The picture above shows Laverie Vallée. A high-flying Trappist who showed off her amazing upper body strength while also performing a provocative show for her audience. Laverie was redefining her time with the idea of a woman should be to cover up and stay at home. Her show was everything except that. She would push against all barriers that were set on women at the time. A quote below shows how defining she was.
“ Most of her performances, however, took place in America, where, after much initial criticism for her sensual disrobing act, she became a popular icon of female health, beauty, and acrobatic skill. Andrew Erdman addresses Charmion’s act very briefly in his work on the American vaudeville industry around the turn of the twentieth century.”
Laverie was able to transform her career from a burlesque dancer who was looked upon as “slum” and worth nothing into an amazing act that attracted thousands of people all around the United States to come and watch. While still taking harsh criticism from her peers and reviewers of that time, she was able to become very successful within the sport of gymnastics while also being able to show off her incredible strength even if the way she was doing it was considered to be vulgar and not appropriate at the time.
