Target girl

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Target girl is a term sometimes used in circus and vaudeville to denote a female assistant in impalement arts acts such as knife throwing, archery or sharpshooting. The assistant stands in front of a target board or is strapped to a moving board and the impalement artist throws knives or shoots projectiles so as to hit the board but miss the assistant. The image or character of the target girl has also permeated beyond the impalement arts and become an icon in fiction and art.

Although some assistants are male there is no specific term for a male assistant. This reflects the fact that, historically at least, female assistants have predominated in the in acts in question.[1] The presence of an assistant as a human target provides a powerful element of risk. Without assistants placing themselves in danger these acts would be simple demonstrations of accuracy, but with the potential for injury or death the show is much more dramatic. Target girls often wear revealing costumes, thus adding an element of overt sexuality to an act.

Various theories have been put forward to explain the enduring appeal of the target girl. These range from simple awe at the display of steely nerves and complete trust to more complex psychological and philosophical theories. While some point to overtones of sadomasochistic eroticism, others cite dramaturgical works and point to parallels with the story arc of the hero in classic drama.[2] In particular the assistant's performance is said to mirror the plot device of the hero's ordeal, in which the hero proves his or her heroic qualities through self-sacrifice or by facing extreme peril.[3]

[edit] Fictional and artistic representation

The mixture of peril, nerve and sexuality inherent in the idea of a target girl has proved attractive to writers, artists, moviemakers and television executives.

[edit] Movie and television

There are many instances of target girls as iconic or emblematic images in film and television. The most notable movie example is the character Adele portrayed by Vanessa Paradis in the film The Girl on the Bridge, in which the knife throwing act is at the centre of the plot and serves as a powerful erotic metaphor.

Other examples include:

  • Cameron Diaz's character Jenny Everdeane acts as a target girl in a scene in the film Gangs of New York (2002).[4]
  • In the movie Bronco Billy (1980), actresses Sondra Locke and Tessa Richarde are both seen as target girls for a sharpshooter and knife thrower played by Clint Eastwood, and Locke's role in the act is central to the plot.[5]
  • In an episode of the television series Nikki the characters played by Nikki Cox and Susan Egan are seen taking jobs as target girls.[6][7]
  • In the television series Charlie's Angels, Cheryl Ladd's character Kris Munroe goes undercover as a target girl an episode titled "Circus of Terror" (1977).
  • Courteney Cox's character in the 1987 television movie If it's Tuesday it still must be Belgium becomes a target girl in a circus knife throwing act.[8]
  • In "Lucy Tells the Truth" (1953), an episode of the television series I Love Lucy, a white lie leads to Lucille Ball's character ending up as the assistant in a knife act.
  • Target girls were iconic figures in a series of horror films set in circuses that were made in the 1960s. These include:
    • Circus of Horrors (1960), in which Vanda Hudson played a target girl called Magda von Meck.[9]
    • Circus of Fear (1966), which features British actress Margaret Lee as an assistant facing danger in a knife act.[10]
    • Beserk! (1967), in which Judy Geeson played a target girl in a circus knife act.[11]

[edit] Photography

The target girl has also been used as an image in fashion and art photography. Examples include:

  • Meg White appeared as a target girl in a photo of The White Stripes by Annie Leibovitz. The picture was part of a series that appeared in a book and an exhibition, both titled Annie Leibovitz: American Music.[12] [13]
  • Singer and musician Shakira appeared standing against a target with knives around her in a photo in the April 2002 issue of FHM magazine (UK edition).
  • Model Kate Moss appeared on a "wheel of death" target in two of a series of fashion photos by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott in the April 2006 issue of W magazine.[14]
  • Actress Jennifer Ellison appeared strapped to a "wheel of death" target and surrounded by knives in the UK edition of Maxim magazine in 2005. The picture was reproduced in The Daily Star newspaper on 1 December 2005.[15]
  • Actress Goldie Hawn appeared in a circus costume strapped to a "wheel of death" target for a magazine photoshoot in the 1990s.
  • The cover of Stick It to Ya, the debut album by heavy metal band Slaughter, was infamous for featuring a photo of former Playboy playmate Laurie Carr wearing a swimsuit, strapped to a target board and surrounded by knives. The cover of a subsequent release, Stick It Live, featured an image apparently from the same shoot as the first but this time showing the target girl walking towards the target board hand-in-in-hand with a knife thrower.

[edit] Literature

Steven Millhauser's short story The Knife Thrower features a thrower who specialises in nicking those who stand at the target board for him, including his female assistant. It was published as part of a collection that bears the same title. At least one edition features as its cover a painting of a girl standing in front of a target board.[16]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Stanley Brion in the foreword to Adamovich, Heil & Schollenberger, A Day on Broadway: The art of being a knife thrower's assistant, p.x
  2. ^ The most extensive evidence of the debate on this topic is to be found in various online forums, including the Dangerous Circus Acts groups on Yahoo!
  3. ^ Dr Joachim Heil PhD, "A short philosophical essay on the art of knife throwing", in Adamovich, Heil & Schollenberger, A Day on Broadway, pp.83-114
  4. ^ Gangs of New York. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-03-27.
  5. ^ Bronco Billy. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-03-27.
  6. ^ Nikki: Season 1: 11. The Jupiter and Mary Chain. TV.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-28.
  7. ^ The Many Moods of Mary - Susan on the dance set of Nikki. Susan Egan. Retrieved on 2007-03-28.
  8. ^ If it's Tuesday it still must be Belgium. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-03-27.
  9. ^ Circus of Horrors. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-03-27.
  10. ^ Circus of Fear. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-03-27.
  11. ^ Beserk!. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-03-27.
  12. ^ Annie Leibovitz: American Music. Andrew Smith Gallery, San Francisco. Retrieved on 2007-03-28.
  13. ^ Leibovitz, Annie (2003), Annie Leibovitz: American Music, Random House/Jonathon Cape, ISBN 0224072714
  14. ^ Kate Moss: performance. Style.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-28.
  15. ^ Jennifer Ellison: Ell on Earth. FHM. Retrieved on 2007-03-28.
  16. ^ Millauser, Steven (December 1999), The Knife Thrower, Phoenix Press, ISBN 0753808218

[edit] See also

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