5 Feet of Fury

What makes Dita Von Teese great

She’s the burlesque performer hitherto most famous for taking her clothes off in elaborate routines, and for being married – briefly – to Goth-rocker Marilyn Manson. Her own vital stats: height 5ft 6in, bust 32C, waist 23in (or 16in when strapped into the corsets she wore five days a week, every week, during her ten years working in a Los Angeles strip club), fortune considerable.

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Dita Von Teese is a body and a look and a brand. She built it from scratch, with an eye to the future. Even in her first proper job, as a dancer in an LA strip club, she was assiduously investing $1,000 per month in mutual funds. “And I still have all that money.” Even then, 15 years ago, Dita could earn $6,000 for two minutes’ performance, so she still had enough money left to buy a Thirties Chrysler.