Dita Von Teese thinks she’s “too risqué”

Dita Von Teese has admitted she thinks she’s “too risqué” for America.

The burlesque star is convinced her home country doesn’t understand or respect her chosen career. While she is a superstar in Europe, the 37-year-old beauty claims she is largely ignored in the US.

“Some people really think that all I do is wear red lipstick and dress in vintage clothes and cruise around,” she said. “In France and the UK, they can show what I do on TV. The Jay Lenos of Europe all have me on. In America they’re obsessed with pop stars and maybe they’re a little bit afraid of having me on there because they think what I’m talking about and what I’m doing is too risqué.”

Dita is also furious with burlesque performers who do not strip during their shows, branding them an insult to the art form.

“You see a lot of burlesque-themed nightclubs opening, where there are girls dancing with boas, then the curtains close and that’s it,” she fumed to The Daily Beast. “Especially in America, a lot of the mainstream burlesque acts are taking all of the important elements about the history of burlesque out. I’ve made it my personal mission to stay true to what burlesque was in the ’30s and ’40s and keep striptease in.

“Maybe that makes me a little bit dangerous for an American audience but it’s more important to me that I stay true to the big stars of burlesque - the women who took their clothes off in front of an audience.”