In relationships, you sometimes gain gifts, love, and lessons. For Jessabelle Thunder, 41, it was a newfound career.

“A boyfriend I had at the time, we came to Las Vegas and went to 40 Deuce at Mandalay Bay when I turned 21. I was just enthralled by it,” she recalls. “There was a live band. There were girls hanging from the ceiling and dancing on the bars. It was a student graduation performance. I was like, ‘You can go to a burlesque school and graduate? What!?’ I told him I would love to do that, but I could never do that.”

Turns out, she could.

“We come back to Los Angeles from that trip, and he’s like, ‘Surprise! I put you in a class.’ My initial response was, ‘I don’t want to do that. I’m not doing that. No.’ He was like, ‘Well, I applied for it. I signed you up for a six-week course.’ And it was intermediate level,” Thunder says.

She continues, “After a moment, I said, ‘You know what, eff it, I’m gonna try it.’ I knew that in order to gain more confidence in myself, I had to push myself out of my comfort zone. Why not just say I did it one time? And here we are, 16 years later. I’m still doing it. That one time of me taking a risk and doing the most outrageous thing ever turned into me taking off my clothes in front of a room full of strangers on a stage.”

The relationship didn’t last, but Thunder’s fascination with burlesque did. Over the last 16 years, she’s become an internationally renowned burlesque dancer and was recently crowned Miss Exotic World 2025.

It’s a far cry from her beginnings. A native of Los Angeles, she didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a bold performer. She was, in fact, known as a shy, introverted girl who wanted nothing more than to quietly fit in. But burlesque hasn’t just pulled her out of her shell; it’s built her confidence, including in Black beauty.

“I’ve seen representations of myself and more through burlesque. At first, I thought this wasn’t for me. No one looks like me. But I started seeing people who look like me, like Perle Noire, Jeez Loueez, and Egypt Blaque Knyle. We’re all so different in what we do, including our body types and our skin tones. I started to feel empowered and internalize that there’s no reason I should want to be like anyone else. I should be happy being me and celebrate my Blackness as it is. We’re not monoliths. This may not look like everyone else’s Blackness, maybe, but this is mine,” she says proudly.

Burlesque has also taken Thunder around the world. Experiencing different countries, cultures, and people has brought more wonder into her life than she ever imagined, and the leap has redefined what success looks like to her, as well as what she once believed about this line of work.

When people think of burlesque, it’s often lumped in with exotic dancing or even sex work. Thunder pushes back on that. Burlesque started as a variety show, she notes, one that leaned comedic and often tackled politics. It wasn’t until decades later that it evolved into the striptease style that mainstream media knows today. Striptease is part of the industry, but burlesque is still a political act: a stage routine where shame and guilt around the body get debunked in real time.

Both women and men perform burlesque. In fact, it’s practiced across 151 countries and makes millions. But for women, especially Black women who’ve historically been overly sexualized, the space can be complicated. As a veteran in the field, Thunder advocates for more people to open their minds to body-positive spaces like this one and the power they hold.

“At the beginning of burlesque, I would literally stand in a corner with my robe on and get dressed underneath my robe. People would be walking around me naked, like, whatever. I would be so uncomfortable,” she says. “But now I’m like, everybody has a body, and there’s nothing wrong with our bodies. We’re all here celebrating each other’s bodies in different stages, while celebrating our own.”

She adds, “When on stage, burlesque lets me and everybody else stand in our power and have control. If I got on stage and didn’t take anything off at all, I still have the power to do what I want on that stage. I have the power to walk away if I want to. I have the power to stay there and do whatever I want. I have the ability to make you look where you need to look and where I want you to look and be present in the way I want you to be in the space.”

From the routines to the heels, a performer must prepare weeks or even months in advance of a big show, practicing, staying in shape, and sourcing the right supplies. Burlesque isn’t just a craft. It’s a lifestyle.

“For routines, I definitely create a lot of my act in my head. I get inspired by the music, and I practice wherever I am, at home and even in my car,” she notes. “But if I have to create an act by a deadline, I will more likely go into a studio and try to rehearse. For outfits, it really depends on the attention to detail. For example, I bought some shoes, and they were $90. Then, I bought the rhinestones for the shoes, which cost a total of $300 for about four packs. Depending on what kind of cut of rhinestone and sparkle you want, that determines the price range. I can do the same thing with purchasing a bra and then covering it with fabric and rhinestones. All that to say, costumes can be anywhere from free to a thousand plus dollars over time.”

Given the time and energy the work demands, Thunder is deliberate about her rates, layering travel and lodging on top of her performance fee, which can run upwards of $5,000 depending on the gig. That said, it can certainly be a lucrative profession to step into.

Thunder hopes to continue advancing representation in the burlesque world. Beyond performing, she teaches classes and has co-produced Brown Sugar Burlesque, a show centering Black performers, Black music, and Black audiences. Other Black-focused burlesque shows include Jeezy’s Juke Joint by Jeez Loueez and The Cocoa Butter Club by Sadie Sinner. The more Black people learn about the industry, she believes, the further it can evolve.

“I want to create classes for specific performers to hone their craft and get better, but I also would like to provide classes for people to just try it. Even if they’re not going to be on stage. Have a moment where you’re having fun and be present with your present body. That feeling is so powerful that you can take it with you for the rest of the day or the rest of your life,” she says.

Attending the 2026 Burlesque Hall of Fame Conference with Thunder in Las Vegas in May made it clear that these performances are about far more than what people assume. Burlesque brings together dance routines, tricks, props, elaborately detailed outfits, and community. Beyond the performers, there’s a whole ecosystem of businesses being uplifted, including Black-owned Viva La Bombshell, which offer resources, classes, and products for burlesque fans. At its core, this style of performance is about creating a communal experience full of radical joy, laughter, and empowerment.

Thunder’s newfound comfort in her own skin is owed to choosing a different path. Sometimes doing something out of the ordinary lands you exactly where you were supposed to be all along. Her advice to anyone looking to take a risk and step outside the box: trust the spaces where you feel most like yourself. Even if it’s unconventional, lean into what makes you feel your best.