Yianni Agisilaou – Pockets of Equality Banshee Labyrinth Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Here’s more from Dedee at Edinburgh Fringe Festival:

Yianni Agisilaou’s Pockets of Equality is a show full of witty well observed stories, highlighting the double standards that challenge our idea of so-called equality.
Those pesky old fashioned gender roles just won’t go away will they? Turns out, even if some of us have moved on, some things remain ingrained in our society.

Yianni got the idea for his show when he wore his girlfriend’s jeans by mistake, “and discovered when it comes to pockets, women are far from equal.”

I didn’t know the pockets in men’s jeans were bigger. And he makes a good point, why should there be any difference? He uses this as a wider metaphor for society’s imposed gender roles: “Women’s pockets are small and dainty, like it’s more important for them to look good – rather than be useful.”  Kind of like what society expects from women, some might say.

In a quote from his press release he explains what he’s aiming for:

“I hope that I’ve succeeded in not ‘mansplaining’ feminism.  I try to speak from my own experience and, although women often cop the worst parts of society’s double standards (something I discuss in the show) the demands of masculinity  cause lots of problems for men  in society as well. These are things that everyone experiences but might not even always realise because they’re so baked into our culture.”

His stories are entertaining but also self-reflective, designed to get us thinking. Having done an online test that measures what percentage ‘feminine vs masculine’ you are, he made some interesting points comparing his results to his gay younger brother’s. The results were not what he expected. This lead to some profound reflections on “what it means to be manly”, and how he measures up to this.

As a storyteller he’s affable and easygoing, presenting a hilarious hour of his own life lessons and laughs. It leaves you thinking – sure, we still have these inequalities, and if some remain blissfully unaware, or perhaps don’t even care, maybe they should come to this show.

5 stars

Dedee W

Tickets from: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/yianni-agisilaou-pockets-of-equality