Carnival strippers revisited

Between 1972-76, Susan Meiselas followed carnival strippers who performed in country fairs and small-town carnivals across the northeast of the USA. Her meticulous documentation of their working lives explored themes of intimacy, vulnerability, nomadism, gender politics and sexuality.

The third edition of her book, published by Steidl, is composed of two volumes that come together in a slipcase.
Carnival Strippers Revisited features never-before-seen color photographs, contact sheets, handwritten field notes, transcriptions of audio recordings, and more.
Making Of includes Carnival Strippers color images that have never been printed and/or published before, along with ephemera material collected by Meiselas at the time she developed the project.

As she followed the shows from town to town, she captured the dancers on stage and off, their public performances as well as private lives, creating a portrait both documentary and empathetic: “The recognition of this world is not the invention of it. I wanted to present an account of the girl show that portrayed what I saw and revealed how the people involved felt about what they were doing.” Meiselas also taped candid interviews with the dancers, their boyfriends, the show managers and paying customers, which form a crucial part of the book.

Meiselas’ frank description of these women brought a hidden world to public attention, and explored the complex role the carnival played in their lives: mobility, money and liberation, but also undeniable objectification and exploitation. Produced during the early years of the women’s movement, Carnival Strippers reflects the struggle for identity and self-esteem that characterized a complex era of change. Featuring largely unpublished additional photos, contact sheets, maps and letters, Carnival Strippers Revisited gives new depth to Meiselas’ influential vision.