Elaine Miller Explained

Elaine Miller
Education:Glasgow Caledonian University
Occupation:Physiotherapist, comedian and women's health campaigner

Elaine Miller aka Gussie Grippers is a Scottish gender-critical activist,[1] [2] [3] physiotherapist, and self-described women's health campaigner. She came to mainstream media attention for flashing wearing a pubic wig when protesting against transgender rights in the Scottish Parliament.[1] [2] Miller has won awards at Fringe World, Australia and Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where her show was criticized as transphobic by others in the comedy community.[4] [5]

Career

Miller is a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.[6] Both her physiotherapy and her comedy feature a specialism in pelvic floor dysfunction. While working as a physiotherapist in Scotland Miller developed a comedy show designed to engage audiences in understanding how physiotherapy can be used to tackle and prevent urinary incontinence.[7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] She began her career in the field of sports physiotherapy, but after her own experience of becoming incontinent after having delivered three children, she began to focus on exercises for the pelvic floor.[13] She has been invited as a contributing expert on women's health topics in UK media, including Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4.[14]

Her show won 'Weirdest Show at the Fringe' at the Edinburgh festivals in 2013[15] [16] and the Australian Fringe World Comedy Award in 2020.[17] Attendance is offered as continuing professional development (CPD) for a range of health professionals who hope to gain a better understanding of these issues, including GPs, midwives, nurses, urologists, gynaecologists, health visitors and fitness professionals.[18] Her public engagement activities aim to use laughter as an essential health promotion tool, and are in the tradition of 'clown care'.[19] [20] [21] [22] Her comedy highlights the fact that laughing is one of the things which causes many women bladder leakage and the impact (and novelty) of her work is reflected in a range of health and comedy-related media coverage.[23]

She works to highlight a gap in women's health support [24] and get government funding for the provision of physiotherapy to improve women’s health. She performs under the stage name Gussie Grippers.[25] [26] [27] Her act often includes eyecatching costumes such as dressing up as a vulva and songs such as "does your cervix hang low?".[28]

Activism

Miller works to highlight issues in women's health. Stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse are experienced by many women.[29] Estimates suggest one in three women experience urinary incontinence, and that it is more prevalent in older women and women who have had babies.[30] [31] Invasive operations to tackle incontinence involve the insertion of synthetic mesh. Urinary incontinence can be embarrassing and may affect daily, family and social life.[32] Miller believes the barriers which deter women from seeking help need to be explored and that raising awareness of the simple, repetitive, non-invasive pelvic floor exercises[33] [34] which can improve the condition, can have a significant effect on the day to day lives of many.

In 2022 she attracted mainstream media coverage when she wore, and flashed a merkin in the Scottish Parliament during debate on the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, to express opposition to the bill. After an initial police investigation she was found not to have committed any crime.[35] [36] [37]

Politics

In 2023 she became an independent candidate for election in Edinburgh Corstorphine and Murrayfield and used her campaign in part to highlight issues of women's health provision in Edinburgh.[38]

Performances

References

  1. News: 'Gender critical' protester flashes pubic wig in Scottish parliament after trans rights bill passed . 20 August 2023 . PinkNews.
  2. News: Holyrood 'flasher' poses with Tory Russell Findlay holding pubic wig . 20 August 2023 . The National.
  3. News: Adult Human Female screening in Edinburgh cancelled for second time . 20 August 2023 . The National . prominent gender critical campaigner Elaine Miller.
  4. News: Edinburgh Fringe comic spat on and shunned by colleagues as a 'transphobe' for show about women . 20 August 2023.
  5. News: Edinburgh Fringe audience 'harassed by venue employee' in trans row . 20 August 2023 . The Times.
  6. Web site: Elaine Miller . 2023-03-05 . The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy . en.
  7. News: Better orgasms and no leaks: Tips for a strong pelvic floor . en-GB . BBC News . 2023-01-29.
  8. Web site: BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Pelvic floor exercises; Disabled parents; Craft prize; Women's football; Wedding dresses . 2023-01-29 . BBC . en-GB.
  9. Web site: Menopause Festival - Gusset Grippers . 2023-01-29 . perththeatreandconcerthall.com . en.
  10. Web site: Healey . Natalie . 2019-08-13 . Gusset Grippers: The comedy show tackling incontinence . 2023-01-29 . patient.info . en.
  11. Web site: BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Here's why you should be exercising your pelvic floor and exactly how to do it . 2023-03-05 . BBC . 29 October 2021 . en-GB.
  12. Web site: ISD Scotland Terms and Conditions What's New Information Services Division . 2023-03-05 . www.isdscotland.org.
  13. News: Taylor . Rosie . 2022-08-14 . 'You see yourself as dirty and a bit broken': The 'secret' issue we're finally talking about . en-GB . The Telegraph . 2023-03-05 . 0307-1235.
  14. Web site: The Liz Earle Wellbeing Show: Incontinence, menopause and pregnancy with Elaine Miller (aka Gusset Grippers) on Apple Podcasts . 2023-03-05 . Apple Podcasts . en-GB.
  15. Web site: Miller . Elaine . 2017-08-10 . Why I wrote a comedy show about incontinence . 2023-01-29 . The Guardian . en.
  16. Web site: 2017-11-20 . Elaine Miller - Combining Comedy with Incontinence . 2023-03-05 . Bladder & Bowel Community . en-GB.
  17. Web site: Viva Your Vulva - Audacious Women Festival . 2023-01-29 . Data Thistle . en-GB.
  18. Web site: 2016-06-20 . Gusset Grippers' – Edinburgh Fringe show about the mysteries of continence and the pelvic floor . 2023-01-29 . Scottish Care . en-GB.
  19. Web site: Elaine Miller HuffPost . 2023-03-05 . www.huffingtonpost.co.uk . en.
  20. Web site: PhysioUpdate News Pelvic health - Sep 22, 2021 . 2023-03-05 . www.physioupdate.co.uk . en.
  21. Miller . Elaine . Bergmeier . Heidi J. . Blewitt . Claire . O'Connor . Amanda . Skouteris . Helen . Helen Skouteris . December 2021 . A systematic review of humour-based strategies for addressing public health priorities . Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health . 45 . 6 . 568–577 . 10.1111/1753-6405.13142 . 1753-6405 . 34411385 . free.
  22. Web site: Burst the taboo: Elaine Miller combines physiotherapy with stand-up comedy . 2023-03-05 . The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy . 3 September 2014 . en.
  23. Web site: Rachel . 2018-06-10 . The Incontinence Comedian - Elaine Miller Of Gusset Grippers . 2023-08-26 . For Your Magnificent Midlife And Beyond . en-GB.
  24. Web site: Kevin McKenna meets the woman whose Holyrood protest went viral . 2023-03-05 . HeraldScotland . 25 February 2023 . en.
  25. Web site: Elaine Miller: Gusset Grippers . 2023-01-29 . Fair Pley . 23 April 2020 . en-US.
  26. Web site: Viva Your Vulva: The Hole Story: 5 star review by Richard Beck . 2023-01-29 . broadwaybaby.com . en.
  27. Web site: Gusset Grippers/pelvic floor/Elaine Miller/comedy/ physiotherapy . 2023-01-29 . Gussetgrippers . en.
  28. Web site: Middleton . Lucy . 2020-01-07 . 'I dress up as a vulva to teach women about incontinence' . 2023-03-05 . Metro . en.
  29. Web site: 2022-11-01 . Urinary Incontinence in Women . 2023-03-05 . www.hopkinsmedicine.org . en.
  30. Web site: One in Three Women . 2023-03-05 . Continence Foundation of Australia . 29 May 2019 . en.
  31. News: Grover . Natalie . 2022-04-07 . 'You feel so sexless and dirty': the women living with incontinence after childbirth . en-GB . The Guardian . 2023-03-05 . 0261-3077.
  32. Web site: Urinary incontinence in women Health Information Bupa UK . 2023-03-05 . www.bupa.co.uk . en-GB.
  33. Web site: 2018-06-27 . What are pelvic floor exercises? . 2023-03-05 . nhs.uk . en.
  34. Web site: PELVIC FLOOR EXERCISES . 2023-03-05 . Gussetgrippers . en.
  35. Web site: Gender recognition 'flasher' protester standing for election in Edinburgh . 2023-01-29 . HeraldScotland . 26 January 2023 . en.
  36. News: Meikle . David . Gender Recognition Reform Bill: police drop investigation into Scottish parliament flasher . en . The Times . 2023-01-29 . 0140-0460.
  37. News: Police investigating ex-Fife health worker who exposed herself in Holyrood over gender reforms vote . en-GB . The Courier . 2023-01-29.
  38. Web site: Lloyd . Karen . Corstorphine/Murrayfield by-election candidates announced . 2023-03-05 . The City of Edinburgh Council . en.
  39. Web site: Guide . British Comedy . Viva Your Vulva: The Hole Story . 2023-03-05 . British Comedy Guide . en.

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