Friday, April 6, 2012

Size Media

From the back of a studio theater,
a camera pans in over an audience of women,
It starts from the left 
and sweeps over colorful silky 
product infused hair
to the stage,
where a plush armchair and matching love seat
sit, facing each other.

The panning is accompanied by the sound of applause
and the whooping of the audience women
as the host makes her way out onto the stage,
looking infinitely more attractive
than any other woman selected 
to be in the audience. 

The camera singles in on her,
and she introduces the show
with zest that takes the form of smiles
and rehearsed laughter.
The women in the audience burst in 
with applause at the appropriate points of excitement.

"So Shelby, you're here with us today
to tell us about how you turned your life around.
Two years ago,
you said to yourself --
Something's gotta give. 
Why don't you tell us about it."

"Well Kate, 
two years ago, 
I weighed two-hundred and fifty pounds.
I was embarrassed and uncomfortable in my body,
*a picture of Shelby in a pair of size 22 jeans appears 
on the screen, the audience of women sighs with sympathy or is it pity?*
and I knew I wasn't setting the example that I wanted to 
for my children.

One day, after picking up the kids from daycare,
as I was trying to carry their backpacks and finger paintings
inside from the car, I decided that I was going to do something
about my weight.
Since then, I've lost over one hundred pounds."
*a picture of Shelby holding up her old jeans appears next to the old picture.
The audience bursts into enthusiastic applause*

Kate nods, smiles and claps along with the audience.
Her face says What an Inspiration
As the applause dies off, 
Kate stops clapping and turns back to Shelby.
"What was going through your head
that day, getting home from daycare
with your children?"

"I was tired of feeling --"
*click*
The remote bounces once 
on the cushion of the couch, and the backdoor opens
to the grass,
bare feet over belly fat.

No comments:

Post a Comment