This a strange little tale from 2008 Chile, which illustrates, if it ever needed illustrating, how easy it is to achieve a little bit of celebrity. Monserrat Morilles achieved some fame and notoriety in Chile, and in the wider Spanish speaking world .... she was variously described as a 'model', 'pole dancer', 'exotic dancer' or plain 'stripper'.
She came to the worlds attention by going on a crusade to challenge the 'prudishness of Chilean society' ... she chose to do so by performing a series of
striptease dances on the Santiago underground, 'the metro'. Not content with that (
and incidentally the massive publicity they engendered), she attempted to remove her clothes outside the Presidential Palace in the capital, Santiago.
Needless to say, the police were not happy and
she was arrested. Undaunted, she told reporters that her performances would continue ... the events caused a media sensation, and she was instantly dubbed "La Diosa del Metro" or 'the Metro Goddess'. Her name was broadcast far and wide,
up to the USA and even made it to these shores via the BBC.
Ms Morilles, 26, called her performances "
happy minutes", and performed on the port side as well as the train system .... then a professional pole dancer, she boarded the trains at one station, and stripped down to skimpy underwear in time to exit at the next station.
"
This is just a beginning. We are starting an idea here that will grow and be developed further," she told Reuters news agency as she was being taken into custody. "
Chile is still a pretty timid country," said her manager, "
People aren't very extroverted and we want to take aim at that and make Chile a happier country."
Needless to say, she very quickly disappeared after her '
Andy Warhol'
15 mins of fame, but strangely she found that her bookings, and the fees she could command, very much improved after the events.
Pictures:
Videos:
There are videos
posted here and
here ....and even
Reuters joined in the fun.