Finally cashing in on my Mothers Day presents a few weekends ago, Mr Surfer and I went to see a performance of the timeless “Les Misérables”.
Prior to the big epic Oscar winning movie version, I had very little clue to its plot, or shall I say, multi-layered themes. Yet, I do remember being blown away by the character Fantine.
It’s been argued whether Anne Hathaway’s gave full musical theatre justice when she sang, “I Dreamed A Dream”.
(To be honest, I had more issues with Russell Crowe’s performance…)
Just as she was winning the battle to stave off critics, Hathaway was literally caught with her pants down (or more accurately, off) during a red carpet commando wardrobe malfunction. Of course the photos went cray cray viral.
Matt Lauer – some douchebag American morning TV show host with similar bigoted arrogance to Sunrise’s Kochie – tried to get tongue in cheek about it.
“Anne, we’ve seen a lot of you recently…”
If there’s any performance that claims Anne Hathaway’s right to an Oscar, it was her response:
“…I’m sorry that we live in a culture that commodifies sexuality of unwilling participants, which brings us back to Les Mis because that’s what the character Fantine is. She is someone who is forced to sell sex to benefit her child because she has nothing and there’s no social safety net…”
Bam!
I was honoured and privileged to attend a special event at Government House this week.
Fitted For Work celebrated its 10th year anniversary.
I decided to become a volunteer because as far as I can see, even 200 years later, Fantine’s situation is still not uncommon.
Disadvantaged women with a story; be it of domestic violence, mental illness, financial difficulty or suffering from debilitating low self-esteem.
So many women have their dreams shattered. They’re hands are tied, their mouths shut tight and whether it’s professionally, personally or just by mere acquaintance, we most likely know them.
Since its inception, Fitted For Work has transformed the lives of more than 20,000 women.
People like Candice and Liz (“Hi girls!’) work tirelessly in the Parramatta office so that services like personal styling, mentoring, vocational and non-vocational training are available to help women become self-sufficient and confident again.
Within 3 months of receiving assistance, 50% of Fitted For Work clients find work. They find life.
Now that’s huge progress from the oppressive days of Les Misérables.
Fantine would be proud.
Are you a Les Mis fan? Have you seen it on stage? What did you think of Anne Hathaway’s performance in the movie version?
Side note: The Parramatta office is running *really* low on handbags for its personal styling services. If you’re a Sydneysider and have some that you no longer use that you can donate, let me know or feel free to contact the girls directly on 02 9635 9909 or sydney@fittedforwork.org.
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