tool of the patriarchy! woo hoo!

[keryx]

Last March, riotkat and I joined a bevy of other dancers at this thing at Saks. Bevy is a crucial word here, as it evokes wenches and harems and other wacky fantastical ways in which we like to imagine women.

Background: the Saks was apparently having some kind of Middle Eastern-themed cosmetics promotion, so they brought in a bunch of dancers and a couple of other entertainers, none of whom were (afaik) paid, to provide "atmosphere". I was fully aware of this in advance, and went along with the plan for the kitsch factor and another opportunity to perform.

There was one primary clerk (maybe the cosmetics area assistant manager) with whom we interacted, and then a series of clerks who were out on the floor in the general area of dancing. The primary clerk was exceptionally officious and snotty, and the others just somewhat so. But the shift in watching Clerk 1 interact with the dancers and then later with customers was astounding; it was as if she had some sort of superhero changing booth in the back. Presumably, the Saks requires their cosmetics staff to be fawning to a point of ridiculousness, and this woman was either generally snotty or the stress of that pretense made her unhappy (it would make me unhappy, too - I can relate).

It made for a strange contrast, in any case - because all of the Saks staff addressed the dancers with the haughty bearing of a grand lady directing her servants, but still fawned over customers. I'm embarrassed to admit that I also bristled a little - like, don't get snotty with me, I have a 'real' job (yeah, apparently I'm a rank classist when people cop attitude). It made me wonder what ideas of socioeconomic class the Saks encourages in its employees, and what it might be like to be a service worker in a "high end" field like designer cosmetics and handbags. What is it like to be expected to be fawning every day? And how do customers treat these folk in return?

Bellydancers themselves tend to cross economic class quite a bit - they're teachers, executives, full-time parents, janitors, etc. We all pretty much accepted the high-handed attitude (really, what difference did it make?). It struck me as ironic, though, that many of the dancers may have been customers of this place - but as dancers, we accepted this very different treatment from the staff without comment. Which might say something about the assumed "class" of a belly dancer.

That's about it - the experience was thought-provoking, and would have been more interesting to write about when I remembered the things people said. And I never felt quite so much a tool of the patriarchy (nor so undressed, despite the many layers of my costume) as when I was standing around 12 sequin-bra-clad women hocking designer cosmetics.

You know what we haven't done in a while? Rants by request! I miss them. Comment giving me a subject on which you'd like me to rant, and I'll write a rant for you. It's a rare opportunity to make me dance (write) like a puppet for your amusement.

Comments

[chubbyninja.livejournal.com]

the workplace heirarchy, without mentioning sexism.
hows that for a rant subject?

[keryx.livejournal.com]

You want workplace hierarchy in general, or mine in specific?

And I'm not sure you get to add extra conditions. What next? "Never use the word 'and'"?

[chubbyninja.livejournal.com]

stereotyping in general...
and no using the word 'and' either...

[peregrin8.livejournal.com]

the fragmentation of the Left.

[keryx.livejournal.com]

Intriguing... at once sweepingly broad and quite specific. :)

[petite-tadpole.livejournal.com]

Rant about people who just randomly go offline in AIM or whatever, without saying bye, see you, anything...

[keryx.livejournal.com]

Wait, *I* do that! I'll have to rant about people who complain when people do that, I guess. ;)

[snidegrrl.livejournal.com]

She was clearly not a Chanel lady, or she would have been nice to no one. Chanel ladies aren't nice even if Britney Spears walks in the store dropping thousand dollar bills in her wake.

Rant topic: Hooters restaurants.

[puzzlement.livejournal.com]

Rant about stupid comments in your LJ....