Letter from Georgia Sothern, a renowned #burlesque dancer of the 1940s, to H.L. Mencken: "In recent years there has been a great deal of uninformed criticism of my profession. Most of it is without foundation and arises because of the unfortunate word strip-teasing, which creates the wrong connotations in the mind of the public. I feel sure that if you could coin a new and more palatable word to describe this art, the objections would vanish and I and my colleagues would have easier going." Mencken's reply ⬇️ #1940s #words #englishlanguage #etymology #sexwork