ANONYMOUS
Editor’s note: This story was written by an emerging opera singer in Australia. She has chosen to publish anonymously to avoid judgement she feels may affect her career. CutCommon supports this choice in light of the subject matter.
To the average opera newcomer, the genre might stir up mental images of large women wearing golden breastplated armour and Viking helmets, donning axe and shield. After all, it’s a popular portrayal of those possessing mighty voices. And, as the saying goes, ‘It’s not over ‘til the fat lady sings’.
Reality, however, is far less forgiving. A phenomenon known as ‘fat shaming’ pervades the opera industry, placing pressure on young women to shed their weight in order to be more desirable in their roles (despite this existing stereotype of the ‘overweight’ singer suggesting otherwise).
Of course, physical fitness is necessary as an opera singer. Good cardio health, for example, leads to greater lung capacity, which directly impacts vocal stamina. On top of singing itself requiring a great level of endurance, many directors also expect some degree of skill in dance. After all, even basic stagecraft grows gruelling after hour upon hour of rehearsals. It isn’t difficult to imagine why being in good health is of benefit to an opera singer. But when are physical judgements taken too far? When do we move from labelling a body as ‘fit’ to labelling it ‘attractive’?
A number of opera singers, mostly female, have spoken out about how this issue has affected their career. Most notably, perhaps, was an incident in Britain in 2004, in which soprano Deborah Voigt was fired from Covent Garden’s production of Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos due a perception of her being too overweight for her role. Deborah didn’t hesitate to speak out about her mistreatment and has since had a successful career, but the issue didn’t just disappear. (In fact, a journalist at the time specifically labelled Deborah as “the fat lady” and a “generously proportioned diva”, arguably perpetuating the issues at the centre of her own story.)
Ten years later, Irish soprano Tara Erraught came under fire in reviews of her performance in Der Rosenkavalier, many of which seemed to have bypassed her singing and acting capabilities and merely focused on her outward appearance instead. Descriptions such as “unsightly” and “a chubby bundle of puppy-fat” were chosen by critics who reported on Tara’s professional performance.
In Australia, too, instances of this occurrence have seeped into the opera industry. This can be seen in an introductory video for the Sydney Conservatorium of Music’s Opera and Vocal Studies program, in which a senior member of staff observes that today’s industry is “so competitive that you can’t afford to be overweight anymore… You have to look extremely good”. It is important to note that this statement is not the result of an individual’s callousness. Rather, it’s the result of an industry that has for years chosen physical appearance over artistry.
It goes without saying that, when attending an opera, as members of the audience we wish to be drawn into the story and fall in love with the characters we see on stage as we do with the music itself. But is it so unrealistic to see plus-sized men and women being adored and serenaded?
Opera is an artform and a physical discipline that takes years of training to master. Yet many audiences and critics choose to let diligence take a back seat to superficiality. So while opera is enjoyed because of its story, characters, dancing, acting, and visual spectacle, at its core, opera is music. I urge audiences and directors to remember why we continue to see those timeless classics – not because of beautiful people, but because of beautiful music.
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Image of Lego opera singer by Ted Drake via Flickr CC-BY-ND-2.0.
