Olunike Adeliyi (left)
The more I mature, the more I love my body. I’ve had an athletic body my whole life and was teased because of it. It was so taut and so detailed. The boys always used to tease me with things like “man arms.”
That’s just my heritage – Nigerian and African bodies are very defined. So it was the best thing when I grew older and it rounded out in a way that was womanly. I was so happy to get an ass.
I really started to love myself when I moved to New York City for theatre school and cut off all my hair. It used to be long and processed and straightened. I started to get used to who I was – my face, everything. It was liberating. It started the transition to loving who I am and the skin I’m in. I don’t have any want for long hair again I think I’m prettiest like this.
One of my favourite parts of my body is my skin. I love the colour and texture- it’s just gorgeous, and it’s actually why I don’t wear jewellery. My skin is my jewellery.
Diane D’Aquila (middle)
I’ve been through cancer and had a mastectomy where one breast was removed. Gone are the days where it’s considered a handicap I don’t think twice about it. I opted not to have the surgery to rebuild, but I know lots of women who have.
I love archery, and the best gift I got when I was hospitalized with cancer was a bow and arrow. My friend sent it with a card that read, “To my lovely Amazon.” And you do get better at archery when you have one breast.
I hate to say this, but getting through cancer and the mastectomy was remarkably easy. I have a line in Her2 that is very true for me: “It was like a gift.” Having cancer opened up my life in a way that it wasn’t open before. I’m more aware of the people who love me and my love for them. I’m more aware of what I have to be thankful for. I learned that every day is important. I didn’t find it difficult, I found it to be an eye-opener (once I knew I was going to be okay).
The cancer helped me accept my body very quickly. Pre-cancer, I was very hard on myself. I was always dieting and trying to fix this or that, but now I’m more relaxed about my body and actually get more compliments.
I’m amazed at how resilient the body is. I’ve had both hips replaced because of the cancer and a partial knee replacement – and I’ve got the mastectomy scar. So you look a little bit like a highway meeting up, but it’s extraordinary that the body keeps working. I love that and don’t try to fight it anymore.
My favourite parts of my body are my scars – they’re like badges of honour. I’ve gone through the wars and I’ve survived in style.
Monica Dottor (right)
As a choreographer and an actor, my body is my instrument. I spent a lot of years training my body. From a young age, one of the things that attracted me to dance was that I loved how hard it was and how it stretched my muscles. I loved feeling sore muscles. I love the feeling of being so sore you can barely walk, because I worked for that. My body is what I use to generate movement, so I have to treat it with a lot of respect.
I have a two-year-old son and had to have a C-section. At first it was kind of shocking to me, but now I’m really grateful for that scar. It gives me a peaceful feeling because it’s how my son came into the world.
I was actually more self-conscious before I had a baby. It’s funny, because my body was at its best as a trained dancer and I was stronger that I’d ever been. But now, even though my body has changed, I feel more comfortable in it.
Her2 is presented by Nightwood Theatre at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, January 13 to February 1. nightwoodtheatre.net, @nightwoodtheat
