“Whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed” - Elle Woods.
When I was 15 years old I hated feminism and pink. Ten years later I’m a “loud mouth feminist buzzkill” and still hate pink. Can feminism fix my relationship with pink? Can pink fix society's relationship with feminism? Confused? #MeToo.
It’s time to call the BFF on your Motorola flip, throw on that pink Von Dutch cap and wear your fave berry lip gloss. This sexy, gooey, pinktastic, party will have you dancing in your seat to all your fave 00's bangers. The powers of pink can tear down the patriarchy...right?
Rosie spoke with writer and performer Georgia Watkins about this exciting new devised work and her relationship with the colour pink. Read the full interview below:
Georgia Watkins
Gritty in Pink is a solo performance that examines our relationship with feminism and the colour pink. What inspired the creation of this work and why was Sydney Fringe the right place to bring it to an audience?
A short version of Gritty in Pink was a part of my honours project last year. I was looking into contemporary feminist aesthetics in visual arts and theatre, and I noticed it all seemed very pink. I’ve always hated the colour, and it was through my research that I began to examine my relationship with pink and really interrogate why I hate it. Fairly quickly I came to the realisation that it was my own bias against femininity. Something I didn’t think I had an issue with anymore, something I thought I’d already undone. Pink was everywhere in media in the 2000’s when I was growing up, but it was often attached to the the blonde dumb stereotype, and feminism was very hidden. Now pink is everywhere often attached to feminist and queer arts and culture, and feminism is being talked about everywhere. The show is really inspired by how pink operated then, how pink operates now and what different meanings we can project onto an already highly coded colour. Fringe seemed perfect for an experimental work that probably wouldn’t work in other settings.
Gritty in Pink is promoted as a fun sleepover party filled with all your favourite 00s bangers. Why do you think such fun youthful content is a strong avenue to discuss the above themes? What can audiences expect from this work?
The sleepover vibes and 00’s music really talks to that period where pink ruled and feminism drooled. I also think given the popularity of feminism at the moment, it can be so easy for these discussions to become very serious. The violations of women’s bodily autonomy that are happening today are all over the media. It can be quite overwhelming, heartbreaking and anger inducing. For the sake of my own health while working on a solo project I had to make it fun. I’ve really tried to find the balance between a fun party feel and a deep dive into the politics of women's bodies and autonomy.
Gritty in Pink was first performed as a 15 minute work for your Theatre and Performance Honours degree last year at UNSW. How much the work changed from its first iteration, and what made you want to add an extra 30 minutes onto the piece?
I wanted to expand on that initial 15 minutes because there was so much more I wanted to explore last year that didn’t fit within the academic context of ‘practice as academic research’. Some parts are the same, but I think I delve a lot deeper into my own personal history and my own relationship with pink and feminism which was missing from the first iteration. In a way I’ve replaced much of the academia of the first work with something much more personal.
You mention that when you were 15 years old you hated feminism, and now you’re a “loud mouth feminist buzzkill.” What do you think helped change your relationship with feminism from then until now? How do you think feminism as a whole as has developed in the past 10 years?
I would be lying if I didn’t say that I learnt a lot from feminist Tumblr circa 2012! But on a serious note growing up I was surrounded by a post-feminist rehtoric that insisted we didn’t need feminism anymore. The rhetoric said that the movement did what it needed to do, and women and men were equal.
I think, unfortunately, it took some very unpleasant personal experiences to realise how women, are treated and viewed in society. It’s something that once learned can’t be ignored. I spent the first few years at university being the buzzkill in the corner at parties stopping the boys from having their fun, and it actually got easier as feminism became more popular.
I think the main difference between feminism in 2009 and feminism in 2019 is that now it’s cool to be a feminst. Society is starting to really value “wokeness”, and I think because of the unfortunate state of the world (not just from a social justice perspective, but an environmental one) it’s becoming very uncool not to care. In 2009, not caring about anything was the fastest way to high social status.
Although feminism has come a long way since you were 15, there’s still a fair way to go. How do you want to see feminism develop in the next 10 years, and what role do you think art plays in discussions about these ideals?
That’s actually quite hard to answer. I think we live in a world that is moving so fast. Technology is moving fast, there’s a strong sense of urgency to combat the climate crisis and, unfortunately, if there is one thing history has proven; change is slow. Something I found fascinating during my honours research was the idea that fourth wave feminism (arguably the wave we’re in now) is just the ideas of the third wave made possible by technology. The third wave championed intersectionality; a need to look at oppression more holistically and see where certain oppressions intersect. The importance of a diverse range of women’s voices being heard was noted in the third wave but often spoken by white women. With the rise of the internet there is now the opportunity for a greater diversity of voices to speak (even if unfortunately they are still often silenced.) I hope in the next 10-20 years that a woman’s right to choose is respected and legalised internationally. I hope the number of women killed yearly in australia is drastically reduced. I hope to see more diversity in our governments and businesses. I hope that social media sites stop censoring “female-presenting nipples”. I hope that wage transparency becomes compulsory in the public and private sectors. I hope that we win the battles we are currently fighting, because I think as society changes there will be new battles to be fought. I think art plays such a strong role in shaping how society thinks. Art is this kind of universal communication system we have to discuss complicated ideas and start conversations. I really believe that people learn the most from conversations with those around them and I think art can operate as a much needed conversation starter.
RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS:
Favourite production you have ever seen?
That’s so hard! It’s a tie between two of Nakkiah Lui’s works - either This Heaven (2013) or Black is the New White (2017). They’re both so different I can’t choose.
You’re getting on a plane tomorrow and you can go anywhere in the world, where do you go?
Either Berlin or London.
Dream show to create? I actually much prefer working collaboratively so I would love to get a huge group of women together and devise something. I think I enjoy going into something not really knowing what it will become.
Plays or musicals?
Plays.
A hobby you have beyond the theatre?
Looking after my plants.
What’s next for you after this show? I have somehow found another wonderful artist who is also deeply fascinated with pink and goop, and we are in very early stages of cooking up something fabulous.
Gritty in Pink opens on September 3 at the Emerging Artists Sharehouse, Erskineville Town Hall. You can get your tickets here.
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