Jezebel Express Instagram – ✨Things No One Tells You About Being A Showgirl✨
No one tells you how much STUFF there is, for starters. You think it’s a corset & bra, ruffled panties, a pair of high heels. You’ve got most of that at home.
Smash cut to three —or five or fifteen years— later, & you’re backstage with two gowns (one for performing, one for curtain call), two corsets, sixty-inch wide feather fans, a bustle the size of a small car, a boa, lingerie, a lace onesie, three sets of gloves, two pairs of heels (high set for performing & the low ones for your go-go stint) & that’s before you get into wigs & hair accessories & makeup.
And no one tells you about the stairs.
No one tells you that when you’re just starting out, the shoes you need for your show are going to cost $60, & the show is gonna pay you $50. No one tells you how hard you’ll work to be seen.
No one tells you that one day, you’ll see an audience member see themselves in you. They are rethinking what is possible, because of the five minutes you spent onstage.
No one tells you that producers are going to hit on you & it’s going to be awful. Or that they’re going to hit on everyone except you & that you’ll hate yourself for thinking that might be even worse.
No one tells you that performing is the best drug. Or that slow weeks & unanswered inquiries will make you wonder if you should just hang up your tassels.
No one tells you that half the photos taken of you onstage will make you want to live in a hole in the ground.
No one tells you some gigs are perfect for you, & others will never hire you, & it’s your job to figure out which is which.
No one will tell you that you need to practice or upgrade your costuming or study comedy. A mentor might. But no one tells you how hard it is to get a mentor, either.
What I can tell you is:
You’ll figure it out. You’ll pick up lessons the way kittens scoop up lacy bras. You’ll laugh so much, & probably cry your eyelashes off at least once. You will make good art & bad art but it will always be yours.
The truth is that it’s life, just sparklier. So enjoy it.
Make some friends. Abandon your ego. Learn what makes your light beam brightest.
Then shine. ✨ | Posted on 20/May/2024 06:54:31
