
To call this show a midnight feast is the perfect description of what takes place. We have all the ingredients for a successful sleepover in which the audience is invited to gorge on Selina's body biography. This is not a confessional though. Selina is not apologetic to us or to herself about her size. She is fat because she binges and she has binged all her life. Sometimes she has eaten differently. Sometimes she hasn't. There is no moment of clarity in which an epiphany is shared.
Selina addresses the audience in a chatty manner. She brings joy to anecdotes that might be presented as tragic moments in other hands. Neither would be a bad handling, but it is wonderful to see someone delight so much in a delicious indulgence women are told to apologise for. | There is a strong display of self value in this show |
There is a strong display of self value in this show. Selina might binge, but she binges on nice food, as she says herself she has expensive tastes. There is an incident in the show that she acknowledges might be upsetting. It is upsetting because we have possibly to some extent all be there and upsetting because the audience is being made to watch someone do something to themselves that looks and sounds painful. Afterwards however Selina, clearly a natural nurturer looks out for her audience.
Chewing the Fat is a great show that helps us engage with both the joyful and the sad parts of being corporeal and reminds us that both are valid and valuable parts of inhabiting a body, fat or not.
Squeamish Kate