Solo Performance – Sophie Cole

I started by collecting a varity of words to help spark off themes and create ideas for writing. To do this I posted the images Laurie Penny’s “C” Word and Alice Wellinger’s Private Garden on social media, and asked people what they thought of them. I gained access to a range of views and opinions within minutes. The results were helpful and I noticed some patterns of words emerging. The words Natural and Fertility came up frequently which gave me the idea to write about themes like pregnancy and female body hair growth. For example females struggle to shave their legs as they would do as a normal practice when pregnant due to their large bump.

Working from this I wrote a poem called: Conceive.

 

Round like mountains the woodland is booming.

Spring is in full swing, no need for grooming.

Mother Nature bring me what needs to be brought.

Although we don’t not all have the opportunity to be taught.

If I had thought about protection, conservation more like.

People might not just see me as the village bike.

The grass between my toes and the freshness in my smile,

I suppose it’s hard to relax with feeling your back is going to crack.

Why react? There’s no point in stressing about that.

You cannot contain or change the pain you feel.

One day there will be a time when my body begins to heal.

Then you will start to count your rings like a tree,

Because you will be free from inside of me.

But instead of a forest of family watching over your life,

You have the strongest tree who has suffered though strife.

The circle of life in front of my eyes,

As a frog sits by the pond mouth wide catching flies.

 

Conceive is about a single pregnant woman standing outside in her garden looking at the beautiful natural landscapes. She talks of her journey of becoming pregnant and now as she stands alone a strong single mother to be. I used the comparison of the natural landscape and her physical body. The poem also includes the idea of freedom which was another word that peoples used on my social media post.

A few more words of which I think are useful are Feminism, Empowering, Strength, Equality, Liberation, and Power. These are all positive attitudes towards the pictures female genitalia. However I wanted to look at some of the negative connotations women’s sexuality holds. Other words like Vulnerability and Revealing were mentioned, which led me to think of the relationship women have with their sexuality.

I wrote a piece called Portrayal based on how young girls aged between 11-15 are sexualised without their understanding or consent.

Portrayal:

Vanilla icing covered in sprinkles please,

I want one now begging on my knees.

Unicorn princess with hair like bubble gum,

Squishy and soft like my plump, peachy bum.

Giggling sweetly with a gentle touch,

Buying a bag and purse or clutch.

Sucking on candy/sweets, lollypops.

Posing for selfies outside coffee shops.

Cute puppies and kittens are totally the best,

Gazing in the mirror at my prepubescent breast.

Another trip to Disneyland? My god I am blessed.

A video online of me singing ‘Be our guest’.

Upload a selfie in my Justin Bieber vest.

I got a new nail varnish in bright hot pink,

Guy walks past, turns back with a wink.

Sequins on my top in the shape of a heart,

Homework needs doing I’m making a flowchart.

Fluffy pink slippers with a pony on the front,

Hanging for pictures from last year’s egg Easter hunt.

Doodling hearts over my school book,

The man in the shop gave me a second look.

Rainbow cupcake pic’s fill my Instagram page,

I dream one day I’ll on singing on stage.

Glittery pink lip-gloss makes me look so cute,

Man drives past and gives his horn a toot.

I write in a pen that smells like cherries,

Cookie dough is my favourite Ben & Jerrys.

My Nanna brought me a new dolphin bed set,

I get an inbox asking if we’ve ever met yet.

Glittery body spray is on my birthday present list,

Boy asked me at school how many guys I’ve kissed.

I lay on my inflatable pizza in the outside the pool,

My clip on earrings are a big shiny jewel.

I love all my teddies and cuddly toys,

I heard a whistle from a large group of boys.

But to think, of myself as anything other than a queen,

Is obscene. Because one day my name will be on a holly wood screen. My dreams are as crazy as they’ve ever been.

But I’ve got time because I’m only twelve.

The poem uses the innocent thoughts of a young girl and twists them into being sexualised. A large contribution to this is the porn industry’s sexualisation of teens and school girls. Whereas in reality to be a ‘sexy school girl’ said person is underage which makes this fetish a form of paedophilia.

I want to use this poem in my solo piece as I feel it has a message that I want to portray and that has significant value to me as a young woman. A lot of the references in the poem are related to my person life of which I would like to bring into my solo show more.

I will focus now of the theme of the sexualisation of young girls and how they are viewed as sexual being without their knowledge or understanding. I will look at staging my poetry and how I will perform this as a solo show.

When thinking about how I would address the idea of the spoken word in my piece I wanted look into poetry as I felt I could use the style to get the message of the piece across without being too brash. Inviting the audience to actively think about the themes and messages that the performance is displaying. I also think the way poetry sounds when being delivered gives the language more of a stimulating tone compare to a normal script.

I’ve been researching slam poetry on similar topics to mine. A piece that caught my attention in the media recently was written by fourteen year old Kayley Dixon on sexual assault. Her poem has help to fund projects and working with communities to help victims and survivors of sexual violence. A Touch of Sexual Assault is about Dixons experiences as a teenager in today world.

I sectioned part of the poem liked specifically:

“We said no, but that meant yes, so they grabbed us, and unzipped our dress. They threw us down, where our dignity sank lower than the ground” (Kayley Dixon, 2016).

This section stood out because of the pace races symbolising the climax of the action that is being described. There is also the rhyming of yes and dress which are think are really appropriate words to be connected considering the theme of the poem. Lastly it connects the physical act with the devastation left mentally in such a small section. I gives the idea that it only take one small action to change someone life.

“In the morning we will pick out the outfit that is the most discreet, because we want to make sure no other man from the street thinks we look sweet enough to want a taste” (Kayley Dixon, 2016).

This section describes the state of mind in which she has been left which give the poem another dimension as it is about more than give the physical act of sexual assault. The last part of the sentence is a very strong use of language as it compares to herself/body to being something you can consume. That fact the she has chosen the word taste especially next to the word sweet. Given the impression she is comparing her innocence’s and virginity to sweet treats you can pick at a shop. The word taste also symbolises the term of which the incident happened, it was just to try, to get the taste of it. Giving it a different feel, rather than a poem about sexual assault in a marriage or relationship.

Another poem that I found was Hi, I’m a virgin by Izzy Inkpen. Inkpen wrote the poem I a response to a similar piece by a more renowned slam poet Savannah Brown. Her piece is tilted Hi, I’m a slut. They both follow similar structure although Inkpen wrote her with personal themes. Because she is a virgin at twenty year of age so she wanted her poem to reflect her experiences.

“A perfect pre-pubescence with every hair plucked, blow-job eyes whilst a lollipop sucked. As she’s bent over a text-book and learns to be fucked, because it’s not paedophilia if she’s in luck. That virginity is a social construct” (Izzy Inkpen, 2016).

I like how the rhyming brings out aggression in this section is as I feel it helps to get the message across. The rhythm of the words and their structure is also great and fits well with the themes in which the sections is addressing. The idea of a young girl being bent over a text-book is a good play on words as she learns to be fucked. This section demonstrates young females are represented is society as you have the sexy school girl fetish. Which is a form of fetish that encourages paedophilia.

“Hi, I’m a virgin, and no that doesn’t mean I have something that other girls should long for. Hi, I’m a virgin, and no that doesn’t mean I have something more” (Izzy Inkpen, 2016).

This section really demonstrates the belief that write is trying to put across as these are the last two sentences in the poem. It leaves to reader or listener with a lasting thought to carry with them. I feel that it is making such a powerful statement to make and it is complimented with the reiteration of the first part of each sentence.

I will be using some of the ideas taken from these two pieces of work in my own writing. I have learnt I like rhyming in poetry as I think it helps progress idea and it creates pace within the writing. From this I will write my own poetry and see what comes from the ideas I want to write about. Then fill out other themes around the poetry.

Works Cited:

Izzy Inkpen (2016) Hi, I’m a virgin | Slam poem (Savannah Brown response)

. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q_7YljktTE [assessed 8 March 2017].

Kayley Dixon (2016) Teen’s poem about sexual assault is a powerful one

. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6ONugTPF6s [assessed 8 March 2017].

Savannah Brown (2015) Hi, I’m a Slut: A Slam Poem | Savannah Brown

. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6CCePrJlaU [assessed 8 March 2017]

During my process through the lessons so far, I have focused my  ideas around Female Sexuality.

I have created a mind map to help me bring focus to my thoughts and create a center point of my piece. I have been moving towards the themes of control and objectification. From doing this I have decided to look at more historical theory to help me gain knowledge and facts around my subject. Along with this I want to look into female sexuality across the world including female genital mutilation and Nymphomania in Victorian insane asylums.

One point on the mind map I was also thinking about integrating into my work was the idea of corsets. How this item of clothing was worn main in the Victorian era, typically made of wood, horn, ivory, metal, or whalebone, was added to stiffen the front of the bodice. When thinking bout the tern corset many works come to might like tight, controlling , restrictive and uncomfortable. I could use a corset as a metaphor for the dominance of male rule in society specifically in the Victorian time period.

 

When thinking about how I would like to stage my topic I am thinking along the line of poetry, as I really enjoy the impact words can have on an audience if they are used correctly. I liked the way one of the previous years students used poetry and think it will be a successful way to get my topic across. I will look at words around my topic and play the formation. I want to find a more focused central idea before I do this.

I have been looking for pictures as inspiration these are the few that stuck out:

                                          

(Source: Google Images. Image By Laurie Penny)               (Source: Google Images. Image by Alice Wellinger)

I like these two images as they are glorifying and glamorizing female pubic hair. Which is something that is thought of as gross, disgusting, unhygienic and unattractive. I like the use of unnatural colors as it could be used as metaphor for the natural growth of hair. It also gives the theme of the piece a sense of freedom.

Work Cited:

Penny, L (2011) The “C” Word. 

Willinger, A (2014) Private Garden. Museum of American Illustration. New York.

 

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