Struggling to put on sparkly tights in her car, Cara Bender is preparing for her late night showgirl gig on Fremont Street in Las Vegas, Nevada. Parked in Binion’s garage she scans the area while getting into costume to ensure her safety from the leering eyes of strange men, and steps out to put on her feathers before making her way down to what used to be one of the most famous streets in America.
Bender began showgirling when her friend Evelyn introduced her to Carly’s Angels, the company she now works for. Carly’s Angels is run by one woman, Carly Evans who contracts costumes out to showgirls for a flat fee rate of $25 per night. Showgirls pick up the costume from Carly’s garage – a space full of sequins, feathers, and every other accessory imaginable. By the end of the night they are required to return the outfits so other performers can use them the next day. On some nights, Bender works independently, using her own costumes.
The entrance to Las Vegas features a famous diamond-shaped sign that says, “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada.” Las Vegas owes its “fabulous” reputation to showgirls: The desert city became known as the most popular gambling hub for tourists in the 1950s, and used showgirls as a way to compete with other casinos, providing performers with lavish costuming with huge feathers and headdresses to bring in tourism. Center stage in grand productions like Jubilee! and Folies Bergère, the showgirl became an icon of performance and femininity, shaping how the world saw Las Vegas…