Directed by Marlo McKenzie and Jonathan Parker, Carol Doda: Topless at the Condor transports the viewer back to San Francisco in the 1960s. Here, we meet Carol Doda, the first dancer to go topless in the booming nightclub scene. In doing so, Doda became an overnight sensation and struck a blow for gender equality (both legally and culturally) that still resonates today.
Although Topless at the Condor will gain notoriety for its willingness to bare all, Parker and McKenzie understand that the story is far more than skin deep. By recognizing the politicization of the fashion industry, the film attempts to deconstruct the ways that the male gaze has historically determined what’s ‘acceptable’ regarding the female body. From plunging necklines to short skirts, Topless highlights the various ways that men have historically used cultural standards as a way to sexualize women as an object.
In this way, Topless at the Condor actually leans into the complexities of artistry. Whereas many classic forms of art aren’t concerned with showing the human body, society has never come to a conclusion about what’s appropriate to reveal. (For example, nobody puts a pair of pants on Michaelangelo’s David.) Interestingly, Topless at the Condor knows that there are boundaries to baring all. There’s a recognition that there’s a certain level of innocence in toplessness but, eventually, changing aesthetics and industry leaned more heavily into the ’sleaze’.
But that’s what makes Doda so compelling.
In Doda, we find a woman that sees empowerment amidst the exploitation. In a world of male toxicity, Doda felt that her readiness to take off her clothes gave her power over those who have come to see her. Determined to make her way in show business, she understood that her body was her own and she believed that that put her in control. To Doda, her “body was the art and the show was going to go on.” While the nature of her performance may be debated by some, her openness and candor gave her strength in a world that sought to take it from her.
It’s this aspect to Topless at the Condor that makes the film so relevant today. In essence, McKenzie and Parker understand that the battles fought in 1964 remain current in 2024. As modern feminism battles the poisonous male gaze, so too do they fight for the rights to celebrate their bodies without judgment. (In fact, the conversation around Instagram’s #FreeTheNipple campaign shows that this battle continues to rage.)
While McKenzie and Parker attempt to peel back the layers of the arguments surrounding women’s bodies, they manage to highlighting the ways that Doda became a pioneer. In a space where men sought to exploit her, she fought to be empowered. In doing so, she bares more than her breasts. She bares a piece of her soul as well.
Carol Doda: Topless at the Condor is available in theatres on Friday, April 5th, 2024.
