by Alan Ball

Q & A Interview . . .
Q. Elisberg: What sort of characters interest you? What sort of stories?
A. Ball: Conflicted characters. People struggling with things internally. People who are trying to live an authentic life in an inauthentic world. Stories about people trying to connect with each other, stories about people realizing what’s really important in their lives as opposed to what they thought was important, stories about people finding bravery within themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Notions of Womanhood

What does it mean to be a woman? Notions about what it means to be a woman pervade all cultures, effectively shaping the way that women are regarded and treated. While these ideas differ from culture to culture, they are usually justified as either ordained by God or determined by nature. Scholars now understand the idea of "femininity" as a social construct: a fundamental set of ideas, myths, Stereotypes, norms and standards that affect the lives of all women in various ways. Unraveling "nature" from "culture" has been a primary concern of women throughout history as they struggle in exchange constricting myths, stereotypes, and standards for self-definition.

Stereotypical images of women communicate cultural values about what is considered acceptable behavior of girls and women. One learns very early--from peers, family, educational institutions, and the media--appropriate behaviors, altitudes and values. Beginning in infancy, these images convey messages to girls and boys almost what "good" girls do and, more importantly, what they do not do. These images limit and regulate how women see themselves, how men see women, what women are allowed to do and how women's behavior is judged. Perceptions of women are often distorted, reflecting cultural values about women rather than real women's experiences.

Frequently, these images convey women as inferior and weak, diminishing ideas about women's abilities and strengths. Eventually, many girls and women start to doubt themselves and feel powerless, in the classroom, at work, and in relationships with others. To begin to value oneself beyond restrictive cultural boundaries and expectations can be a difficult undertaking when the preponderance of social messages argues otherwise.

Portraying men as strong and women as weak perpetuates the superiority of males, justifying women's subordination and subjugation. Women have traditionally been defined in relation to male standards and needs. Too often, the result is the sexual objectification of girls and women. This construction of women as subordinate to men's needs and desires has undeniable repercussions on real girls and women. It is difficult to argue that sexist images are irrelevant or unimportant.

Five Women Wearing the Same Dress communicates some of the issues by critiquing the social construction of women. The dreaded dress represents the ultimate stereotypical femininity. In public, in the dress, the characters appear to be ideal southern ladies. The characters are repeatedly reminded by mothers, men and each other of how "good" women are supposed to behave, feel and think. They are denied individuality and agency by the ideals represented by the dress. However, in the privacy of Meredith's bedroom, the women define themselves, often expressing disdain for stereotypical conventions and yet they still struggle to publicly embody social expectations of women, the site of much of the unhappiness. The characters are torn between expressing their unique selves and the social acceptance available through conformity. With the possible exception of Frances, the women in the play far removed from the ideal,but their lives are affected by the repercussions of the cultural devaluation of women--abortion, childhood sexual abuse, anorexia, adultery and discrimination against lesbians. While the characters trapped in the bridesmaid dresses could symbolize stereotypical images of good and bad women--the fundamentalist Christian, the unhappy housewife, the promiscuous woman, the rebel and the lesbian--the enactment of the characters points to the inadequacy of these images to encompass the uniqueness of the individual.

By becoming more conscious of the process of becoming a woman, we can begin to confront and change the norms, practices, and institutions that have limited girls' and women's fullest expressions of their individual selves. Only then will our understanding of "what it means to be a woman" accurately reflect women's experiences. Only then will women be able to define themselves publicly and privately.

Sharon Sullivan,
Instructor in Theatre and
Ph.D. candidate in Theatre in K.U.

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