Summary Of Martha Schabas Various Positions

The novel Various Positions written by Martha Schabas illustrates the art of ballet in its truth, and how the romanticization of ballet is rooted in its brutality, and notably in this novel, damage to perception. There is one ideology that consumes the entirety of the novel, ballet is beautiful, the forms shaped by the idyllic thin body portray extreme elegance, the strain put onto the human body weighing you down until your mind is numb to it all. According to Georgia, “Every movement harbours a secret fall, and it's the danger that makes it beautiful”. (pg. 43). Despite this, she describes ballet as something that subconsciously takes over her body, including her thoughts. Therefore, her actions throughout the novel were influenced by it,

The ideal body type for the average female in ballet is incredibly thin. Unfortunately, if they are considered an anomaly, they can experience extreme ridicule and alienation from their thinner counterparts. In Various Positions, Chantal received continuous comments about her portion sizes and her weight, later being publicly ridiculed in class. Roderick asked Georgia,”Are Chantal’s legs beautiful? Will they assist her in evoking weightlessness and grace.”(pg.149). Consequently, she became self-conscious about her body image and how her body was not beautiful, knowing that the beauty Roderick searched for was dependent on the body she was in. Despite the outburst, only further damage was done by Georgia unknowingly encouraging disordered eating and behaviors in Chantal. Not only did Chantal’s body change, but so did her performance. Chantal was unable to maintain the level of ballet she was at now than at her previous weight. This demonstrates the lengths that ballet dancers will go to achieve the ideal silhouette, despite the fatal health risks endangering their future as a dancer. Schabas granted readers an insight into the danger of the beauty standards in ballet and how yielding to them can turn