A Wink and A Smile....and some commentary.

[Rosalind Friday]

So, watched a great documentary this evening called "A Wink and A Smile" (link below) about the Seattle burlesque scene, and some of the influential people in it. But more poignantly the documentary follows ten women, from greatly varied ages, backgrounds, and body types through six weeks of an "Intro to Burlesque" class and their subsequent experiences in it.  What I found to be so terrific about this piece was that it examined their development/exploration of themselves not only as physical beings but also as emotional beings.  It was a very real look not only at why women AND men enjoy and find burlesque a true avenue to express who they truly are, but also how they come to appreciate each other and teach others about the world around them.  Through their stories, and the very articulate narration of the class teacher and burlesque queen, Indigo Blue, you see how society has shaped our views of how things should be, and how different people come to their own realizations of how they want to deal with that.

 

WARNING: Potentially EMO material ahead.

 

I found that many of the same motivations and feelings and fears that the women in the documentary expressed were shared not only by myself but also by MANY of my friends who deal with challenges in their own lives every day.  Many of you know that I always say that I LOVE pinup, I have a passion for it, and that is why I DO IT, and this is TRUE.  I love pinup for the same reason that I love classic burlesque-- because it is a celebration of the spirit AND the body it is housed in, it is joyful and cheesy and brave and tempestuous and sultry and you do not have to LOOK a certain way to FEEL any of these things.  But I also struggle daily with fears and self doubt, with the "what will people think" and "how will my friends view me" and "I have no business doing this".   Some of these fears have improved with time, especially the ones dealing with feelings that I have something to be ashamed of. I do not feel this way any longer.  More recently I have feared alienation of people that I respect and love, thinking that they will view this "frippery" of mine as arrogant or foolish, that I have an obsession with my image, or that perhaps I even think more highly of myself than my dearest friends.  It is a fear that many, I daresay all of us, have at least in a small place inside-- that those closest to us will not like us for who we truly are and how we explore/express that truth, if it is not how THEY express that truth.

 

The reason I am posting this likely wind-bagged version of a review and self-expository is that there was a quote from the movie from one of the women, which I really liked.  I wish that I could go back in time and tell it to my younger self, make her see it sooner. And I will try to remember it on those bad days of self doubt that we all have:

 

""...It started the thought process that the image that you have of yourself limits what you are able to do, because if you do not celebrate, or revel in who you ARE, you are denying part of yourself.  I was denying my whole adventurous spirit because 'I don't have the right weight' or 'I can't do this because of what people will think'.  You know what? SCREW THAT.  I can do anything I want, and once I realized that I am not waiting for anybody anymore, I'm not waiting to BECOME anything, I'm not waiting to DO anything...if I want to do something its time for me to step up and DO IT-- no one else is going to do it for me!  And once I say this is all right for me, to do the things I want to be able to do, I also help enable the people around me to do the same thing."

 

So, onto the "other" great stuff in the film-- two of the best and most unique burlesque routines I have EVER seen and some good history on the origins of burlesque and how it has developed over the years.

 

SO. There you have it. I felt it was important enough to post about.  I hope that some young woman (or young man) with self doubts and self image issues out there can draw some sort of inspiration and encouragement from the women and men in the movie and their stories.  No, I am not saying that to overcome these things you have to do pinup or burlesque-- but find something that you love, that celebrates YOUR TRUTH, and do it.

 

Movie link--  http://www.winkthemovie.com/