SHOULDERING A HEAVY BURDEN

By Peter Vuono

     A few days ago, my buddy, Paul sent me a short story on Olympic caliber weightlifter Sarah Robles.
Sara competed in the 2012 games in London and is one of the strongest women in the world. She can elevate overhead more weight than most male athletes and yet she was living on $400.00 per month leading up to the Olympics because she couldn't get sponsors. Many think that it was because Sarah, being a plus sized girl, couldn't get sponsors because her body type does not match the perfect feminine physique that has been pushed on American girls by the media for decades.
     This bothered me greatly on a personal level as I have a close relation who has struggled with weight for most of her life. Because of this she has always been prejudged and not for the better. To say the least, her life has been a struggle.This is why, whenever I see a heavy set child in one of my magic shows I will ALWAYS choose that child in an attempt to lift his spirits if only for a minute above the pain of life's prejudices.
    A few days later, I had some free time. When I do, I sometimes pop in one of my favorite movies. On this day it was a 70's cult film entitled"I Like To Hurt People". It was made in the mid 70's by cult director, Donald G. Jackson who was called the Ed Wood of the video age. Jackson was more than that and his talent got him a job on most of James Cameron's major films. This humble movie was shot in Detroit and centered around the NWA wrestling stable that belonged to American born veteran Eddie Farhat. Eddie led a double life as a very astute promoter and one of the most notorious  wrestlers that ever lived- The Sheik. He gave Jackson full cooperation to film this documentary because Jackson agreed to not break the secretive code of silence that wrestlers live by known as "Kayfabe".
   There were many famous wrestlers in the film but the most poignant and cathartic part was the interview of psychologist Dr. Sonya Freidman with wrestler Peggy Jones. Farhat gave Jones the ring name of"Heather Feather" and made Peggy a "face" or fan favorite. She had the distinction of being the heaviest female wrestler of all time at 367lbs.
   When Dr. Friedman asked"What's a nice 23yr. old girl like you doing in this racket?" Peggy answered," It's really kind of hard to say. There's a lot of reasons why I'm in it. Mainly it's a way of proving myself. A way of making me something in my life. I guess have you ever seen a girl  built like Rosie Grier? I've been this tall and this weight since I was 12 and it's no lie and it's been awfully hard growing up. You have to try extra hard to be cool".
   When I heard this painfully honest answer, I realized that Peggy was speaking for every person who was ever challenged by being overweight. She, like everyone else of this size would have to spend the rest of her life proving to the bigoted public and to herself that she was  indeed a person of worth and feelings. And prove it, Peggy did!
   Peggy was asked to wrestle the 8 foot tall, 650lb. wrestling bear Victor. Victor was an orphan and rescued Alaskan Brown who can still be seen on YouTube. He was rescued and trained by pro wrestler Tuffy Truesdell. Victor had a record with the men of 10,000 and 0!! Peggy wrestled Victor to a draw and became the only woman to ever wrestle Victor. She then went on to become the first woman to wrestle and pin a man long before the WWE's Chyna. This humble woman, in this humble movie made a most profound statement. Plus sized people are not lazy, they are not uncomely, they are not untalented and they do deserve the same respect and consideration as anyone else despite the ideal body type that has been wrongfully foisted upon us for so long.
   Peggy Jones' career lasted for about 12 years. It is unknown what happened to her other than her quietly slipping into anonymity. Because "I Like To Hurt People" is a cult film, her message will be heard by a precious few.However, this blog may intensify her voice and make it  somewhat louder so that the next time a person of her size is viewed by others they will look not with antipathy but with a smile. Just maybe.

""I am convinced that the only people worthy of consideration in this world are the unusual ones. For the common folks are like leaves on a tree, and live and die unnoticed"- The Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz