Friday, February 11, 2011

Context defines the message - always

Just had a great balmy night at Fringe festival event in Perth at the fringes especially erected speighal tent - which is an event in itself - and it was great fun! A fantastic venue, the performance was a pair of women doing some 'punked up' burlesque. They were known as the Wau Wau sisters - they were hysterical, irreverent and very, very , VERY naughty  - in a good way!

It got me thinking about our values surrounding women nudity and crudity, what society tells us is OK when it comes to sexuality and behaviour. what is OK to be exposed to and most importantly when? This was a  18 + event with full nudity, foul language and a trapeze act that if it was book or film instead of a live performance that can only be assembled after the two girls had got into the country, it may have been stopped at the border due to our censorship laws!

I could almost feel the wowsers prickling in the audience - thinking this is just too much - what with the alter, banana and now the trapeze ....whaaa?  I did wonder if any of the prominent Perth churches were aware that they were in town - just at that thought left my head the Sisters plucked an representative from the audience to dress as a woman as they do at these things  - and low and behold if he doesn't work for Save the Children  - you can't pay for irony as good as that! There was closing a scene that depicts the last supper like I have never seen before - or ever will again! but it was funny, amongst a room full of consenting adults all whom were over 18. 
 
However, the next day I was in line at the shopping counter in the local supermarket and next me me was the magazine rack  - the blazing headline for this month 's Cleo was "ride him like never before - & lose weight while you do" - or something similar  ...I took a double take - I know what I had experienced the night before was way more raunchy and wild in comparison - but just like Abbott says 'context is everything' and I thought pardon me!  I can feel my inner wowser rising ...in a good way ...if you know what I mean.



If I attend a special tent to see burlesque I expect a bit of fun and sexy debauchery in a way that is expressly rehearsed and therefore somehow decent ....but at the supermarket check out? At 10 past three in the afternoon with five women and their toddlers, two out of work accountants flicking matching BMW keys and  three men from the local bowls club getting the afternoon tea  -  I do not appreciate standing next to headlines like that!

Am I wowser or what? And what kind of wowser does it make me? One who finds that good old burlesque is fine - even full frontal nudity can be a hoot in public - but I am very, very over the trashy headlines of Cleo and Cosmo about riding men and loosing weight - and all whilst in a supermarket line !  Really!

 
I wonder if I could get nude and hook up a trapeze in the supermarket line next week and see if any customers take offense?

Kidding - but context is everything!   
 

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

writing


“The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon”

Robert Cormier, US author


+ but you do have to get it right at some time  - Jac