I wanna be a showgirl

by Andy Rocchelli

Aspiring glamorous assistants and decorative dancers. Girls with dreams of a TV career. Beautifying themselves to serve the entertainment industry even going so far as to completely transform their body at the hands of cosmetic surgeons. Success is attained through castings and beauty contests that draw young girls in large numbers, often accompanied by mothers doubling as makeshift agents, there both to motivate and to console. The competition is cutthroat; the selection process, merciless. The winners accept risky compromises and flimsy contracts. The tyranny of image celebrated on the small screen betrays a male-chauvinist world view. Acquiescing to it means believing that success and happiness can be achieved by exposing your body.