Fat performance.

“Fat performance is a broad term covering everything from mundane performances of fat individuals to staged performances of fatness. The latter includes both mainstream media performances that present fat people as grotesque, and fat-positive performances which aim to challenge preconceived stereotypes of fat and fat people.” (Hole, 2003)

It complexes me that fat performance is an actual term used to describe fat people acting or performing on stage. I don’t know about you but I find this absolutely ludicrous. Fat people should not have a genre of theatre to themselves just because they are of a larger size. If you want to perform, go and perform no matter what your size is. If you have the talent to do so, go and do it. This is my main inspiration for why I am performing a dance. I want to dance, so I am. I should not let my size get in the way of that.

Another beautiful quote from Becoming the Subject of Your Own Story: Creating Fat-positive Representations, was a reflection on Anne Hole’s quot about Dawn French.

“Hole analyzes the “body politics” of Dawn French’s collaboration with another comedian in the “French & Saunders series” as a performance based on a completely different type of politics. In different episodes, French and Saunders accentuate the physicality of their fat bodies by wearing skin-tight, flashy dresses (that are usually reserved for fashionably-thin women).” (Hole, 2003)

Firstly, I appologise for the clothes I wear. Especially on a night out. God only knows how offensive they are to others. I mean am I not allowed to look good? Yes I probably don’t wear “skin-tight” dresses, but I do wear dresses that make me feel good, and if that means I show a bit of flesh, then you will just have to deal with it. I am not going to dress ‘fat’ because my body is fat. I dress for myself, no one else.

In my performance, when I do dance, I had planned to wear a leotard because that is the normal dance attire. However, I do not want to accentuate my fat body, I want to feel comfortable because I am comfortable. I am not after a cheap laugh with my body. I want people to look at me dancing and hopefully go, shes ok. For this, I want to wear leggings and a over sized jumper because this is when I am most comfortable.

References

Hole, A. (2003). Performing identity: Dawn French and the funny fat female body. Feminist Media Studies, 3(3), pp.315-328.