A Rockette who spoke out against performing at Donald Trump’s inauguration last year has shared a striking piece of hate mail she received at the time, which she now deems her ‘favorite’ of all.
Phoebe Pearl, 28, took to Instagram yesterday to share a photo of the missive, which calls her a ‘big loser’ for saying on social media that the prospect of dancing on Inauguration Day had left her ’embarrassed and disappointed’.
The performer, who at the time had been with the famed New York City company for eight years, stood out in late 2016 by speaking out under her real name, while still employed by the Rockettes.
Words: Phoebe Pearl (center), the Rockette who spoke out against performing at Donald Trump’s inauguration last year has shared a piece of hate mail she received at the time
Letter: The dancer, 28, took to Instagram yesterday to share a photo of the missive, which calls her a ‘big loser’ for voicing her opposition on social media
Not bothered by it: Pearl remains convinced she did the right thing by speaking out, and bears her ‘loser’ title with pride
When it was first announced that the dancers, who are best known for their Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Hall, were scheduled to dance during one of the inaugural balls on January 20 last year, Pearl explained why she thought it was a terrible idea in an Instagram post.
‘Finding out that it has been decided for us that Rockettes will be performing at the Presidential inauguration makes me feel embarrassed and disappointed,’ she wrote at the time.
‘The women I work with are intelligent and are full of love and the decision of performing for a man that stands for everything we’re against is appalling.
‘I am speaking for just myself but please know that after we found out this news, we have been performing with tears in our eyes and heavy hearts.’
Dissent: When it was announced that the Rockettes were scheduled to dance on Inauguration Day, Pearl explained why she thought it was a terrible idea in an Instagram post (pictured)
Message: ‘The women I work with are intelligent and are full of love and the decision of performing for a man that stands for everything we’re against is appalling,’ she wrote
The Rockette ended her message with the hashtag #notmypresident and posted it along with a photo of the dancers onstage during a previous performance, with a speech bubble reading: ‘Not my president!’
Judging by the letter Pearl shared on Instagram yesterday, her public dissent left some people outraged.
The missive sent to her in response to her opposition reads: ‘You want to draw attention to yourself. You did… & it’s all BAD PR for you & your dance group. I hope you’re happy being an EXCEPTION.. you [should be] excluded from the Trump inauguration because you DON’T want to be there anyway!!!
‘Your comments show that you are a ‘LOSER’ !!! A BIG ONE @ THAT! [sic]’
But Pearl remains convinced she did the right thing by speaking out, and bears her ‘loser’ title with pride.
‘To celebrate and remember this day last year, here is one of my favorite pieces of hate mail,’ she wrote next to a photo of the letter written in black marker. ‘Sincerely, a BIG LOSER… that has her dignity.’
Pearl’s original Instagram post last year came a few days before another Rockette told Marie-Claire under the pseudonym Mary that one of her colleagues had tears streaming down her face throughout an entire performance at the thought of being made to perform in Trump’s honor.
‘She felt she was being forced to perform for this monster,’ Mary told the magazine.
Career: Pearl (pictured third from left in an archive shot) ended up leaving the troupe in January 2017, and said on Instagram she hadn’t been fired but had chosen to move on
Performance: A group of Rockettes danced at the Liberty Inaugural Ball on January 20, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (pictured)
Another performer told her colleagues in an email, in reference to the president: ‘I wouldn’t feel comfortable standing near a man like that in our costumes.’
Pearl, meanwhile, told the New York Times: ‘We are a group of women that is encouraging young girls to be strong, independent women, to fulfill their dreams, to go for it. It’s about women’s rights.’
As the outcry mounted over the Rockettes’ inaugural performance, the Madison Square Garden Company, the troupe’s parent company, insisted that the dancers had, in fact, a choice in participating and weren’t forced to do so.
This statement contradicted an internal note released at the time by Broadway World, which indicated that the 13 Rockettes employed full-time by the company were ‘obligated’, unlike their part-time counterparts who could opt in or out.
Mary, the Rockette who spoke to Marie-Claire, knew of at least three full-time Rockettes who had already decided to decline to attend, including one who feared she would lose her job as a result.
As for Pearl, she ended up leaving the troupe in January 2017, and said on Instagram she hadn’t been fired but had chosen to move on.
On the day of the inauguration, she shared a photo of the meager crowds who came to watch Trump become commander-in-chief, compared to those who showed up to Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009.
The following day, Pearl posted a snap of the Boston women’s march, joining one of many rallies aimed at supporting women’s rights and other human rights at the onset of the Trump presidency.