A woman walks onstage, accompanied by a recording of ambient office sounds. “Um, hi. I’m Courtney. I’m here for an appointment with Dr Field…”

Courtney’s medical appointment functions as a framing device through which the audience bears witness to her experience of inhabiting her own body. Her memories and musings are inextricably entangled with concepts of dehumanisation, toxic beauty culture, and the non-existence of the perfect female body. Biting observations and confronting reflections examine how hyper-femininity and self-deprecating humour function as shades of performative concealer for habitual self-loathing.

Audio tracks bring Courtney’s spoken stories to life. The scrape of coat hangers against racks evoke invisible boutiques. Whale sounds play in the background as Courtney describes a formative memory. Pre-recorded voices recreate remembered instances of gaslighting, discrimination, implicit judgement, and overt bullying.

Courtney’s moving monologue exposes the patriarchal pressures of so-called empowerment - paradoxically condoned by third wave feminists - whilst highlighting the damage self-consciousness inflicts upon those who dare to deviate. In addition to touching on the normalisation of pain, Courtney reveals the routine refusal of medical care to those who don’t fit society's narrow mould.

Courtney shares how - after too many moments of chasing mediocrity and feeling demoralised - she learned to stop chasing that which she didn’t actually want. Throughout the show, there are hints of queerness acting as a counterweight to misogyny, but the overall message is a universally applicable testament to the power of love and acceptance.

Whale is so confronting and heartfelt, you will stifle your own laughter in order to hold it closer to your chest. This powerful diatribe against anti-fat rhetoric is an empowering self-love-letter in stunning spoken prose.