Sara Bareilles - "Brave"

one of the many things I took away from theatre school was an appreciation for the body's ability to move. we didn't evolve doing curls or using one muscle group over and over in the same way; our bodies are meant to move in any number of wonderfully complex ways. dance always strikes me as the best illustration of this. i love the juxtaposition of the man dancing in the gym. working to limit our range of motion is something we should continue to question. besides i'd rather dance than work out any day.

i'm having a hard time putting into words just how much i love this song and its message. and in particular, the video. this may sound a bit cliche but i love it when people of all shapes and sizes are shown being comfortable in their bodies. it's empowering. the message that you're "too fat" or "not muscular enough" limits everyone; it emboldens the few and isolates the majority. instead we should focus on accepting and celebrating our bodies for what they are: beautiful. period.

i also love the way random people got involved. dance is a universal form of communication. the elderly woman with the purple sweater understands that. unfortunately the man in the yellow t-shirt at the end doesn't. his comment gives the video's message a strange irony: that no matter what you do people will always judge you. the more important thing is to have the courage to get up there.

i found the line "maybe he took the wrong pill" upsetting because it said to me "anyone who acts out, who gets up and dances, who makes a fool of themselves must be mentally ill." but in an insane world, the sane look insane. it's amazing to me how quick people are to dismiss or deride something they don't see every day. what yellow shirt doesn't understand is just how much fun he might have if he got up there. but chances are he won't, and sometimes it's easier to pass judgment on people who choose to stand out, to not play by the rules, to dance in the middle of a mall, than to join in. but it's in doing things like that, by stepping outside our comfort zones, that we truly discover who we are.

so cheers to you, Sara Bareilles.