Script #1 Gathering

Theme: Disillusioning the façade of physical beauty leads to one’s recognition of their own true potential.

Premise: Kiah is an average looking yet accomplished college student visiting her parents during her winter break. She is the family prize, but no matter how many family members commend her good work she cares most about the opinion of her mother, Naomi, who although seemingly appreciates Kiah’s accomplishments really prizes physical beauty over all. The entire visit goes just as Kiah’s childhood with her mother judging her appearance and the appearance of those around her completely overlooking everything else Kiah is involved in from classes to social groups. The way Kiah was raised, with a mother who prizes beauty above all, has caused Kiah to believe herself that physical beauty is all that matters, and because she is not extremely beautiful she feels as if she is a failure. until the conversation of mother-daughter catch-up as they are getting ready for Christmas dinner where Kiah, who has now gained a new sensibility upon going away from college, stirs up different topics of conversation unlike the one’s Kiah and her mother would usually discuss. Her mother’s lack of ability to participate in the conversation but persistence with telling Kiah how to fix her hair and do her make-up sets something off in Kiah causing her to infuriatingly question her mother’s values which fosters into a great argument between the two engaging issues of beauty and self-image. In the end Kiah is able to see behind her mother’s pretty face where nothing lies but a woman with very low self-esteem and in this realization Kiah is able to see the beauty in her potential aside from the physical. She thinks she needs physical beauty up until these moments in the bedroom. but in the end she realizes that confidence serves her well.

Program: This story is set in present day Los Angeles, California a city critically acclaimed as a city of illusions where its inhabitants treasure designer jeans and sunglasses over mental capacity, intellect, and, if you can fake it well enough, one’s net worth. As long as you look rich you are rich. The actuality of your situation and your intellect hardly ever matters, because it is all about the image. It isn’t out of the ordinary for someone with no money to own a Mercedes and an Yves Saint Laurent bag. Because this is an overlying discourse of Los Angeles no one living within the system recognizes its ridiculousness hence many function within this construction including Kiah’s mother Naomi.

Treatment: Kiah has always been notably intelligent. Throughout her life she has earned countless awards and prizes for her academic success. However, Kiah is unable to recognize the worth of her accomplishments because she was raised primarily by her mother Naomi, who prizes physical beauty over all. Because Naomi, who only dresses in the styling’s of the latest hot designer, placed so much emphasis on physical beauty and never recognized any other accomplishment of Kiah’s she grew up believing that physical beauty equates to one’s worth causing Kiah to be extremely self-doubting despite all of her academic accomplishments. Though Kia propels herself through academic challenge she cannot overlook her not-so-attractive reflection to realize the worth of her accomplishments. When she comes back for winter vacation from her freshman year at UC Berkeley countless compliments are bestowed upon Kiah who is unable to fully appreciate them because all the while people are telling her how proud they are she’s experiencing mental torment from over the years thinking too much about how she can improve her average physical appearance which never seems to please her critical mother, Naomi.

One day during break Kiah, her mother, and her two little sisters go to the mall for Christmas shopping. While in one store one of Kiah’s little sister’s picks out a cute outfit and ask her mother to try it on. Once she tries it on and model’s the outfit for the rest of the family Naomi makes a comment to Kiah reminiscing over the days when Kiah used to be, “that cute.” The nostalgic way with which Naomi states the comment infers that she misses that daughter and although Naomi does not specifically state this the way she adoringly looks at her younger daughter provides all the information that Kiah and the audience needs to understand that Naomi is not really concerned with Kiah. Especially since right before Kiah is trying to describe to her mother a social group that she is involved in back at Berkeley and her mother merely brushes it off asking when was the last time she got her eyebrows arched. The rest of the day goes by similarly. Nothing Kiah tries on deserves a compliment from her mother. The little confidence that Kiah came home with has been shattered by her mother’s perception. She returns to being the timid young girl she was before leaving for college.

The setting fastwords a couple of days to Christmas evening on the inside of Naomi’s bedroom where her and her daughter are both getting ready for Christmas dinner. In this final scene it is revealed to the audience just how much Naomi treasures material over intellect when a Kiah tries to foster conversation aside from how she should do her make-up or hair. With every question and conversation started posed by Kiah and with every change of the subject by her mother Kiah slowly begins to realize that her mother is nothing more than what she wears and a pretty face. Enraged by her mother’s inability to hold conversation she begins to yell at her mother, which is completely out of character for Kiah. Although Kiah is very angry her outrage brings about a new sense of self where in calling out her mother she realizes just how ridiculously she was raised placing all worth in physical beauty. She walks out of the room checking the mirror before smiling to her reflection. She sits at the kitchen table making conversation. Her mother follows behind a little later, sits down, and ask Kiah how her classes are going. End scene.

Behavioral Composite:

1) 1) Kiah arrives back home still the timid girl she was before leaving for college. When she gets to her house the first thing she does is nervously check the mirror to make sure her appearance is good enough for her mother. Knowing that it is not, because it never is, she sighs before going downstairs to catch up with her family. While family members compliment her achievements she replies with a momentary forced smile because she herself doesn’t believe her accomplishments to be all that great. By the time the night is over she is unable to even fake a smile, because her very attractive, retail obsessed mother has taken away that smidget of confidence she possessed through comments about her weight gain and acne problem. When everyone leaves Kiah goes upstairs checking the mirror displeased with her reflection before going to sleep.

2) 2) The following day when Kiah, her mother Naomi and her two little sisters are going Christmas shopping Kiah finds its impossible to listen to anything her mother and sisters are saying because she is obsessively examining the physical appearance of every woman walking by. Because her self-esteem has been torn down by her beautiful mother every time she passes by another beautiful woman she sighs deeply and looks away. She does not want that person to see her, because she feels they will judge her just as her for not being as attractive just as her mother does. When they arrive in one store one of Kiah’s little sister’s, bright-eyed and peppy, ask her mother, Naomi if she could try on an outfit. When she models the outfit for them her mother reminiscences over how Kiah used to be, “that cute.” Although, Naomi has never blatantly stated to Kiah that her appearance is never good enough for her the nostalgic tone with which she speaks causes Kiah to look down at the floor as if she too was longing to be back in those days. It’s not as if Naomi is trying to hurt Kiah’s feelings it is more so that Naomi, who is not college-educated, cannot conceptualize anything of more importance than fashion and good-looks. While still in the store Kiah picks out several items to try on. Before leaving the dressing room she tediously looks over the outfit trying to make sure everything is perfect before going outside to show her mom. Before leaving she lets out a huge sigh because she knows that the only comments her mother is going to have will be about whether or not the clothes are designer and how it doesn’t really look good on her. She was right. Kia returns to the dressing room slowing taking off her clothes trying not to look at herself in the mirror because she does not like what she sees.

3) The time fast-forwards to Christmas evening inside of Naomi’s bedroom where Kiah and Naomi are getting ready for Christmas dinner. Kiah hates getting ready with her mother. She tries to do her make-up without her mother noticing but when she does Naomi comments that maybe she should put a little more on. Kiah tries to change the subject by telling her mother about some of the social clubs she’s involved in on campus. Naomi pretending to be interested replies in an air-headed peppy fashion with an “O ok!” as she continues to apply Kiah’s make-up. Kiah becomes speculative. It took going away for college and returning back home for Kiah to realize her mother’s superficiality. She tries to bring up conversations about her classes and make witty jokes about problems with the government and all Naomi does it blankly stare back nodding her head, in a way where Kiah knows that she does not know what she is talking about. With a tone lacking her usual shyness she begins to question her mother. When Naomi comments that beauty is what you need to be rich Kiah ask slightly infuriated, “Is that all you care about?” Naomi pauses for a few seconds, looking at Kiah confused, unsure of why she is asking her this question. A few moments later Naomi replies still blankly and utterly confused with a, “what?” Kiah then blows up. At this very moment she realizes that she has been encompassed by the façade of physical beauty. She begins to yell at her mother for raising her that way. Her mom still looks at her confused. Naomi does not see the error of her ways because the importance of fashion and physical beauty is all she knows. Kiah’s outrage proves to be a liberating act. Before leaving the room to go downstairs for dinner she checks the mirror and for the first time in years is able to smile at her reflection. She sits down at the dinner table exuding a newfound confidence fostered by the previous confrontation. After a few minutes Naomi comes to the dinner table still a little distraught. In her action and gesture the audience can see that she still doesn’t really understand what the explosion was all about, but when she ask Kiah to tell her more about her classes we can see that she’s making an effort to try to understand. End scene.