Pretty Girls
by Opal Peachey

There’s something I call The Fat Dance. I developed it my senior year of college. Living on my own for the first time, I was up to my ears in looming deadlines and decisions. Instead of focusing on answers, I zeroed in on fat.  I’d stare at my tummy in the mirror, mesmerized by any minuscule gain. Hunched over, I would pinch. Pinch the tummy. Then the arms. Then the butt. It became a bad habit, soon a vicious cycle.

That was the same year I was introduced to The Beauty Myth. Naomi Wolf’s message hit my fledgling psyche like a ton of bricks: throughout our female culture we have created the myth that if we work hard enough, we will be beautiful. Ms. Wolf put names to my invisible demons: The Church of Beauty, the Secret Girl Club, Mental Anorexia. Recognizing the myth was my first step away from the mirror, and I haven’t done The Fat Dance since.

My friends and collaborators Elizabeth and Caitlin gifted me the book as a step towards generating a new play. A show that would call out the very real, and often hilarious, battle women wage against each other and themselves. Needless to say, I was inspired.

Five years, countless drafts, workshops, fundraisers and miracles later, we are opening Pretty Girls on July 3rd. Our commitment to sharing this message with other women has created a world of characters and experiences. To name a few…

Cindy is playing The Woman in White. She’s the same age as my mother and ran a marathon last year, as a present to herself. When we talk as a cast about the meaning behind Pretty Girls, Cindy is quick to represent her generation. “I grew up with women who were unsettled by dirt on the base of their toilets, who would never question putting on makeup. It’s very vulnerable to get behind The Woman in White, because her appearance is everything. And when that’s taken away…she can’t recognize herself. And I know what that feels like – the rituals of beauty are so powerful.”

We cast Sara as Maia – the beauty hypocrite – because in her audition she immediately accessed the indignation of an outsider who secretly wants nothing more than to be ‘in’. When we finished the second read through, she exclaimed, “I didn’t realize how funny Maia is…I was going for a much more serious take.” That’s the balance of presenting a political satire: there are countless sides to every person, though they may not be readily apparent. Point them out, and a standing ovation ain’t far behind.

And then there’s yours truly. When our company cast me as Miss Universe, I was quick to tell my friends, “It’s obviously a comedy! I am NOT the type.” Too true – but as I delved into the character I realized that the ambition, creativity and confidence it takes to succeed in the Beauty World isn’t far removed from my reality of day job, theatre and relationships. It’s the goals that are skewed, not the women behind them. Blame the dance, not the fat.

If you’re in the Seattle area July 3rd -11th get your tickets for Pretty Girls at www.brownpapertickets.com.

image courtesy of jay yamakawa

anorexia, beauty, beauty myth, body, drama, fat, naomi wolf, play, pretty girls, seattle, theatre