“Just
because I forgave you doesn’t mean that isn’t a very real part of every day for
me.”
-WHALE by Ali Keller
It was August 18th, 2014 when the immortal
words were first sung to a worldwide audience. Words that would come to serve
as the anthem for young adults everywhere, as they stared boldly into the faces
of teasing older siblings, snide classmates and their other arch-nemeses. Words
that would inspire self-confidence and countless horrible dance moves. Words
that would leave people everywhere asking, “Wait, does that even rhyme?” Those
immortal words are:
Cause
the players gonna play play play play play
And the
haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate
Baby,
I’m just gonna shake shake shake shake shake
I
shake it off, I shake it off.
-“Shake
it Off” by Taylor Swift
August 18th, 2014. The day Taylor Swift
released her hit single, “Shake it Off.” Since that date, the song has remained
in the top hundred iTunes songs and has been the subject of countless Youtube
parodies and covers. It’s one of those songs that seem almost inescapable.
Why
has it been so popular? Sure it’s sung by a well-known celebrity, has a catchy
beat and an amusing music video. But I have to think that much of its stamina
has to do with its positive, haters-can’t-bring-me-down message. “Shake It Off”
encourages us to ignore people who put us down and to love ourselves as we are.
Seems like a pretty solid message. But what happens when we become our own
haters? How do we shake off our own negative thoughts about ourselves? How do
we let go of the things that we can’t help but think about every day of our
lives? That voice telling us we’re not good enough, not smart enough, not
beautiful. The one we have to turn on loud, rock music to drown out.
One
major contributor to self-loathing in the United States is the media, which
forces its contradictory beauty standards on us. Magazines feature articles
like, “How I Beat Anorexia,” on one page and have advertisements for skinny
pills on the next. It used to be “weird” for men to have long hair, but man
buns are suddenly all the rage (see Buzzfeed’s post entitled, “20 Man Buns That Will Ruin You For
Short-Haired Guys,” for more info). Butts were out. Butts are in. What
society defines as beauty changes more quickly than a banker.
Ali
Keller’s new play, WHALE is a welcome
challenger to this outdated social structure. Set against the unique backdrop
of New York City’s MOMA, WHALE shows
us a college student who uses a male friend in her senior thesis with
embarrassing results. With
witty dialogue and vivid characters, the play
investigates how society’s beauty standards can transform the ways in which we
perceive ourselves. The play also offers insightful commentary on self-love and
self-loathing. A little Taylor Swift can work wonders for dealing with the
haters outside, but WHALE might be
able to help us deal with the haters inside.
 |
| Ali Keller |
Was
there any defining moment that changed your perception of yourself or of
someone you know? We’d love to hear from you! Comment here and tweet us at @rianttheatre.
And come check out WHALE, which will
be performed in the Strawberry One-Act Festival in Series G on August 9th
(Sun) at 5pm & August 12th (Wed) at 9pm. For tickets go to www.therianttheatre.com
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