As an opera singer, one gets VERY familiar with non-singers saying to them, "You sing opera?? I thought you had to be FAT to sing opera," and, "You don't look like an opera singer." At this point, we singers kindly remind them that they are associating with a stereotype, then we dive into deeper explanations of different rep and different voice types, different fachs and the acceptable weight ranges for each of them.....all while the questioner is extremely overwhelmed and has NO idea what we are talking about. But this brings up a very relevant question in the opera industry now: When is fat TOO fat, and at what point do we become obsessed with our weight?
As someone who has always struggled with their weight, and someone who has also changed their entire body from about 8 years ago (for the better!!), I tend to be on the slightly more obsessive side (....comments from the peanut gallery anyone??). I have taken quite a strong stance toward the "new" opera, where Hollywood good looks are as important as a fierce voice, solid technique, the acting ability of a true ACTOR, not just a singer who can emote. In my opinion, in a world that is obsessed with filming everything in "HD," we must not let ourselves become irrelevant. Do I think then that we should sacrifice our vocal ability and technique in order to be thinner, ABSOLUTELY not; I firmly believe that beauty of the voice and technique, as an opera singer, should be our first concern. Once you have achieved that, or at least get on your feet, then we can start adding layers into the mix.
But this brings about the question mentioned above. It is pretty widely recognized that the face of opera has changed in the past few years. There are ALWAYS very strong debates about this, the Live in HD phenomenon, and operas now being directed for the camera rather than for the stage, rendering some productions brilliantly filmed but quite lackluster in the house....but that's a WHOLE other posting. Here we are talking about weight.
There are certain singers (I don't want to mention any names) who I would consider in particular to have "set the bar" for the ability to look like a super model and still have a great voice. When these singers really started busting onto the scene, everyone around them had to "stay relevant" and drop the extra padding they were carrying in their Brunhilde costume....For a while we saw it affecting their voices, and to a certain extent, it really still is. A lot of people said at the time that singers were caring too much about their appearances, that singers couldn't be thin, that we weren't focusing on our voices and were neglecting them, etc. That very well may be true. Also, as someone who has lost a significant amount of weight, I can attest that it is VERY much easier to sing, even 5-10 lbs heavier; you have to be much more conscious, at least initially, of how you are breathing and making sure that you are really lowering your support entirely when you do start to trim down.
In 2011 now, it seems the younger generations of singers have really latched onto this ideal, that we must be Hollywood hot. It's no longer acceptable to play a woman dying of consumption and still weigh 350 lbs....the audiences today are simply smarter than that. I think the younger singers are better off in a sense (IF they find one of the rare teachers today who can really teach a fierce technique); they are growing up in this industry already maintaining their weights, working on the voices, etc. I believe it has been a little harder for the current "A-listers" to adapt, because they already had established identities as singers and performers (with their weight, image, voice etc). We are actually now seeing a few singers in particular, some of whom STARTED the skinny trend actually putting on quite a bit of weight. Does this mean they're not singing well? Absolutely not....they are singing quite well indeed. Personally I find it hard to believe that they would allow themselves to get that way, especially in an industry where people are looking at you all the time, more and more every season, but who am I to say.....
We now come to the topic of becoming obsessed with your weight. I have a tendency toward this one more than my haagen-dazs crazed counterparts. At what point are we, probably particularly my generation, too focused on our weight?
This is a really interesting question, and one that I'm sure a lot of psychologists would love to get their hands on....I'll take a brief stab at it. I can see the surface levels, and then levels that dive a bit deeper....I don't want to try and solve any life problems here, but simply open up a line of ideas that may make people, simply, more aware of this.
On the surface, sure, who DOESN'T want to be thinner? Everyone wants to be "skinny popular" of course. As with everything, moderation is key; it comes down to basic health that we should not be starving ourselves (and to lose weight, that is actually QUITE the opposite of what we should be doing), however this is hard to tell some people. My generation is full of over-achievers, people who need stimulation at all times (why do you think I have seen quite a few amazing cities in Europe, but have never personally been west of Dallas!). Our generation wants more, they want it bigger better and more glamorous, NOW PLEASE, without having to do the work for it. As we have gotten "older," our parents have taught us to work hard for what we want, to strive for greatness, to know you can achieve whatever you want as long as you "stay focused." They have also taught us the value of a dollar, how to clean our rooms and take care of the expensive things they may buy us. All of this has shaped our work ethic, who we are as people, and has ultimately made us these super human over-achieving creatures that don't know when to stop....we can get obsessive.
As singers who are already nervous enough at all times about what someone is going to critique us about (our breath support, our portamento in that phrase, did the portamento then mess up the line of the piece....or the dreaded..."I just don't hear you in this role"). These, for the most part, are all subjective (save the breath support!!); they are all a matter of opinion, and you can sing the same line the same way for 6 different people and I guarantee half will love it and half will hate it and tell you to do it another way. As singers, we deal with so much uncertainty with all of these things and more; when is my next contract, how much are they paying me? is that enough to live off of and save until my NEXT contract which is when and paying me how much....and then on top of that you have to learn these new roles and have lessons on them and coach the Hell out of them to get them ready. There are so many variables in this industry it's no wonder young singers have become obsessed with their weight. Weight is one variable that they CAN control. No matter what someone says, a scale doesn't lie. Your waistband does not lie! I think young singers have latched onto this (and rightfully so to a certain extent) and they have RUN with it, metaphorically and....well....literally it would seem. It gives them a sense of groundedness in an otherwise uncertain industry; something they know they can feel good about.
We must make sure that we do not let this weight debate begin to run our lives. It is always important to be AWARE of these things which will make us more well rounded performers. Chances are, they will also make us feel better about ourselves which will ultimately make us more comfortable on stage, subsequently sing better, etc. We must be careful to not let ourselves sway too much either way....just like no one wants to see a fat Ariadne in a little black dress, no one wants to see a waif of a Brunhilde, who really looks more like a Cherubino at best.
With our bodies as our instruments, we should strive to be HEALTHY. We don't need to be a size 0 in order for the general public to find us attractive (or a casting director), but at the same time, we should not be complacent in allowing ourselves to eat a donut in between every entrance backstage and then wonder why our costumes are feeling a little tighter...all while eating another donut. In this age of the "HD," we should all look to find the happy medium; that which makes you feel like the best you. You should love yourself and have confidence in yourself while still being able to focus on that voice and technique. We should want to look our best, but SOUND our best....after all, we're singers, not models, right?
While I don't support starving yourself through every fad diet, I certainly promote healthy eating, active exercise habits, and monitoring our weights to be appropriately believable in whatever roles we may be singing or preparing. Don't you?
Now why don't you put down that cheeseburger and pick up a Greek yogurt instead.....
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