Mary R. Connolly ‘27
Imago Dei, the image of God, our bodies made in His image, created for the glory of our Creator and nothing less. Genesis 1:32 says, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good…” yet we as women continuously contemplate what makes a body good enough, pure enough, or desirable enough to be considered good. The Gordon College Theatre arts original production “This Is My Body” explores how women can reconcile with our bodies and rebel against the expectations or shame we learn to associate with them that hinder us from recognizing the power we have in Imago Dei.
“This is My Body” is a devised production, meaning that the story was created from the experiences of the seven cast members along with the facilitator, Gordon College Instructor Kimberly LaCroix. LaCroix says that together they “invite [the audience] into [their] lived experiences.” Though individual and personal, this invitation urges each audience member to reflect on what it means to have a body. One can’t escape it and very rarely takes the time to think about it, especially in relation to how our bodies connect with our faith. “This Is My Body” asks the audience to contemplate, and as Kate Coburn ‘27 working behind the scenes presents: “Why are women’s bodies often deemed as created less [though] in the image of God?”
The show itself is full of humor, song, and dance which playfully (yet truthfully) addresses the effects of the cultural emphasis on the female body that defines the female experience. In one scene, a comical song is sung by Annie Ketchum ‘28 playing the role of an average, white evangelical Sunday school teacher, while the first scene tells the horrific story of a Levite, and his concubine found in Judges 19. The biblical story traces a woman whose body was used and discarded while cut into twelve pieces which delivers a message of revenge. Taking place in one of the first scenes, this introduces the idea that the female body has not only been ignored throughout history, but has been abused, neglected, and shamed.
While the production plays, it continues to share the experiences of abuse, neglect, and shame around the body that women are constantly subject to. The stage becomes the set for a mock podcast while three middle-aged white evangelical women discuss “intimacy within marriage”. The stereotypical church lady chit-chat goes quiet when Jocelyn Hoffman ‘25 declares that she actually “likes sex,” a statement met by gasps from her co-podcast host, who views their lack of connection with their bodies as a stamp of purity against what they see as a shameful sin. Soon after, Chloe Agyare ‘25 interrupts these views of Purity culture in a statement and dance that accolades that reflecting the beautiful diverse experiences of the cast, the cultural experience of disembodiment is not simply a white middle-class evangelical one. Instead, the shame placed on bodies is heightened for women of color in all spheres of life.
In one of the final scenes, Crisana Speer ‘25, shares a heartbreaking monologue and reflection with diagnoses, dating, body image, and abuse. While she delivers her story, she is not alone but surrounded by four other cast members who use their bodies to physically illustrate and support her story. This show was built on community, and stories coming together to reflect the perfect image we were created to reflect.
The production concludes with each of the cast members holding the twelve pieces of a divided body that finally came together after being suspended and scattered above the actors throughout the play. Together, in broken unison, a beautiful image of resilience and beauty within the relatable pain of womanhood emerges. Our bodies reflect God’s image, yet its easy to view them through what the world standardizes our bodies as. Barbie dolls and beauty standards have redefined what is irrevocably good. “This Is My Body” reminds us to honor our bodies, care for them, and respect them. Our bodies are a paradox beautiful and whole in their brokenness. “This Is My Body” encourages us women to embrace the tension we may feel within our figures and embrace what it means to accept our bodies as they were created in the Imago Dei.
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