Shining Out from Within: The stripped-down path to self-discovery
Ins and Outs
The path to self-discovery is filled with twists and turns, ups and downs, and ins and outs. Often our obsession with looking at the obvious and reacting to the apparent leads us to conveniently forget that last part. The ins and outs of this journey are where the magic happens. They hold the richest, juiciest, yummiest, and, yes, messiest pieces of us. And the secret we never understand until we stand on the other side is that it is only through traversing yourself from the inside out that we ever truly know ourselves.
But is it worth it? What could possibly lie on the other side of sifting through bruises and scars, distant memories of moments better left unearthed, that would justify the journey? Well, nothing short of total and complete freedom would do. And nothing short of that should be expected.
Self-Discovery
In Stripped Down: How Burlesque Led Me Home, Anna Brooke takes readers through her journey of self-discovery lured by burlesque and invites us to step into an expanded space of self-awareness. And she doesn’t just tease us with the fluff. It’s all in there, the good, the bad, and the incredibly vulnerable. Some pools of self-reflection are merely puddles compared to the depths in which Anna and her burles-ego, Reverend Legs Malone, dive beckoning all of us in with them.
I would love to say that my first time on stage was an unequivocal success, but in reality, the performance was a total disaster. I stopped listening to the music once I saw the audience in front of me. I bumbled through what I was supposed to do, only to realize the song was ending and I still needed to strip down. I sped through a hasty clothing drop with fumbled props followed by a tepid tassel twirl, and I was done.
Her vulnerable synthesis of moments such as these offer everyone a glimpse into a world few of us would have the courage to traverse. Looking through Anna’s beautifully depicted experiences and growth, we peep an inner world reserved for the fortunate few with eyes to see.
True Freedom
To claim that any doorway serves as a magic pill, instantaneously beaming us into our most magnified selves, cheapens the layer-by-layer unveiling of our depths revealed and brought to light. One by magnificent one, we get to remember, revel, and release. It’s only through the twists and turns and ups and downs that we can tease the edges of our limitations and open up to the essence of who we are.
When the women who have been told that they are not enough come to realize that they have been lied to and that they are in fact more than enough, those false beliefs will give way to awareness and change.
Through Stripped Down: How Burlesque Led Me Home, Anna Brooke does a beautiful job of capturing the vulnerability and raw power hidden deep within us. She tells her story of answering the alluring call of burlesque and the internal challenge of accepting that call. She draws us in then guides us back out, smacking us on the butt as we stare through the passageway into our next chapter. But, through the trepidation, Anna’s essence envelops us and gently whispers, “Wake up.” And, as we all eventually discover, the awakening process is just the beginning, the beginning step on a journey out from within.
