiation for obvious purposes. So it's a colloquial term that encompasses all the things that people call leopard print, whether or not they are or leopard esque.

[Cassidy Zachary]

We could say, when do we first start to see human beings wearing leopard in the pictorial record?

[Jo Weldon]

I never like to say first when I'm talking about history. I feel like that's a dangerous thing to say. Yeah.

[Cassidy Zachary]

I always caution my students, let go of the idea of who did it first.

[Jo Weldon]

Yeah. But the most commonly known early recognized wearers of the leopard, usually the pelt, were Egyptian priests, priestesses and nobility.

[Cassidy Zachary]

And we see some goddesses and princesses in. I think there's a really lovely depiction of Neferti Abet wearing a leopard skin.

[Jo Weldon]

Dress and Hatshepsut, the one of the most important female king of Egypt. She was responsible for so much building and so much of the building of the infrastructure of Egypt at the time. The leopard was one of her symbols because she had been a priestess. So they didn't have the separation of church and state as we think of it today.

[Cassidy Zachary]

And some of you may recall when we had Dr. Colleen Darnell on, she actually mentioned Egyptian SEM priests wearing these leopard skins. And you might want to go back and check out our episode that we did with her if you want to learn a little bit more about Egyptian dress. But, Joe, in your book, you talk about the various ways different cultures have held patterned cats up to be talismans of power. What are a few of your favorite examples of this? Because you go into detail about many different cultures that have held spotted cats in positions of reverence.

[Jo Weldon]

Yeah. For purpose of conversation, Keeping the conversation less than a day long, I'll just mention a few of my favorites. An Egyptian goddess, Seshat, the goddess of writing and wisdom, Wore leopard pelts. And another favorite is she's not wearing it, but she's represented the seated woman of satel Hyuk in Anatolia, where she's in a throne and on each side of her is a seated leopard.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Oh, wow.

[Jo Weldon]

Yeah. So they're clearly some kind of power sharing going on there, Some kind of feeding off of each other's power. And I like, there's a God, and, you know, he's a God of leisure time. And as time passed, he came to be depicted in more effeminate ways. Dionysus, who is often pictured wearing a leopard pelt. Riding a leopard. So it's there. The more you look, the more you see.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah. So basically, the wearing of leopard transcends cultures and time.

[Jo Weldon]

Throughout history, everybody who ever knew about leopards was inspired by them.

[Cassidy Zachary]

And in these ancient cultures, we are, of course, speaking about the wearing of actual skins, not textiles. So what is the significance of wearing the fur of big cats, and how does this inform the early adoption of spotted cat motifs for painted, printed, or woven textiles?

[Jo Weldon]

When we see representations of people in art, especially the further back the art goes in history, they are usually significant people, Often people who are either very powerful or very wealthy. So we're definitely seeing images of power and wealth portrayed when we see all these images of people wearing leopard pelts. And that historically, fabric doesn't always survive. And in some images, we can't tell if it's fabric or a pelt. Like, they found a fabric pelt in king tut's tomb, and they don't know if it was for wearing decoration or just something symbolic for death. They don't know.

[Cassidy Zachary]

That's amazing.

[Jo Weldon]

But definitely the fur represented power and wealth. Either the power and courage and achievement of actually conquering a leopard or the wealth to acquire the skin of this dangerous animal. Very dangerous animals.

[April Callahan]

They.

[Jo Weldon]

They are dangerous to man.

[Cassidy Zachary]

So no matter what, it's a status symbol through and through. One of the things I especially loved about your book Is that you have put in these little kind of sidebars or vignettes all the way through, and some of them speak about the cat species and their various protected statuses. And you also provide information about the organizations that care for and advocate for the health and wellbeing of these big cats. What sort of responsibility as an activist did you feel when you were writing the book?

[Jo Weldon]

I think that the greatest influencer of leopard print is the leopard itself, obviously. And all of the characteristics that leopards have of independence and resilience and beauty. And they're just incredible animals. So it's important to recognize the part that it plays in culture. But one of the reasons it's so timeless is because it's natural and the animals have been endangered by our appreciation of them. Let me say, people wanting to wear their fur as we gained easier means to kill them and gather them. They became endangered in the 20th century because people were wearing them. So I wanted people to be conscious of the effect that the choice to wear the fur has. And I wanted people to be conscious, in the sense of general fashion sustainability, of the effect that our fashion choices have on their environment, even if we're not wearing their fur. Which is why I've gone primarily to secondhand clothing.

[Cassidy Zachary]

You and me alike. Our listeners know this already because I talk about it all the time. Yeah.

[Jo Weldon]

And I've been collecting vintage all my life. But sadly, a lot of the vintage that I collected when I was young doesn't fit me anymore. So I've been acquiring new vintage.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah. I'd like to change the. Shift the topic a little bit and talk about the use of leopard print in 18th century France, which is not at all a period that we typically associate with leopard print. But it was indeed a big thing then at the museum at fit, we actually have a really beautiful pale pink robe a la francaise. It's a woven silk motif featuring flowers. And also kind of entwined all through the flowers are these ribbons. And the ribbons themselves that are woven into the motif of the textile are leopard print, which is incredible. What was the lure of leopard in 18th century France?

[Jo Weldon]

I didn't know anything about this and I actually came across it on Pinterest, of all things. Right. And so you never know where anything is from in Pinterest. So I had to go through all these old fashioned plates and that kind of thing. And it was. It's interesting because Louis XVI was a big fan of exotic animals. So he had. He brought over a zebra and he brought in exotic animal pelts. And of course, these animals are absolutely nothing new to Europe. But that the king was interested in them, put them in vogue. And it was a very decadent time leading up to the revolution. Like all These incredible clothes. So the print became almost like a playful version of the fur. So it represented playfulness. Almost what we would now think of as camp, I think, which, by the.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Way, I don't know if you've heard yet, but yesterday the Costume Institute just announced the new theme for the next gala exhibition, and it's camp.

[Jo Weldon]

There will be leopard print, no doubt. Right. Yeah. So it represented their decadence and their ability to indulge their sense of leisure, their playfulness. And at the time when they very first started doing it, they would sit out in front of the palace in these fancy clothes and eat so that people who weren't rich could watch them. So they were on display. They were entertainers of a sort. And then decadence began to go out of vogue. But, oh, I forgot to mention, I fell in love with macaronis while I was doing this research. Yeah.

[Cassidy Zachary]

How can you not?

[Jo Weldon]

These young men who came out and were very fashionable, very extravagant, very eccentric, sometimes to the point of practically being disowned by their families.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yes.

[Jo Weldon]

But they wore a lot of animal print and they had influence on fashion.

[Cassidy Zachary]

And we will absolutely, at some point, do an episode on dandyism and talk about those macaronis in more detail.

[Jo Weldon]

Have you read that book about macaronis? I think it's called Pretty Gentlemen.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Oh, no, I haven't read that one.

[Jo Weldon]

Oh, you.

[Cassidy Zachary]

All right, well.

[Jo Weldon]

And it's got a pink cover, so it's very.

[Cassidy Zachary]

There you go, listeners. Jo has a book recommendation for you.

[Jo Weldon]

But then with the revolution, it became less in vogue to dress in decadence and also became physically dangerous for people to go out on the streets in expensive clothing. Like they would be seized as oppressors and get their heads chopped off. So not so much of that.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Just very quickly going back to what you were saying about the King's zoo. Sebastien Mercier, who was a great social commentator and writer of 18th century France, he actually talks about when the king brought a zebra into the zoo and how that affected menswear and saying that everything that everybody was wearing was covered in zebra stripes. And we actually have fashion plates at FIT where you can see that happening. It's pretty incredible.

[Jo Weldon]

Oh, I read that and I saw pictures of the fashion plates. I haven't seen them. And some of them are more zebra, like. Like what we think of as animal print. And some of the ones I saw were just stripes.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah.

[Jo Weldon]

And he said that was affecting the rage for stripes. Is that the same?

[Cassidy Zachary]

These are actually zebra stripes.

[Jo Weldon]

Oh, I gotta see.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah. And it's like a It's like a lilac coat with zebra stripes on it. And then even his stockings have stripes on them as well.

[Jo Weldon]

I have to come see that. I'm gonna lose my mind.

[Cassidy Zachary]

You're invited anytime. We'll hear more from Joe after this sponsor break. Today's episode is sponsored by Acorns Dress listeners. The new year is upon us and with the annual refresh of our calendars, so too comes our personal list of New Year's resolutions. And if you're anything like me, every year that includes contributing more to my investment and savings accounts. But as the months go by and expenses arise and opportunities appear, I don't always meet my savings goals.

[April Callahan]

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[Cassidy Zachary]

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Visit chumbacasino.com no purchase necessary, void or prohibited by law. See terms and conditions 18 + Speaking of the French Revolution now and the impact that it had on the history of fashion, as we move into the 19th century, the industrial Revolution is really going to be the thing that impacts people's access to clothing. Can you speak to this in terms of leopard print or cat patterns as a Trend in the 19th century, the.

[Jo Weldon]

Industrial Revolution led to a lot of accessibility, as you said, in clothing. And you know, prior to that point, remember, everything was handmade, including the fabric itself. Of course, just because it's made in a factory doesn't mean that hands aren't involved. But nothing was mechanized, so there were no sewing machines. Everything was all these extravagant clothing pieces that we look at are made by hand, incredibly expensive, and often they would be handed down to populations who didn't have as much financial resources. And of course everybody had some knowledge of and sense of style, but not everyone could indulge in it. And a lot of them couldn't afford to have clothes that were impractical. And people owned generally fewer items of clothing, right? So you wouldn't be indulging in a novelty print like leopard for the most part. It'd be very unusual for someone to do that. Everything had to have multipurpose.

[Cassidy Zachary]

And so as the Industrial Revolution basically pushes textile science forward and people are now mechanizing textiles people, there's an explosion of these things onto the market and things like leopard print, these novelty textiles, begin to become available to more and more people as time passes. As we've already discussed in antiquity, the wearing of skins was symbolic of power, first in an association with the virility of the hunter, later sometimes holding even spiritual significance. But as we move into the 20th century, leopard patterns continue to connote Power, but the meaning shifts. How does the media portray the wearing of leopard print in the early 20th century, particularly in terms of women and who was wearing it?

[Jo Weldon]

You would see, in the early 20th century, so many women depicted on film, in silent films. You can see it a lot. And the femme fatale.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Oh, yes. Wearing them.

[Jo Weldon]

Yeah. And because women were wanting to be more independent and wanting more rights, the desire to keep them down on the farm and keep them in the kitchen was probably much stronger for some people. And this was just about as far from the kitchen and the farm as you could get to be engaging with these dangerous animals in these supposedly dangerous lands. And so you would see these women in leopard skins, surrounded by leopard skins. You talked about in one of your previous podcasts, you talked about. I always mispronounce people's names.

[Cassidy Zachary]

It's okay.

[Jo Weldon]

Delise.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Oh, Gaby Delit.

[Jo Weldon]

Gaby Delise. So there's a great picture of her dressed in leopard skins. There's an Italian actress named Litigus in this silk painted leopard outfit.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Oh, wow.

[Jo Weldon]

Yeah. Louise Glom. And you'd see so many of them. And these styles were adopted by flappers and fashionable young women going from the mid teens into the 20s. And they would be wearing leopard fur coats because they're riding around in these unheated cars and they need something to cover their progressively skimpier clothing.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yes.

[Jo Weldon]

But there was also leopard print, like that picture of Joan Crawford in 1928. Nancy Cunard, who was a famous surrealist muse, wore a lot of leopard print. And so it was definitely present.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah. So we were talking about sex pots, femme fatales, showgirls, I love. In your book, you call them undomesticated women. Yes, I got a thrill out of that one. I was like, mad Rider, respect. But they were not the only ardent adopters of leopard print. It was and continues to be a staple of many of the world's most elegant fashion icons. You have some great quotes in your book. One of my favorites was from the former creative director of J. Crew, Jenna Lyons. And she basically just says, oh, I consider leopard print to be a neutral. Also, Diana Vreeland, she said she never met a leopard print that she didn't like. And of course, Dolce and Gabbana, the Italian fashion designers, they've declared that without leopard print, there would be no divas. High fashion and even haute couture has had a long standing fascination with leopard print. Most notably, I would say, in the work of Christian Dior. Can you tell us a little bit more about Dior's? Use of leopard patterns and how this entered his oeuvre, because I bet this is probably a little bit surprising to some people.

[Jo Weldon]

Leopard print had been present, certainly, but it really made its presence in haute couture when Christian Dior included leopard print sheath called the jungle in his 1947 debut collection, which.

[Cassidy Zachary]

It's spectacular. We promised to try, get a hold of it and put it on Instagram.

[Jo Weldon]

It is beautiful. Yeah. And if you go on the Christian Dior website now, they talk about how leopard print is a significant symbol of Dior, and it was partly influenced by Mitza Bricard, who was a hatter, a former courtesan, and one of Christian Dior's great muses. And she always wore a leopard scarf around her wrist, and you would see her in leopard furs and leopard fabrics. And she was a very strong personality. And also because of all the things that leopards can represent. When Dior's sister, Catherine Dior, survived the Resistance after being in a concentration camp, he decided that the powerful leopard was also a good representation for her. So he named his perfume Miss Dior after his sister. And one of the symbols in the ads was the leopard's paw caressing a woman's hand.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Oh, I never knew that.

[Jo Weldon]

Yeah.

[Cassidy Zachary]

That's fascinating. I always. When I think of. Mr. I always think of that swan motif that's sometimes associated with it.

[Jo Weldon]

Yeah. If you just do a search for Ms. Dior Leopard, that image comes right up. But it was unfortunately far too expensive to license.

[Cassidy Zachary]

And listeners, just so you know, Joe and I were having a conversation about this before we started recording. But as writers, when we write these books, one of the things that hampers us from including images is image rights. So Joe did a lot of very difficult work putting all these gorgeous leopard images into her book. So go out and buy it so she can pay for them. We're talking about haute couture and high fashion, the use of leopard. But I want to look at the other side, because I think that hasn't always necessarily held connotations of glamour. It has also intermittently been seen as being in bad taste, and I would even venture to say symbolic of moral turpitude. Why do you think this is? Why is leopard seen both ways?

[Jo Weldon]

Again, there's that idea of, when I say an undomesticated woman, what I mean is a woman who can't be held strictly to the kitchen or. See, my family's from Kansas, so there's a saying, you can't.

[Cassidy Zachary]

I didn't know that. So am I. Oh, you're kidding. No.

[Jo Weldon]

Oh, my God.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Kansas City.

[Jo Weldon]

We're from Smith center in Pawnee Rock, so. And I was born in Denver, but yes. So a lot of that has to do with the idea that they always say in Kansas, when someone wants to go to the big city, you can't keep a girl down on the farm. So when I say undomesticated, I literally mean not a farm animal. And it's not a negative. I don't have negative connotations with being in the kitchen or on the farm. It's just a difference. But there are people who have negative connotations with women not being in the kitchen or on the farm, and those are the people who've given leopard print a bad rap. So in the late 40s and the 50s, leopard prints started to appear on swimwear. And of course, it was considered outrageous by a lot of people. The bikini was considered so outrageous. The pinup was considered outrageous by a lot of people. So it became associated with women who weren't afraid of being seen, women who weren't afraid of showing off. And to a lot of people, that's a negative connotation.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Right.

[Jo Weldon]

If she's willing to make herself visible, she must be willing to make herself available. She must be indiscriminating. She must not have any taste. I call it culturally promiscuous.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Culturally promiscuous.

[Jo Weldon]

But it doesn't mean. It just means they like leopard print, and they might associate with that sense of independence that a leopard has. A lot of people see an independent woman as non motherly, and to be motherly is fabulous and wonderful and glamorous all in and of itself.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah. One does not preclude the other.

[Jo Weldon]

Absolutely not. Absolutely not. You can be a mother and an adventurer. It doesn't make sense, but a lot of people want to set up these polarizations. So leopard print took on that connotation, especially in the late 60s and early 70s as the fur became illegal and only the print was available of being cheap and immodest at the same time that it was blowing up in high fashion in Yves Saint Laurent and at Studio 54 and Valentino.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Diane von Furstenberg.

[Jo Weldon]

Diane von Furstenberg with her famous walk of shame dress. And that connotation came to mean a woman who didn't stick to her role.

[Cassidy Zachary]

But history refutes this when you consider who some of the great lovers of leopard print have been. Would you like to name a few of your favorite ladies and why their adoption and love of leopard print has been significant?

[Jo Weldon]

Well, I gotta say, Eartha Kitt. One of the things I found out about her as I got older was that she was an activist. She was actually blacklisted for being outspoken about her opposition to racist policies and the Vietnam War. So it came to represent for me substance as well as style. And there have been a lot of amazing women in leopard print. I would say, gosh, there's so many. My mind is whirling.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Jackie O even wore. Or Jacqueline Kennedy wore leopard print. Yes.

[Jo Weldon]

She wore leopard fur.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Oh, no.

[Jo Weldon]

Oh, yeah. So I get it. But yeah, and that coat was very influential and also led to some of the policies of making leopard fur illegal. But I was also inspired by punks a lot. So when I was growing up in the 70s, rock and roll was mostly dominated by men. And then you had these punk rock women come in and front their own bands. And so I loved women like Wendy O. Williams and Debbie Harry, even Grace Jones some people may or may not think of as punk. That and they wore animal print like crazy. And it was almost a form of celebration of whatever negative connotations it might have. We don't care what you think of us. In fact, we're going to put it in your face.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Right.

[Jo Weldon]

And I just. I loved that so much.

[Cassidy Zachary]

We talk about this Andress a lot, about how the meanings behind these things a lot of the time are completely arbitrary and how interesting it is when those meanings shift and regain the power over something that had previously meant something else.

[Jo Weldon]

What I've seen a lot with leopard print and it might be the case with other things in fashion, is that it doesn't change meaning, it accumulates meaning. It seems like. Like the old meanings remain power, authority, status. At the same time that it could also be campy, it could also be playful, it could be casual. Like that famous skirt on Instagram right now. What is that skirt? The realization skirt.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Oh, I haven't seen this.

[Jo Weldon]

There is this leopard skirt that is like the influencer skirt. It's a silk leopard print skirt and all the influencers are wearing it.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Interesting. So you mentioned the ladies wearing leopard prints. Stage performers, rock and roll ladies. What about the gentle who are wearing leopard as well? And how does this relate to masculinity?

[Jo Weldon]

Because leopard print represented warriors and authority and status and achievement on men in so many cultures. I think that thread is always there. Rock n rollers wearing leopard print, especially male rock and rollers. And you see so much of it on glam performers in the 70s and then again in the 80s, it comes up. I think that it Represents transgression in the sense that it had become somewhat feminized. And men in rock and roll have always liked to play with gender. Is this appropriate or is it not so? I've seen pictures of David Bowie, Little Richard, Mark Bolen. Just so many men in leopard and big cat prints that are just playing with the idea that people might think that they're effeminate and clearly not caring. And that's the point, really. And it's always dangerous to resist gender norms. But I have to say, in the 70s, as I recall them, the homophobia and the sexism was epic. It was physically dangerous. It was considered mentally ill to be gay. So for them to come out like this was incredibly transgressive to wear these outfits, to say that they were bisexual or that they didn't mind being perceived as gay or effeminate, like they didn't care. And so leopard print was definitely one of the emblems of. Yeah, I like what I like and I'm not afraid of you and I'm gonna do what I want.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Right. On an even more granular level. Speaking of stage performers, what is the place of leopard print on the burlesque stage where the ultimate goal is to undress rather than dress?

[Jo Weldon]

Of course. We love costumes. And. And because burlesque has a lot of roots in mid 20th century American culture, you see a lot of references. You know, there were a lot of tiki interiors and fuzzy dice in cars and camp. Again, the pinups. So burlesque as it is now has evolved out of pinup, rockabilly, and drag culture. So it's. It isn't only a reference to burlesque itself. And so the playfulness and the vividness and the. Even a little bit, the danger, because there's a. A type of burlesque that's really very fierce, very aggressive. And the elegance of leopard print all fit well into the idea of this kind of display. And it's just. I'm actually working on an article about some of my favorite leopard print costumes in burlesque and drag, because they are epic. Oh, my God, I'm so overwhelmed by how beautiful the costumes people are making these days in burlesque and drag are. And they're all completely unique, like there's no other one like them. So I'm gonna do an article about that.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Oh, I can't wait to read it.

[Jo Weldon]

I think I wandered there.

[Cassidy Zachary]

But no, we like wandering. We like wandering. I'd like to shift gears a little bit and talk about your work as a performer in terms of feminism because you've been doing this for many years. Where does the art of the striptease fit in with contemporary feminism? And what has stripping taught you?

[Jo Weldon]

Personally, I actually started out in strip joints, and I was attracted to strip joints because of what I thought I knew about the history of burlesque, which wasn't present in the clubs I work in as much as what we think of as modern day strip joints. I do not have a hierarchy where one is good and the other is bad. They're clearly deeply related, and you don't have one without the other. I feel, for me, the idea of taking this. Even when I was young, I really hated being catcalled on the street, But I loved attention. So I was trying to figure out, how do I balance that out? And I felt like when I went into the club, I could get that attention that I so enjoyed, but I could choose the moment at which it happened and the way in which it happened and set boundaries about what it meant and the circumstances. So I feel like in burlesque, we're doing that, but in addition to that, we are attributing an art form that has literally been handed down to us by generations of women. So I work for the Burlesque hall of Fame, and we're preserving an art form that has been ridiculed, derided, made illegal, is definitely quarantined into nightlife. And I mean, I love nightlife, but there are a lot of even nightlife places that won't have burlesque at it. So it's the idea of representing this highly developed art form in the same way that I see pole dancing represented frequently as this art form that's unappreciated and diminished and trivialized and saying, no, we love this, we believe in it, we enjoy it, and we think, you'll enjoy it too. Just give it a chance. It'll change your life. And the idea that in burlesque, everyone can find an audience. When I say everybody, I don't mean everybody. One word, everybody. Two words. People who are curvier than you'd expect to see people in wheelchairs. You may see someone with a mastectomy or have a disability, and they come out and they get a standing ovation. And it changes your ideas of what is fun, to see what's beautiful. So for me, burlesque represents a lot of unappreciated people that are coming into the spotlight and owning it and redefining.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Concepts of beauty or challenging them entirely, blowing them out of the water.

[Jo Weldon]

I think if you're in the audience and you go and you see a show and you see a person whose belly is soft like yours, and they take off their clothes and they show that belly, and the room goes crazy with appreciation. You're like, this isn't a pep talk. This isn't a meme. This is really happening. These people really love it. And I think that can change your perspective overall of what it means to be seen.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Would you like to tell us a little bit about the New York School of Burlesque? If this has inspired any of our listeners to dabble, to stick their toe in the water?

[Jo Weldon]

Yeah. I've been running the New York School of burlesque for about 14 years, and I have the extreme pleasure and honor of introducing people to things like fan dancing and tassel twirling and bump and grind.

[Cassidy Zachary]

You taught me how to tassel twirl.

[Jo Weldon]

Yeah. It's amazing, right? Just to do it for the first time and see yourself doing it. And I actually, unbelievably to me, I get to travel the world like I had never left the continent. And with burlesque, I've been able to travel the world meeting people and saying, you can do this. You can tassel twirl, you can peel, you can be seductive and confident and attractive and have a good time and not worry about standards of beauty, but just the pleasure of seeing and being seen.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Right. So where can people find you? Because Fierce is not your only book and you have actually worked in a few other types of media as well.

[Jo Weldon]

You can go to joewelden.com and get directed to my various endeavors, of which there are many. There are more than a few. Yeah. I think of myself as I'm an advocate for self expression in fashion, I'm an advocate for self expression on stage, and I'm an advocate for sex workers rights. So those are the three main things on my mind these days.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Before we sign off, I'm wondering if you have any words of advice for our young preteen or teen dress listeners on how to be fierce.

[Jo Weldon]

Just love what you love and let people know what you love, and you'll find other people that love it.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Awesome. Good advice. Thank you, Jo. This has been a delight.

[Jo Weldon]

Oh, it's so good to see you. It was so much fun.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yay.

[April Callahan]

Thank you, Jo, for being here with us today on Dressed April. And I would both like to acknowledge the fact that the wearing of genuine fur of spotted cats is absolutely fraught with controversy. And these objects do exist in the world, perhaps in some of our own listeners closets passed down from a grandmother or mother who wore them when the politics of animal conservation and protection was very different from what it is today.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Yeah, in fact, Cass, it's actually really interesting because there are very strict laws now governing the sale and exchange of items made from protected categories such as genuine leopard, fur and ivory, mainly restricting their sale across state lines. And I occasionally moonlight as a certified appraiser of costume and textiles. And in the case of ivory and leopard, their protected status can sometimes actually lower the appraisal value of the items. If it can't be sold out of state, your pool of potential buyers is obviously restricted and it may not be able to reach what we call its best and most appropriate marketplace.

[April Callahan]

So the moral of our story frame friends, honor our animal friends and stick with the prints and woven leopard motifs. That does it for us this week. May you consider introducing something perfectly fierce into your outfit next time you get dressed.

[Jo Weldon]

Dressed.

[April Callahan]

We'll be back with season eight and all brand new episodes in February of next year.

[Cassidy Zachary]

But until then, remember, we love hearing from you, so if you would like to write to us, you can do [e-mail] Dresshistory.com is also where of course, you can register for our tours, our trips, our new class, anything else that we have up our finely tailored sleeves.

[April Callahan]

That includes April's twice weekly in person fashion history tours of the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as our brand new dress, the School of Fashion live online course, the 1950s Golden Age Haute Couture, which is now open for registration. And we do have gift cards available for both April's tours and the class. So just send us an email at hello dressed history.com and also send us an email if you want to get on the first to know list for our New York City day tours coming your way in April 2025 and our Paris fashion history tours coming your way in June. Registration for both of these tours will open in January and we do expect them to sell out, so send us an email to get on those lists.

[Cassidy Zachary]

Thank you as always for your continued support. Dressed will be coming back your way for Season 8 in early February. Dressed, the history of fashion is a production of Dressed Media.

[Jo Weldon]

Yeah, sure thing.

[April Callahan]

Hey, you sold that car yet?

[Jo Weldon]

Yeah, sold it to Carvana. Oh, I thought you were selling to that guy. The guy who wanted to pay me in foreign currency, no interest over 36 months once, yeah, no. Carvana gave me an offer in minutes, picked it up and paid me on the spot. It was so convenient, just like that? Yeah.

[April Callahan]

No hassle.

[Cassidy Zachary]

None.

[Jo Weldon]

That is super convenient. Sell your car to Carvana and swap hassle for convenience. Pick up. These may apply.