“She introduced a new dimension to trapeze acts by using her performance as a tool for the sexual titillation of audiences.”
The above quote truly captures the spirit of the article. The article tells the story of Charmion, a trapeze artist who was among the first female performers in American Vaudeville to take advantage of the silent film. Her whole schtick was doing her trapeze acts mixed in with sexual elements. Through that she became a force known across the country, and even into and across Europe. It truly was something that had never quite been seen before especially on that scale. Her story is a really interesting one, and has honestly been one of the most interesting one from this class.
“They pushed the boundaries of traditional notions of femininity and demonstrated new ways for women to express themselves through bodily reform.”
The second quote is important because of how it reinforces the impact of the article. They pushed boundaries that had never really been pushed in that way. They expressed themselves and their views in a new freeing way. I think that aspect is massively important especially when compared with today’s political climate. Women are still being forced to struggle with notions of femininity and what it means to be a woman. With that women are still having to fight and deal with bodily reform. That is why the importance of the article is still valid when compared to today.
“Part of what constituted Charmion’s attraction was her highly developed upper-body muscularity, which she displayed while striking daring, often erotic, poses.”
Lastly, I just thought that part was interesting. Considering the time period, seeing a muscular woman was probably very rare. Now if you see a muscular woman you wouldn’t really bat an eye, but at the time that would have been a huge deal. So the fact that that was a huge draw isn’t surprising at all. The picture included is really cool too. I like that they included it, and it makes me want to see more of them to compare to today. Overall it was just a really cool piece to read.
