In the introduction to his first novel, Yogi Stripper, Marie-Claude Renaud issues a warning to her readers. “I think I lead a special life and my day yesterday was a good example of that. But before going any further, I want to assure you that what I did yesterday, I did it with pleasure and integrity. Because I wanted to. »
In the following lines, she says that she started her day with a coffee-prayer before going to the Buddhist center to meditate there, then to the Doric, the dancers’ club in which she works on Wednesdays and Saturdays, “on the shifts to Andrew”, a DJ who “plays good music”. After two clients — one non-verbal, the other very endearing — the writer returned home where, after satisfying her cat’s emotional needs, she took to the kitchen and started cleaning her house. apartment, with “half a glass of alcohol and all the husband she wanted”, before ending her day with a yin yoga session.
In 43 years of existence, Marie-Claude Renaud seems to have lived at least eight of the nine lives promised to felines. Often left to herself as a child, who was constantly told that she would never be beautiful or thin enough, the author undertook interrupted studies in plastic arts, human sciences, nursing, theater and screenwriting, before turning to a career as a nude dancer to which she combined the teaching of yoga.
Recently, she also writes, an art that appeared like dance in her life, motivated by a desire to be seen, recognized, applauded. “I have always had a certain talent for writing, says the writer, joined by The duty at his residence in Lachute. Even though school was difficult for me, I got a lot of recognition from my teachers when I did written compositions. As a teenager, I started writing poems that I shared with my family. Like dancing, it allowed me to exist in the eyes of others in a positive way. »
No to victimization
It might seem natural, reading the life story of Marie-Claude Renaud, to place her in the category of “victims”. His unique journey, tinged with a difficult relationship with drugs, food, self-esteem and body image, reflects an existence full of difficulties, but also bears witness to an irresistible need for freedom.
“I refuse to position myself as a victim. It’s a very fashionable posture these days, but it does us no favors. We often forget to look on our side of the street, to see our own faults. If I point the finger at those who have hurt me, I am not working on what I have to improve. »
However, Marie-Claude Renaud does not spare her parents and the adults around her in Yogi Stripper. “Childhood is probably the only time in our life when we can define ourselves as a victim, since we have no control over anything. But I make a point of taking my share of responsibility for what I experienced as an adult — abuse and such. I’m also determined not to let words victimize me, especially in the context of the publication of this book, which could cause some people to call me a bitch or whatever. »
Prejudices and hypocrisy
Prejudices, judgments, received ideas, the author prefers to twist them, which she conscientiously applies to do in the 256 pages of her first novel. She offers, for example, an interesting contrast between the clubs of dancers — where the women she rubbed shoulders with were free, autonomous, daring and masters of their destiny — and the yoga clubs, which, although often valued in the collective imagination, are not exempt from dubious behaviors that encourage the exploitation of vulnerable people.
The author, by telling her story with narcotics and the initially destructive spiral that led her to regain control of her life and consume responsibly, exposes the hypocrisy that surrounds this particular form of addiction.
“It’s much easier to judge others than to look at yourself and admit you have a problem. Addiction can take different forms. Many people never take their eyes off their phones, others eat too much sugar, others do crack. These are all out of control. We know the devastation caused by sugar. However, the cereals given to children in the morning are full of them, and no one is reproached. Medications for ADHD are amphetamines, a stimulant drug that truck drivers often get on the black market. We condemn these workers, but we don’t hesitate to condemn a 12-year-old ass because he can’t sit still in his chair in class. I think we should think about that. »
Although many questions, both individual and collective, naturally emerge from her life story, Marie-Claude Renaud is careful not to lecture readers. From her career, she retains only one thing that can inspire other people: rejecting labels and following her heart.
“Compliance is very much ingrained in human nature. It’s part of the survival instinct. You cannot belong to a group if you are marginal. We need each other. It’s normal, but a shame, to follow the trends and turns the world is taking without taking the time to sit down and ask yourself questions. Me, I hold my end, even if it is difficult. I sometimes lose friends, privileges… But when I look at the road traveled, I would make the same choices. I think that’s what real courage is. »