Bodily size has been the core of the debate on female self-esteem and perception over the last couple of decades. Those who are deemed to 'big' are seen as those who 'can't'. The common misconception that if you are larger than the 'ideal', you lead an unhealthy and unfit lifestyle that consists of comfort eating, in stained, elasticated jogging bottoms in front of Jeremy Kyle. The only exercise is apparently to the fridge or in the car to the drive-thru. Clothes are bought cheaply due to their fluctuating weight. And most importantly, seen as unsuccessful. This view has been examined by scientists at the University of Manchester and Australia’s Monash University who asked students to look at the CVs and photos of what they thought were 12 different women, when really they were pre and post weight loss surgery of only 6 women. After ranking the women, the overweight women were ranked significantly lower than their slimmer selves. What all these beliefs have in common is that they are all a result of stereotypical reinforcement where we conform to constructed beliefs in regards to bodily size in everyday life. The media orchestrates these stereotypes that society subconsciously conforms to. It has meant that magazines such as Glamour, Look and Heat, have had to almost justify the definition of 'real' women to their readers to emphasise what the norm is through naked photoshoots and plus-size or curvy fashion forecasts. The notion that nobody is the same can get lost in the media, so TV programmes have now resorted to a unique way of reminding us.
Now, each argument stems from somewhere and after watching Channel 4's 'Big Ballet' last night, it's time this brewing argument has it's moment. The battle between the concept and the reality is always a risk that media companies take when creating something new. The concept of the 'Big Ballet' was to address the elitist and specific view that ballerinas have to be of a certain thin, statuesque, and elegant shape and how this has somewhat damaged the dreams of those who don't fit this strict criteria. Wayne Sleep and ballerina Monica Loughman are to direct and guide a group of 18 plus-size ex-dancers (however, I'm not sure how a couple got in there who are no more than what I predict to be a size 12) into performing Swan Lake in a professional theatre to a critical yet knowledgable audience. The reality, on the other hand, doesn't portray Sleep and Loughman as some sort of self-esteem boosting, confidence-inducing heroes of the larger lady. Instead, they are proving how difficult it is for someone, shall we say, on the bigger side (I ban the f.a.t. word) to dance, how these women struggle to keep up with their fitness because of their size and how they simply don't have what it takes to create something as spectacular as a 'proper' ballet. Well, let's face it, Channel 4 aren't going to fund the performance to the same standard that we saw of the English National Ballet's performance at the beginning (let the comparisons begin). Don't get me wrong, I believe ballet is beautiful and that ballerinas are athletes that work tirelessly in such a competitive industry. Their physique is used in professional circumstances, whereas the women of the 'Big Ballet' have been used as entertainment where we, as audiences, are trained to experience the roller coaster of emotions, the highs and lows and the sob stories that they have endured on their ballet journey. Their feelings of pain and sorrow are exploited and are all related to the battle they've had with their body- raising the awareness that we have with our own. As an audience, we are not only expected to notice, understand, and feel those moments of self-pity and sadness, but to also notice the fact that they are larger than a dancer is expected. Through the lens of cellulite, flab and bulge, we are being constantly reminded that these women are there for purely the reason that they have been neglected from the ballet industry for their weight. Camera shots of them eating, unflattering angles from below and clips of them jumping (just to prove that it isn't as elegant and beautiful as those ones we saw 20 minutes in at the Royal Albert Hall) are Channel 4's way of reminding us of two things; these women are too big and that dancing is difficult for the bigger woman. As if we need reminding this enough in today's society- bigger women doing something that society has taught them not to do, that bigger women can't, reinforces negative stereotypes and bodily dysmorphia.
As I sat there watching this programme, I was picking out more things about myself and my body shape more than ever before- helplessly comparing myself to their body shape and size. Celebrities have always been seen as the ones held responsible for leading the army of body-obsessed women, but programmes like these, I feel, has been ignored for encouraging us to be self-critical. I won't lie, I am a naturally self-critical person. Always one that has been the larger one in a group of friends, rather busty, shorter chunkier legs (I could go on), a dancer for over 15 years and a self-confessed fan of celebrity journalism and showbiz, I would be the prime target for a programme like this.
Wayne Sleep's transparent humour of it being an "all-round" performance (followed by a cackle from his arguably unintentional pun) attempts to add a comedic flair to the women's size and when one is asked by him, "did you ever feel to lose the weight?", my response was pretty much disgust. Not everyone has put on weight because it's a life-choice. Some put on weight because of emotional life experiences, medical issues, prescribed medications, and pregnancy. Wayne's desired answer would be that the women liked to eat 'too' much and thats what he got- an overweight women looking lazy and unbothered that she was bigger than the 'ideal'. With programmes like this, negative stereotypes of overweight women are inevitable. The constant comparisons we are encouraged to take are there to formulate our own opinions. By doing so, we are taking part in media segmentation- grouping people together over their appearance and size. Even the oxymoron in the title is there to make us watch it- 'a big ballet, surely not?'. In a society where bodily size has become obsessive and where I say that enough is enough, the bigger lady and her sob story is becoming boring now. It's not funny. It's not entertaining. It's not unfair. Just irritating. Their choice, not ours.
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