I was contacted recently by the filmmakers of There She Is, and asked if I’d take a look at the project and share my thoughts if I had thoughts and, guess what, I have thoughts. (I know, I know, shocker)
To give you a little background, There She Is follows two plus size pageant queens, Allison Kopach and Jenny Flores, as they prepare for an upcoming pageant.
I’m not sure what exactly Veena Rao and Emily Sheskin were going for when they made this movie. When they described the film to me, they explained it this way:
The two women discuss their lives as plus size women, including how they feel when others’ perceptions of their appearance clash with their own. The film challenges the viewer to examine her/his own definition of beauty and the ways in which it affects our everyday lives.
For me, as a plus sized woman, it was both endearing and uncomfortable to watch. I was very proud of these ladies and I’m glad pageants like this exist. Maybe it’s the little girl in me, but I’ve always liked beauty pageants. Well, let me clarify, I like what they represent. As a little girl, I sat with my mom and we looked for confidence, poise, talent and that unexplainable something that made us root for a contestant.
But I also saw that undercurrent of what plus sized women, hell, all women go through. That discomfort about what it means to just take up space on the planet.
They wanted people to think. They got that response out of me. I’d say take the 20 minutes out of your life to watch it and see what you think. Share as desired.
You can view the movie and other info at the following link.
Oh and, for the record, I’m not saying men don’t go through this stuff. However, I’m not a man, so I can’t speak to your experience. ;-)