Body Shaming and Misogyny from Rupert Christiansen

Photo courtesy: the Telegraph

Today, prolific and well-known reviewer and critic for the Telegraph, Rupert Christiansen, released an article on Glyndebourne's production of Rosenkavalier, and oh, is it a train wreck rife with body shaming and misogyny.



First, we have this:

The other problem is Tara Erraught’s Octavian. There is no doubt of the talent of this young Irish mezzo, based in Germany, who sings with vibrant assurance and proves herself a spirited comedian. But she is dumpy of stature and whether in bedroom déshabille, disguised as Mariandel or in full aristocratic fig, her costuming makes her resemble something between Heidi and Just William. Is Jones simply trying to make the best of her intractable physique or is he trying to say something about the social-sexual dynamic?

Who cares if Tara Erraught's performance is fantastic? She looks "dumpy of stature," which obviously undermines any of her achievements as a singer and as a woman. Her physical appearance is all that matters in opera, which is a concept that truly disgusts me. Body shaming is never appropriate, and only serves to cut a singer's achievement (and their confidence) down. If her singing was fantastic (which it was), and her performance and acting is entertaining, then why only have one sentence proclaiming her skill, and three that denigrate her body type? It seems nothing short of petty, superficial, and misogynistic.

And then, this gem:

The evening offers two major revelations. Kate Royal, who has recently sounded short of her best and stressed by motherhood, emerges happily here as the most graceful of Marschallins: in silk-smooth voice, she sang with tender attention to the text and a mixture of warmth and dignity that made the final renunciation sharply moving: her wryly regretful and slightly cross “Ja, ja” spoke volumes and brought a lump to my throat.

Oh. Stressed by motherhood? Okay. That definitely isn't constantly used as an argument as to why women can't "lean in" and achieve higher positions and promotions. No, definitely not. Shaming women for motherhood and suggesting that childbirth negatively impacts their ability to do their jobs is the number one reason that is given when women suggest that there is a glass ceiling in most career fields. Motherhood is always cited as a reason that women should be paid less and not receive promotions next to their male coworkers - and though Christiansen made no allusions to Kate Royal's pay grade, he managed to slip a dig about motherhood under the door, reinforcing the destructive and sexist ideas that motherhood somehow makes women weaker and less capable. The women I know that are mothers are some of the strongest and most capable people I have ever known, and motherhood has only served to strengthen their resolve and make them even more valuable to their chosen career field.

Poor show, Mr. Christiansen. Maybe next time, you'll think twice before you denigrate amazingly talented, beautiful women in your petty and spiteful reviews.