First off, she is a great singer and from what I have heard an inspiration to many others as well. I don't begrudge them that.
What I do begrudge and see what the youtube videos of her performance is the shallowness in not just the American culture and other cultures as well. We all know people were rolling their eyes at her looks, making fun of her for what she said, stuff like that. Only when did she start to sing did it wow people.
We are so willing to judge and be judgmental on someone's looks that it seems to be the impossible to get up looking normal or mediocre and knock everyone's boots off. That is what I have the problem with. She shouldn't have to be an inspiration to many to put their all into. We should already be there. We should already be conditioned to the fact that skinny dressed up barbies like Spears, Madonna, and all them are not the only ones who can sing. Others can too. But we are programmed not to think it. To think that someone who looks like Boyle or normal can't be extra-ordinary.
And of course when I watched the first time my first thought as it ended was that she is going to cave to what Hollywood has led us to believe and be made to look the part of a great singer. As so I'm not surprised to learn of her makeover. It just means she caved to the cultural pressure of having to spoof up and that to be fabulous and great you need to look fabulous and great. That's how I see it at least.
So she may be an inspiration for getting on stage, and she is a great singer. But a true inspiration would do something to stick out, to be different from everyone else; not fold and add to the cultural conception that you need talent and looks to make it.
But time will tell. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm not.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
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2 comments:
Sam, I think your interpretation of people's reactions is incorrect. It wasn't her looks that surprised people, it was her history. I don't know how closely you followed her story, but she is a single nigh handicapped woman who hasn't had the ability to function in society ever. She was oxygen deprived at birth thanks to an umbilical cord wrapped around her neck and wasn't expected to survive. Surprisingly, she was blessed with a beautiful voice and she has finally been prodded to make the best of it.
I really don't think it matters in this case that she looks like some dowdy, overweight British housewife. People are impressed that a slightly mentally retarded woman has a gift few people have.
Also, because of this we can't fault her for trying to fit into a mold. We don't know if she was manipulated into it or if it is a lifetime dream of hers to look like a princess, but so long as she doesn't die of a cocaine overdose by March, I say good for her.
Oh. I didn't know about her history or anything like that. I only had watched the main youtube video of her performance and what other people had said or videos of how they reacted. None of them unfortunately mentioned her handicap and only seemed to comment on her looks and obscurity.
So knowing that I can appreciate a little more of why people think she is an inspiration.
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