BWW Blog: Amanda Grillo - Body Positivity in Theatre

It's everywhere. Body Positive ads and videos work its way into the media on practically a daily basis. Stores are expanding the sizes they carry, girls are encouraged to embrace their curves, but all the same a photoshopped fantasy takes over our minds thinking what the ideal image is. I decided to take a look at how this affects the theatre world that I am so blessed to be a part of. I surveyed one hundred random, anonymous participants. The survey was distributed to several different theatre pages on social media where participants have a wide range of experiences and opinions. I also had the pleasure to interview Michael Kennedy (a student at the University of New Haven), Stephen Sheperd (a recent alumnus of the University of New Haven), and Diana Dart Harris (a professor at the University of New Haven whom has degrees in both dance education and exercise science).

Last week, I talked about typecasting. A controversial, influential part of the media and the performance industry, but how does that affect how actors and actresses see their bodies? I would like to bring to your attention some of the data that I shared last week. In the survey, sixty-six percent answered that they had not been cast due to their appearance. Thirty-four percent of those surveyed admitted to changing their appearance so that they can better fit a role they desired. I know people that have done minimal changes (dying their hair, wearing a wig, getting contacts or leaving glasses at their dressing room station), but I also have heard stories and personally know people who have put their health at risk to lose weight quickly, gain weight quickly, and even work out until they are just about ready to pass out.

In the survey, eighty-one percent of participants admitted to struggling accepting their bodies. When asked if maintaining certain image is a problem, seventy-eight percent of participants said that it was a problem for both genders, fourteen percent said that it was only a female problem, and eight percent said it was not a problem at all. No participant said that it was purely a male problem to maintain an image. Body positivity is primarily targeted to have females accept themselves, when in reality, men struggle with their image as well. Whether it be their masculinity, their muscles (or lack thereof), men struggle with body image just as much as women do.

I spoke about this with Michael Kennedy (a student at the University of New Haven), Stephen Sheperd (a recent alumnus of the University of New Haven), and Diana Dart Harris (a professor at the University of New Haven whom has degrees in both dance education and exercise science). They were gracious enough to share some of their thoughts on body image in theatre.

How does the media influence how the theatre world is seen?

"The media affects theatre as it does everything. Commercials and ads for shows focuses on the spectacular. Pictures of The Rockettes in ads are always those of the famous and spectacle-driven kick-line. Ads for musicals often showcase the "flashy" costumes and the highly dramatic moments in the show. Unfortunately, our society is still one in which people are stereotyped......art reflects society, right?"- Diana Dart Harris

"The media shows us exactly what they want to show us. Typically they will show only the people who are considered attractive by most standards, and so people assume that the theatre is only a place for those who are physically fit with a pretty face." -Michael Kennedy

"The media portrays theatre as something everyone should indulge in, but that it's also something kind of reserved for those who can afford it. Theatre actors are often portrayed as one of three stereotypes in the media: the literal starving artist, the disciplined fit/muscular dancer, and the overweight funny person. In reality, there are so many theatre folks who fall somewhere in between (or completely outside of) these extremes." -Stephen Sheperd

How can actors approach a healthier lifestyle, while not going overboard to try and change their image for a role?

"The best thing an actor can do is learn about his/her instrument. It is extremely important to gather as much accurate information as possible and to truly understand the connection between fueling the body and caring for it. If an actor is looking to change his/her image, working with a nutritionist would be a great idea. A nutritionist can look at the actor's lifestyle habits and make suggestions that will result in a healthier approach to living without encouraging binge dieting or drastic temporary changes in behavior. It truly must be a lifestyle choice and not just a temporary fix. Temporary fad diets wreak havoc with our bodies." -Diana Dart Harris

"There are a lot of simple things you can do to be healthy. One of the main things I do is drink a lot of water. I often enjoy very sugary, unhealthy drinks. Plenty of other people do as well. Switching to drinking mostly water can be tough, but I promise that you will feel so much better after a little while."- Michael Kennedy

"In general, eating more (non-fried) vegetables and drinking more water are relatively easy fixes that anyone can do to better their physical and mental health. If you do want to change your weight, don't focus on the goal. Take small, gradual steps and just go with the journey. Setting too strict of an end goal can put expectations too high if you don't have a trained nutrition or exercise professional vigilantly guiding you." -Stephen Sheperd

What advice can you give to performers of any genre who have struggled to stay positive if they are being rejected because of their look?

"First of all, make sure you have a healthy lifestyle. Secondly, have confidence in who you are and your talents and abilities. Strive to become the best actor you can with what you've been given. Never, never, never change yourself to satisfy someone else. You may be frustrated, but someone, someday will like what they see. Above all, stay true to yourself." -Diana Dart Harris

"Be patient. Theatre is a world of rejection. Everybody gets rejected. Typically, the people who get rejected because of their look are those who are considered overweight. I am a tall, skinny, white guy. Even I get rejected. So just be patient. Someday, somebody will be searching for your look, and when the world sees you on stage, they're gonna be upset that they didn't find you sooner." -Michael Kennedy

"Remember if anyone is rejecting you based on looks, it's one of two things: A) You just don't vibe with the creative team's potential vision, and you wouldn't want to be in a production where you were at odds with the director & others anyway. B) Beauty is completely subjective, and you will have success in due time. If you feel like time is taking too long, make your own work independently! (Perhaps even center it around body positivity & diversity?)" -Stephen Sheperd

Body positivity is a prominent topic. As people adventure into the New Year, with resolutions of getting healthy and getting in shape, I urge you all to be safe about it. Don't go into dire extremes just because you aren't the "ideal" for certain people. I've had a lot of people tell me, "you'd get more roles if you lost weight". This article is not to fat shame or skinny shame anybody. I wrote this article and did all of this research to show people that, whether you admit to struggling with image or not, you are not alone. There are people everywhere of all different "types" that are self-conscious. Yes, even that leading lady and leading man that look like they have it all together. If they do, good for them.

My New Year's Resolution is to better myself, for MYSELF.

What's yours?

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