Appearance

As aerialists, like all performers, there’s an aspect of performing which relies on appearance. There’s certain aesthetics that event planners imagine, visual ideas that directors have and ideas of how we want to look ourselves.

This sounds harmless in terms of make-up, costume, ect, but these ideas can turn into pressures which lead us to want to change the physical appearance of our bodies.

So many people in my dissertation research (28%) referenced that they wanted to look differently. Wether that body size, build, specific aspects of their bodies.

As performing aerialists we are putting ourselves out there infront of people and if we are already critiquing the way we look its going to affect us when we imagine someone else critiquing us.

I used to move a lot faster as it meant I was never still enough for people to really study me. It’s only now I’ve quietened the critical voice that I can move more slowly and be more comfortable being still in the air.

Us aerial teachers have to demo things infront of a whole class of people who are very close and watching every movement. On days when I am having a bad body image day this really makes me feel uncomfortable, regardless of how supportive the environment is. Can anyone else relate to this?

Has worrying about your appearance ever affected how you move, how you work, which work you take, how you present yourself online?