Everyone wants a hot beach body for summer. For some it's an unattainable dream and for others, it's their sole purpose for living. In Bliss! Isabel Angus takes a number of swipes at an industry that has people feeling more insecure about themselves, through her fitspo and fitspirational character, Penny Parsins.
Angus touches on a number of issues that are raised by the fitness obsessed times we live in. Having recently watched another fitness themed show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival but from a male perspective, it was interesting to see the similarities and difference that females encounter when it comes to fitness, most notably that men exercise to put on muscle and women, such as Penny, exercise to lose weight because as we all know, strong is the new skinny.
These days, you can't ask someone how their weekend was without learning about the new fitness class they discovered. A new, obscure class that involves beating yourself to a pulp, but all worth it for that perfect summer body. Presenting her show BLISS! as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Isabel Angus looks deeper into this cultural phenomenon where merely riding exercise bikes or lifting weights are no longer acceptable while also exploring what the "ideal" actually is in terms of able-bodied youth, beauty, whiteness, wealth and heteronormativity.
"BLISS! is a satirical character comedy, exploring the absurdity of extreme fitness and wellness culture," Angus tells me. "Prepare to be ‘fit-spired’ by twenty-something Penny Parsins, a #fitspo fanatic wellness guru who’s body is a temple and truly believes yours can be too. Except to see inspirational workouts performed by Penny and prepare to feel like a toxic bag of flesh who needs a Fit-tervention from Penny. As a self-appointed life guru, she has got what it takes to show you how you can live your #BestLife. And don’t forget to follow her on Instagram while you’re at it to get a glimpse into Penny's perfect life."
